Courtesy of AXIOS, as of January 28, 2025.
Do have a "phew!" And click here.
President Trump is carrying out his pledge to give the U.S. a MAGA makeover by signing a slew of executive actions in his first week that walk back Biden-era policies and fulfill his campaign promises. The big picture: Trump's radical expansion of executive power will dramatically change life for millions of people if the orders withstand the barrage of legal challenges that are already coming.
President Trump executive orders list 2025
Immigration executive orders
Many of Trump's first orders curtail immigration at the southern border.
- He promised mass deportations but hasn't detailed how he would implement, staff and fund such a massive, costly operation.
Trump declares national emergency at Mexico border
Trump declared an emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, vowing to deploy troops to the region, including the National Guard. He instructed the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to construct additional border barriers.
- Trump designated "certain international cartels" and organizations, such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13, as foreign terrorist organizations and announced plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target them.
- Trump suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program resettlements. Homeland Security will report back within 90 days on whether resuming refugee entries would "be in the interests" of America.
- Nearly 1,660 Afghans cleared by the U.S. to resettle in the country, including family of active-duty U.S. military personnel, had their flights canceled following Trump's orders, Reuters reported.
- Trump ordered Homeland Security to terminate "all categorical parole programs that are contrary" to U.S. policies established in his orders, including those for refugees fleeing Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Remain in Mexico policy
Trump reinstated the "Remain in Mexico" policy, ending a program that released asylum seekers into the U.S. while their cases were considered.
- The U.S. Customs and Border Protection website said appointments made through the CBP One app at certain border crossings had been canceled on Jan. 20. Hours later, Trump nixed the program.
- Trump empowered officials to "repeal, repatriate, or remove any alien engaged in the invasion" of the southern border.
Trump birthright citizenship executive order
One of his boldest moves was an attempt to end birthright citizenship for those born to undocumented immigrants, which is protected by the U.S. Constitution. The order faces legal challenges.
- Trump ordered agencies (starting 30 days after the Jan. 20 order) not to recognize babies as citizens if their mothers were "unlawfully present" at the time of birth and their father was not a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident.
- This applies to children born to mothers who were lawful, temporary residents and fathers who were not citizens or lawful permanent residents.
Energy and environment executive orders
Trump declared a "national energy emergency," ordering expedited, deregulated drilling.
- One order specifically targets energy production in Alaska -- rescinding former President Biden's protections around the state's coastal areas.
Separately, Trump paused offshore wind leasing in federal waters.
- "[T]he heads of all other relevant agencies, shall not issue new or renewed approvals, rights of way, permits, leases, or loans for onshore or offshore wind projects," pending a review of federal wind leasing, per the memorandum.
Paris Climate treaty
State of play: Trump signed an order withdrawing the U.S., the world's second-largest greenhouse gas emitter, from the Paris Climate Agreement.
- Trump had pulled out of the pact during his first term, but Biden rejoined it in a day-one order of his own.
- It takes a year to withdraw from the agreement.
Trump took aim at the Biden administration's federal procurement targets for clean power, electric vehicles and other energy goals.
- Trump directed the Energy secretary to restart application reviews for liquefied natural gas export projects, which were paused by Biden over climate change concerns.
- Trump also revoked a 2021 Biden executive order that set a goal for 50% of US vehicle sales to be electric by 2030.
Executive orders targeting DEI, and transgender Americans
Trump established that "it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female" on official documents.
- "These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality," his Jan. 20 executive order read.
- Transgender Americans were a central target of Trump's often hyperbolic and outright false campaign trail messaging.
Zoom out: He also rescinded a Biden administration provision that allowed transgender people to serve in the military.
- Trump did not immediately ban trans military personnel from serving, as he did under his first administration, but he paved the path to revive the ban.
Trump, as part of his crusade against what the GOP decries as "woke" culture, ordered the dismantling of government diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within 60 days.
- It eliminates policies that established several diversity initiatives, including one that widened sex discrimination protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
- In a Jan. 21 order, Trump specifically directed the Federal Aviation Administration "to immediately return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring, as required by law" and rescind DEI initiatives.
Separately, Trump ordered all executive departments and agencies to terminate what he called "discriminatory and illegal" preferences, policies, programs, guidance and other provisions and to "combat illegal private-sector DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities."
- In doing so, he revoked decades of executive orders, including the Equal Employment Opportunity order of 1965 signed by former President Lyndon B. Johnson.
- It calls for each agency to identify "up to nine potential civil compliance investigations of publicly traded corporations, large non-profit corporations or associations, foundations with assets of 500 million dollars or more, State and local bar and medical associations, and institutions of higher education with endowments over 1 billion dollars."
Trump signed several other provisions that will impact government workers.
- He required a full-time return to in-office work for federal employees and ordered a hiring freeze on government positions.
- The hiring freeze does not apply to the military or "immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety."
He reinstated his first-term Schedule F executive order, which could make it easier to fire civil servants deemed disloyal.
- The order could strip employment protections from thousands of federal employees.
- Employees are "not required to personally or politically support the current President" -- but they must "faithfully implement administration policies to the best of their ability," the order said.
Jan. 6 pardons and other clemency actions
Trump pardoned most Jan. 6 defendants (some 1,500) charged with participating in the Capitol riot and commuted the sentences of 14 others.
- Among those were leaders of extremist groups the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.
- Pardoning rioters was a prominent campaign pledge, but Trump had previously said recipients would be determined on a "case-by-case" basis.
Zoom out: Trump announced on Jan. 21 he had signed a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the unlawful Silk Road marketplace who was sentenced to life in prison in 2015.
- On Wednesday, he issued a "full and unconditional pardon" to two police officers convicted for the 2020 murder of Karon Hylton-Brown, a 20-year-old Black man, in D.C.
Health executive orders: WHO, COVID and drug costs
Trump signed a Jan. 20 order pulling the U.S. from the World Health Organization, a process he started during his first term due to what the order claimed was "the organization's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic ... and other global health crises," among other reasons.
Zoom in: Trump on Monday reinstated military members who were dismissed because they refused to receive the COVID vaccine.
- The Trump administration on Jan. 22 waived requirements that green card applicants be vaccinated against COVID.
- Trump also rescinded a 2022 Biden order to lower the cost of prescription drugs.
TikTok extension, DOGE, and more executive orders
Other executive orders and actions include:
- Re-designating the Houthi rebels in Yemen as a terrorist organization;
- Ensuring government agencies do not "unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen," highlighting what Trump and his ally's considered censorship under Biden.
- Ordering a review of trade practices and agreements.
- Revoking security clearances of Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, and former intelligence officials who signed a letter discrediting the Hunter Biden laptop story.
- Formally establishing the Department of Government Efficiency.
- Suspending the TikTok ban for 75 days.
- Declaring that federal buildings should "respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage" to "beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States."
- Renaming Denali to Mount McKinley and the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
- Federally recognizing the Lumbee Tribe. (Note: It is a tribe whose legitimacy has been questioned by other tribal nations, but which did organize support for Trump during the Presidential election
- Declassifying files related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
- Supporting the use of digital assets, blockchain technology and other financial technology.
- Establishing a President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) composed of up to 24 members.
- Revoking existing artificial intelligence policies and directives that "act as barriers to American AI innovation" and setting a 180-day deadline to develop an AI plan.
Post-note: I just (at about 5PM EST, 1-30-25) re-read this list, to correct some minor formatting and underlining issues. It absolutely takes one's breath away. And there is more to come. Talk about a "unitary executive," which is the chief descriptive component of fascism on the "structure of government" side.
(Article changed on Jan 30, 2025 at 5:02 PM EST)
(Article changed on Jan 30, 2025 at 5:03 PM EST)
(Article changed on Jan 30, 2025 at 5:05 PM EST)
