Sworn in on January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump represents a pivot from Biden era politics. In his first term, Trump ushered in policies that involved stricter immigration policies, a tariff heavy foreign policy approach, and an “America first” outlook when navigating international agreements. Now, Trump’s agenda focuses on continuing his work
One of Trump’s main priorities lies at the US-Mexico border, where he aims to take action to secure the border further and establish stricter immigration policies. Such actions include continuing the construction of the border wall, ending asylum for those who entered the US illegally, and enhanced screening and vetting processes at the border. Additionally, as part of Trump’s mass deportation program, the members of the US military are able to take on the role of immigration and border patrol officers. Trump has also focused on limiting birthright citizenship, granted by the 13th amendment, to children born in the US with parents who entered legally. Trump’s restriction of the 13th amendment has already been challenged in federal courts and criticized as unconstitutional.
Trump also seeks to step back from the environmental and energy policies of the Biden era. Trump declared an energy emergency and ordered the nation to use necessary resources to build critical infrastructure, alleviating the burdens placed on energy usage and production. Trump also withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement, an international treaty aimed at responding efficiently to climate change. The goal is to bolster the American economy with little concern for the environmental consequences of doing so. Additionally, he began a formal withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), a specialized agency of the United Nations that focuses on public health. This action was initially started in 2020 during Trump’s first term, but was temporarily halted by the Biden administration. The withdrawal was prompted by his beliefs in the WHO mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic and the continual payments that member states are required to pay. Trump’s attempts to strengthen the nation have been labeled as quite controversial, but time will tell how effective they will be.
DOGE:
Trump has established a new department called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE is led by the CEO of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk. The goal of the program is to monitor government spending and reduce waste and fraud of government funds. The new program shifts the government towards a more entrepreneurial approach.
Federal funding and employees:
Trump paused federal funding and loans to organizations like public universities causing panic and confusion. The motion has since been paused. Trump has also halted the hiring of new federal employees, and fired top federal officials all in an attempt to have more control over the federal workforce. The president has posed an offer to over two million federal employees asking them to resign on the condition that they will continue getting paid through September of 2025.
DEIA policy:
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives have been around since the Johnson presidency. They are policies that both federal and private organizations and companies implement to make their workplaces more inclusive. Trump has been targeting these programs using federal agencies to bully organizations into abandoning legal DEIA efforts.
Paris Climate Agreement:
Trump has withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement. The Paris climate agreement is an international treaty that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Trump also exited the climate agreement in 2017 during his first term.
Transgender policy:
Trump’s views on transgender citizens gained lots of attention and traction during his campaign. One of the executive orders he has signed since entering office bars transgender people from enlisting in the military. The order will not immediately take effect but his end goal is to also eject all current trans members of the military.
TikTok:
Trump previously supported a TikTok ban but has since changed his stance. He initiated a 75 day postponement of the ban extending the deadline for the company to be sold. Many users of the platform were very excited and when they returned to the app were greeted by a message from the company personally thanking Trump for his “efforts.”
