56: Trump's executive orders and their effects thus far

An old map modified for the modern world (Ryan Win-Ruan/ Puma Prensa)

Written By: Ryan Win-Ruan, staff writter

On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump was officially inaugurated as the President of the United States. Starting his second term in office, he catered to many of his voters' promises, with a costly expense for people who voted against him.

Within 10 days after his inauguration, Trump signed 56 executive orders, more than any other president in recent history has signed in their first 100 days in office. These orders have, rather predictably, caused an immense amount of backlash from Democrats and even some Republicans, because much of the newer legislature repealed orders established under President Joe Biden’s administration. 

For a bit of context: an executive order is, according to American Civil Liberties Union, “a written directive, signed by the president, that orders the government to take specific actions to ensure ‘the laws be faithfully executed.’” In other words, it is a reassurance that the President uses to allow specific laws to be passed and implemented efficiently and quickly. An executive order cannot be used to create a new law, but it can tell the government how to apply it. 

Recently, Trump has been using executive orders to approve laws he supports quickly without many setbacks. This has frustrated many government officials, especially those in the Department of Justice (DoJ), with whom Trump has historically clashed over issues of government operation.

For example, the “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” is one of many famously signed executive orders, as it includes the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and Mt. Denali to Mt. McKinley, which quickly drew lots of attention after it was announced, especially on social media. 

Some other significant orders that have caused massive controversy are those signed on immigration, especially “illegal” immigration. This is mainly because Trump is notorious amongst many Democrats and critics for trying to limit the amount of immigrants entering the U.S., as well as promising “mass deportations” of migrants during his tenure as president, which has devastated the immigrant population of the U.S. Trump has also cracked down on asylum seekers and refugees seeking entry into the U.S., much to the frustration of many in the immigrant community. 

Trump’s reversal of many long-time U.S. policies, such as his withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) and his cutbacks on foreign aid to nations like Ukraine due to his “America First” foreign policy, has caused many to question the future of the U.S.’s involvement in foreign affairs. 

These international policies also include tariffs–some, like those on steel, are almost as high as 25% — and, according to an article by the BBC, “Trump says [the] tariffs will boost the U.S. economy” (though this claim has been challenged by many economists) and “‘protect’ the country from illegal immigration and the flow of drugs,” both of which were major topics during the presidential debates in 2024.

Even though many are unhappy with Trump’s decisions, a relatively large group supports many of his choices. Many committed Republicans and conservatives have supported Trump’s reversal of Biden’s orders while he was in office, voicing their support for Trump’s actions thus far. 

Currently, opinions are mixed, with many supporting his actions and an equal amount in opposition.