Quick summary:
The start of any new presidency is bound to be busy — but the first days of Donald Trump’s second term have been, in a word, hectic. Executive orders and controversial promises are flying, while legal challenges and public outcry are flying right back. This weekend, we’re recapping Trump’s first actions in an effort to separate what is urgent from what is spectacle, featuring reporting from Epicenter NYC, AsAmNews, Documented, Capital B, India Currents, and Parlé.
Hey, y’all,
So President Donald Trump is back … one week in, how do we feel?
Okay, not even a full week yet, but personally, my sense of time has felt warped the last few days.
The new administration stormed into office with such a flurry of executive orders, all against the backdrop of extreme pomp and showmanship. If you told me it’d been a month already, I’d believe you.
And honestly, the more the dust of the inauguration settles, the more it feels like Trump’s flashy reentrance to the nation’s highest office — and the way he is now full tilt trying to obliterate anything the previous administration touched — is a calculated mix of distracting and dangerous.
Let’s try to separate the two from each other for a moment, so that the truly consequential actions are not hidden from view by political theater.
The week revealed an apparent “shock and awe” tactic, one aimed at casting an image of vast power while consolidating grip on all branches of government, Epicenter NYC reports.
Crowd pleasing, showy maneuvers dotted the ceremonies on Inauguration Day, from Trump’s many informal speeches to the signing of executive orders in front of 20,000 supporters at the Capital One Arena. The first directive he signed there was a massive repeal of nearly 80 Biden-era initiatives.
Other first-day actions with headline buzziness have risen to the top of the media, such as the self-aggrandizing notion of renaming the Gulf of Mexico, talk of Elon Musk taking us all to Mars, and how Trump saved TikTok (for now).
It seems, similar to his first term, that Trump recognizes the political advantage to issuing sweeping orders, even if they may be struck down in the end. For example, one order “aiming to ‘restore freedom of speech and end federal censorship’ is heavy on political rhetoric, but may have little practical effect,” writes The Conversation.
All the while, Trump has touted his second term as a new “golden age” for the United States, a time when Americans will be rich and winning across the board.
Don’t be fooled. At the same time as these fluffy statements and eye-catching promises, Trump’s pen has been wildly busy, especially around immigration policy.
He signed an order to end political asylum in America, which offers those fleeing persecution around the world safe harbor in this land. He has also paused the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, and may seek to roll back Temporary Protected Statuses too.
His bid to nix birthright citizenship has been temporarily blocked, as expected. Seattle U.S. District Court Judge John Coughenour granted a 14-day restraining order before an initial hearing addresses the matter, AsAmNews reports.
A growing number of states and cities have joined forces in the lawsuit, which seeks to rule Trump’s executive order as a violation of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, Documented explains.
Meanwhile, the Laken-Riley Act, which expands law enforcement’s ability to detain and deport any person without legal status for small offenses, became the first bill passed by the new Congress. Even Democrats got in line; 46 of them voted for the bill in the House of Representatives. It now heads to President Trump’s desk for approval, as activists and advocates decry its passage.
“Voting for [this act] means you’ve helped undermine basic rights and erode the rule of law, and will cause real pain right in your own backyard,” says Jose Lopez, Co-Executive Director of immigration justice group Make the Road, according to Documented.
Immigration wasn’t the only target in this first week. Trump also announced two pivotal withdrawals: one from the World Health Organization, a move that worries experts about the nation’s readiness for the next pandemic, and another from the Paris Climate Agreement, which he also did in his first term.
The interlinking impacts of public health crises and environmental crises on marginalized Americans cannot be overstated — and these two withdrawals alone will have far reaching consequences for years to come, Capital B explains.
Trump also codified that the federal government will only recognize two genders. The move erases entire LGBTQ+ communities and puts them at further risk of losing access to crucial medical care, India Currents explains.
Two other actions will directly harm Black Americans, one being Trump’s directive to bolster the use of the death penalty.
“Racism is inextricably linked to capital punishment,” says the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, per Capital B. “The death penalty has its roots in slavery, lynchings, white vigilantism, and the racial inequities in sentencing persist to this day.”
The other is his long-boasted assault on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, which kicked off with a bang on Monday. Trump signed a slew of orders, starting the process of “gutting one of the main mechanisms that his predecessor used to encourage racial diversity in the federal government,” as Brandon Tensley puts it in Capital B.
In the midst of all these actions that pose true danger to the American people, more distractions crept in.
For one, Trump announced he will open up classified documents pertaining to the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy. This promise was made on Martin Luther King Jr. Day — when Trump also claimed in his inaugural address that he would make MLK’s dream come true — and it read as more politically exploitative than genuine, EBONY explains.
The performative displays did not stop there. With Snoop Dogg and Nelly taking the stage at the Inaugural Ball, the tried and true Trump strategy of “leveraging high-profile Black voices to create a façade of inclusivity and credibility” was put to work, EBONY reports.
The two performers received some backlash from fans for their participation, according to Parlé.
All the while, Trump promised to lead a “colorblind” nation while not selecting more than a single Black person in his initial cabinet appointments, Politico notes.
Altogether, these actions — plus the ones undoubtedly on the horizon — take a heavy toll. Some are distracting, albeit effective, displays of power used to rally the MAGA base. Others pose immediate threats to the survival and livelihood of millions.
However, this country is not a dictatorship (though some may soon make the case). Executive orders have limitations, Republican tensions in Congress are real, and restless supporters may not stay satisfied for long.
In reality, the Trump administration may have simply bought itself some time to figure out its next moves, according to The Conversation.
Until then, stay tuned, get some rest, and check up on your neighbors and loved ones.
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