Donald Trump took the oath of office on Monday, marking the start of his second term as the 47th President of the United States. Wasting no time, he moved into the White House and swiftly issued a series of executive orders to implement his administration’s agenda. The Senate confirmed Marco Rubio as Secretary of State within hours, indicating a quick start for Trump’s Cabinet formation.
Swift Cabinet Appointments Trump’s presidency officially began with the nomination and confirmation of key Cabinet members. Marco Rubio was unanimously confirmed as Secretary of State shortly after the inauguration. Addressing the press, Rubio stated, “Russia’s the aggressor in this conflict, but this war needs to end, and ultimately that’s the complexity of foreign policy. You don’t always get a choice between a great choice and a bad one. Sometimes you get two bad choices, and you’re trying to figure out which is the one that will save the most lives and preserve the most stability.”
Other nominees, including Pete Hegseth for Defence Secretary, faced scrutiny over past allegations. Despite facing criticism during Senate hearings, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved his nomination along party lines, 14-13. Senator Roger Wicker commented, “I think he’s got a lot of knowledge and, frankly, we need to shake things up in the Pentagon.”
Executive Orders to Fulfil Campaign Promises On his first day in office, Trump signed numerous executive orders, targeting key campaign pledges. He froze additional regulations until his administration has full control and rescinded 78 of former President Biden’s executive orders. These actions included withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, freezing federal hiring, and introducing measures to prevent what Trump described as “government censorship of free speech.”
He also declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border, revoked birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants, and designated cartels as foreign terrorist organisations. In a bold move, he pardoned around 1,500 individuals convicted for their involvement in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Economic and Trade Policies Trump reaffirmed his focus on trade, stating during his inaugural speech, “Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.”
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