In the grand theatre of American politics, presidential inaugurations typically follow a familiar script: the oath, the speech, a few carefully chosen executive orders to satisfy campaign promises. Franklin D Roosevelt used his first day to tackle the banking crisis. Barack Obama moved to close Guantánamo Bay (though it remains open). Donald Trump’s first term began with a single executive order targeting Obamacare.
But as Trump prepares to return to the White House for round two, he’s promising to tear up the traditional presidential playbook entirely. With more than 100 executive orders reportedly prepared, his agenda represents a new attempt to reshape American governance through sheer executive will. It’s a blueprint that, if enacted, would touch everything from international trade to immigration, from cryptocurrency to classroom curriculums.
The scope is wide-reaching – and perhaps impossible. The previous high came from Joe Biden, who signed 17 executive orders on his first day in 2021.
Trump’s planned century of orders represents an administrative ambition unmatched in American history. Here are some of his most significant day one pledges, and what they could mean.
Mass deportation program
Trump has vowed to launch “the largest deportation program in American history” immediately upon taking office. The scope is staggering: with an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants and aslyum seekers in the US, including roughly 500,000 with criminal records, this would dwarf the Obama administration’s record of 430,000 annual deportations in 2013.
In the near term, Trump is expected to dismantle legal protections for asylum-seeking migrants and revoke humanitarian deportation safeguards for millions, including those from Haiti and Sudan, as they expire.
Additionally, he plans to reverse a policy that prioritized the deportation of serious criminals, rather than long-term undocumented immigrants with clean records.
Border emergency declaration
Beyond deportations, Trump plans to declare a national emergency at the border. He explained at a New Hampshire campaign event in October that he could look to do that by “using title 42”, which would essentially trigger public health emergency powers similar to ones used during Covid to boot or ban migrants from entering or staying in the country.
This approach faces a significant hurdle: only the CDC, not the president, can declare such emergencies.
The North American tariff shock
Perhaps Trump’s most economically significant day one promise is the pledge to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports. This move would affect America’s two largest trading partners and could dramatically reshape North American commerce. Trump has linked these tariffs to drug-trafficking concerns, though he has recently suggested there might be room for negotiation, saying on NBC’s Meet the Press “we adjust it somewhat” if prices rise too sharply.
Canada has vowed to respond to the tariffs, and Mexico suggested it would do the same. When asked if Quebec would consider pausing hydroelectric or aluminum shipments to the US, the province’s premier François Legault told a news conference he would wait for Trump to make the first move, “but what I’m seeing is nothing is off the table”.
The last time America imposed tariffs of this magnitude was the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930, which economists widely credit with deepening the Great Depression.
January 6 pardons
Trump hasn’t just promised pardons – he’s specified a timeline, saying he’ll begin reviewing cases in “maybe the first nine minutes“ of his presidency. With over 1,580 defendants charged and 1,270 convicted, this could represent one of the largest mass pardons in American history.
Many potential recipients have already completed their sentences, meaning some pardons would be largely symbolic. That would be a welcome move for some of his most die-hard supporters, some of whom are calling for everyone to be released, “even the violent ones”.
Energy sector revolution
Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” agenda includes an immediate national energy emergency declaration. The plan calls for expedited approvals of new drilling, pipelines, refineries, and nuclear reactors.
His incoming press secretary claims they’ll begin issuing permits “within seconds” of entering the Oval Office, though such rapid implementation faces obvious practical and legal constraints.
School funding overhaul
In a direct challenge to current educational policies, Trump promises to immediately cut federal funding for schools that teach “critical race theory”, maintain vaccine mandates, or enforce mask requirements – effectively turning budget authority into a weapon in the culture wars.
Beyond simple funding cuts, his plan promises to establish a “restitution fund” for those allegedly harmed by equity policies – a proposal without precedent in American education policy.
The plan would also purge diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements from federal institutions on day one, extending the battlefield from primary schools to universities and even the armed forces.
Transgender rights
Trump has vowed to institute what observers call the most sweeping rollback of transgender rights in modern American history on his first day in office.
Trump plans on reinstating his controversial military ban – previously struck down by the Biden administration – while simultaneously barring transgender women from competing in women’s sports at any level.
He pledged in 2023 to convene an FDA panel to investigate alleged links between hormone treatments and behavioral issues – a move critics describe as a thinly veiled attempt to restrict access to gender-affirming care.
The president’s actions would impact an estimated 1.6 million transgender Americans, including approximately 15,000 service members who as of 2018 are serving openly in the military, and thousands of student athletes across the nation’s schools and universities.
Electric vehicle mandate reversal
While no federal EV mandate actually exists, Trump promised to end what he called “Kamala’s insane electric vehicle mandate” at a Michigan campaign rally in November. This appears to target Biden’s tailpipe emission standards and California’s zero-emission vehicle goals. He told podcaster Joe Rogan it might take two days.
Interestingly, Trump separately said that “we want people to buy electric cars” but has historically opposed mandates, rolling back Obama-era pollution rules his last time in office.
Birthright citizenship challenge
Trump plans to sign an executive order ending automatic citizenship for children born to non-citizen parents in the US.
This direct challenge to the 14th amendment would likely trigger immediate constitutional challenges, with Trump himself recently acknowledging on NBC they might need to “go back to the people” for a constitutional amendment.
Thirty-three countries and two territories – mostly in the western hemisphere and likely rooted to colonial times – have unrestricted birthright citizenship, including the United States, Canada and Mexico. There are 32 countries which have a form of restricted birthright citizenship, which could be one parent having citizenship or long-time residency, including France, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Cryptocurrency in the bank
Trump is reportedly expected to establish a US Bitcoin strategic reserve to go along with his “crypto czar” David Sacks, a former PayPal executive. This comes as bitcoin hit record highs ahead of his inauguration, with markets anticipating significant crypto-friendly policies from his administration.
Adding to the momentum, Democratic senator Sherrod Brown, a vocal crypto critic, was ousted in Ohio by the Republican blockchain entrepreneur Bernie Moreno, who was sworn in to the Senate this month after being backed by a $40m campaign.
Deep state purge
Trump has promised immediate action to “demolish the deep state,” planning to revive his Schedule F executive order from 2020. This would reclassify tens of thousands of federal employees as political appointees, making them easier to dismiss.
The move could dramatically reshape the federal workforce, though it would likely face fierce legal opposition.
Ukraine war negotiations
Trump’s most repeated promise over the last year was his pledge to end the Russia-Ukraine war before even taking office – a deadline that has already passed. Now, his team has pivoted to promising day one negotiations, with Trump’s particular brand of personal diplomacy at the forefront.
“I know [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy very well, and I know [Russian President Vladimir] Putin very well … they respect me,” Trump said during his September debate with Kamala Harris.
That promise has softened since his election victory. In a December interview with Time magazine, Trump acknowledged that “the Middle East is an easier problem to handle than what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine”.
Other than his team suggesting he’ll bring both leaders to the negotiating table on day one, he extended his own timeline for resolving the conflict to six months.
