Disclaimer: Like all media, this work expresses the viewpoints and opinions of its writer. This work intends to overview and poke fun at the most prevalent of President Donald Trump’s newest Executive Orders.
On Monday, January 20th, 2025, Donald J. Trump was inaugurated for the second time. In his first 24 hours as president, he passed 22 Executive Orders. These ranged from ending asylum to abolishing all federal DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs. According to a report by Fox News, Trump is planning around 100 of these orders to reshape and restructure the U.S. as we know it. This is not to say Executive Orders are necessarily a bad thing; each order is a signed, written, and published directive from the President that helps manage the federal government (Bureau of Justice Assistance). An incoming president signing handfuls of Executive Orders in the first 100 days is commonplace in the White House. However, historically these orders are more spread out. According to data from the Federal Register, only President Biden and Truman have issued more than 40 Executive Orders in their first 100 days in office. After less than two weeks, Trump had signed 38. Together, we’re going to go through the important stuff-the nitty, the gritty, and the just plain stupid.
“Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements”
Putting America first means caring about citizens. I think we can all assume by now that we’re messing something up. California was LITERALLY on fire and yet we dropped out of an agreement that could have helped bring awareness and technology to the battle against climate change. On December 12th, 2015, the United States became one of 196 countries at the UN Climate Change Conference to enter into a legally binding international treaty on climate change (UNFCCC). This agreement, known as the Paris Agreement, is considered a landmark in the fight against climate change by bringing nations together to battle against our common enemy. Each country would set their own goals to meet, and they would reconvene every five years to reassess their current progress before setting new ones. Alongside other countries, the United States was committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting other countries through financial, technical, and capacity-building frameworks set into the agreement. By forsaking the Paris Agreement, we also gave up any support we were benefiting from. Additionally, President Trump rescinded the U.S. International Climate Finance plan, which provided over $11 billion a year towards international climate finance (World Resources Institute). This was to show the United States not only supporting but taking action for a better climate future on an international scale. While the Paris Agreement would not have prevented the California fires, President Trump’s actions concerning energy policies ignore past events like those in California for the sake of big bucks – bucks that would have been spent helping create infrastructure to fight climate change. Basically, we were taking small steps forward alongside other countries, but now President Trump is making us take a rather large step back.
“Flying the Flag of the United States at Full-Staff on Inauguration Day”
This one infuriated me, and I’m not really that easily infuriated. But seriously?! Jimmy Carter, the 39th president with a legacy of humanitarianism, passes away, and all you can think about is making sure a flag is flown on your special little day?! Seriously, get over yourself and your stupid hair. You’re not special. In fact, President Trump’s demand marks a departure from over 100 years of tradition. Isn’t he supposed to be a big fan of that? According to The United States Flag Code, the American flag is to be flown at half-staff for 30 days after the death of a President or former President (Title 4, United States Code, section m). Now, I can guess what you’re probably thinking: “But this hasn’t happened before! All the other presidents got full-staff on inauguration day!” Wrong—when President Nixon was inaugurated in 1973, the flags at the Capitol building were flown at half-staff in honor of former President Harry Truman (NPR). Not only did Trump break tradition here, it could also be seen as disrespectful in a time of mourning for an important loss.
“Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship”
Thank goodness that this one is no longer in place. This Executive Order, if implemented, would rewrite our current understanding of immigration law, and end birthright citizenship, which is automatic, guaranteed citizenship for those born on American soil. This was hopefully only one of many setbacks to come for Trump’s Executive Orders. According to Federal District Court Judge John C. Coughenour, “this is a blatantly unconstitutional order” (New York Times). Unfortunately, this order alongside others has led to serious worry regarding both legal and illegal immigrants in our country. Raids made by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are becoming more common, and more than 3,500 undocumented migrants have been arrested since Trump took office (BBC). President Trump wants you to think that undocumented immigrants such as those being detained are a “detriment to society.” This was proved incorrect by several studies, one of which stated that immigrants, even those undocumented, are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than those born in the U.S. (NPR). By creating more legal routes for immigrant workers, we could prevent the drawbacks of deportation like labor shortages and the rise of inflation (CMS). If you or anyone you know is a first-generation immigrant or could possibly be profiled by ICE and subject to detainment, please carry identification like a passport with you at all times. Know your rights! But what about those grocery prices, huh?
The. Freaking. Tariffs. Yes, he said he was gonna implement them. Yes, I believed him. But let me break it down for you, nerd style. The United States is the largest importer of goods in the world, with imports totaling $3.2 trillion in 2022 alone, excluding another $680.3 billion in service imports (United States Trade Representative). We need other countries. Back in June of 2024, sixteen recipients of the Nobel Prize in economics warned that Trump’s planned economic policies could stoke inflation instead of lessening it as promised. President Trump’s original proposal created an across-the-board 10% tariff, a tax levied on particular imported goods. In reaction to tariffs, foreign businesses would raise prices, as would native companies that import raw materials for their products, therefore passing on the cost to everyday consumers. This was estimated to add an additional $1,700 in annual costs for the typical U.S. household (CBS). If you’ve kept up with the news, you’d have seen the President has since hiked some tariffs to 25%. According to projections, the 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, along with the 10% tariff on China would increase taxes by $1.2 trillion between 2025 and 2034 (Tax Foundation). This does not include any retaliatory tariffs enforced by any countries we anger! Tariffs, alongside the deportation of important agricultural workers, will make many fruits and vegetables more expensive, as we either import goods or rely upon immigrant labor for their production (Harvard Business Review). Trump’s tariffs have been likened to that of a much earlier age. If you’ve ever seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, you might just know what I mean (The Scene). In 1930, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act was passed. Also known as the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930, the act created high tariffs just like the current President is doing, which led to a wave of foreign retaliation. To this day, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act is considered to blame for the worsening of the Great Depression (Office of the Historian). For lack of better words, Trump is basically threatening us with another Great Depression. Sounds fun, right?
“Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness”
For the millionth time, SERIOUSLY? There are like a bajillion other, possibly more important issues, but noooooo—we’re renaming shit. President Trump found a soul brother in William McKinley. McKinley was the 25th president of the United States, who led the country through the Spanish-American War. When McKinley became president, the Depression of 1893 was improving, and the economy seemed to be heading up . But instead of letting things settle, he called Congress into a special session to enact the highest tariff in history (National Archives). He sounds a little like someone we know…but what does he have to do with the mountain Denali? Absolutely nothing! Although the mountain was originally named after him, he never visited nor had any connection to the mountain or Alaska (Department of the Interior). The original name change was championed by the Alaskan people and set into place by former President Obama. Denali, which translates roughly to “The Great One”, was used by and originated from Alaska’s native Athabascan people (History). Even more frustrating to me is the stupid “Gulf of America”. To be clear, President Trump’s order only changes the name within the United States. No other countries have to comply with the name change, and it’s unlikely you’ll wind up seeing “Gulf of America” on any map outside of the States. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not a rather large deal. While the gulf has had many names, from the Gulf of Florida to the Gulf of Cortés, evidence points to the “Gulf of Mexico” being in common use as early as 1552 (New York Times). 1552! That’s 224 years before the Declaration of Independence came into being. It was not Trump’s name to take or change, and it will not be recognized by most, if not all, other countries. Besides the one we live in, of course.
“Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling”
Similar to DEI programs, President Trump accused K-12 schooling as indoctrinating young children with “gender ideology” and “discriminatory equity ideology”. These orders are…confusing, to say the least. “Discriminatory equity ideology” has been taken to mean that members of a certain group are superior, while another is “racist, sexist, or oppressive” (Education Weekly). This could refer to teaching what is called “critical race theory”, which by definition is a theory taught to graduate-level law students, not fourth graders. Moreover, there’s the issue of so-called “gender ideology”. The term is rather opaque but is defined by a writer at the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing organization closely linked to President Trump, as the view “that the sex binary doesn’t capture the complexity of the human species”. Fun fact, it doesn’t! Around 1.7% of the population are born with intersex traits (OHCHR). Intersex people are those born with sex characteristics that do not fit into the neat little boxes Trump wants. More on that later—back to the kids. Approximately 1.6 million people ages 13 and older – that’s 0.6% of the population – identified as transgender according to a 2022 study (UCLA School of Law). While this does show a marked rise in the transgender population, it similarly coincides with increased social acceptance and knowledge of inclusive language. Children and young adults are now more accepted to explore their gender identities, which is why we may be seeing a rise, especially in a younger age group (New York Times). Luckily for K-12 students, Trump cannot force the curriculum to change. But the fear is powerful enough to put important support and conversation to rest.
Saved the best for last—congratulations, everyone! You are all…women. All relationships are lesbian. I’m so proud of our first-ever female president. I thought this day would never come (dramatic sniffing, tears in my eyes). All jokes aside, the order is very clear. It defines female as a “person belonging at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell” and a male the same, only producing the “small reproductive cell” (Executive Order 14168). I’m no bio major, but I can do research pretty well. Let’s do this one last time–nerd style. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, conception is the “process of becoming pregnant”. That means someone does the bang-bang, and the pregnancy test is positive – boom, conception. All embryos and fetuses start off as female until about 5 or 6 weeks of development. So, under the President’s order, we’re all technically women! I’m pointing this out because it’s truly idiotic. President Trump is consistently demeaning and devaluing the experiences of transgender and nonbinary individuals. As mentioned in the previous section, transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals make up about 2% of the population combined. That’s almost as common as someone having red hair! It’s no secret that Trump is very anti-LGBTQIA+. But one thing he can’t do is diminish your power. Existence is resistance!
In Conclusion
President Trump passed a bunch of fancy orders that take aim at the economy, the climate, immigration, and LGBTQIA+ rights. Some are under fire or getting rescinded, but most are still in place. These orders are already restructuring things that are in place and causing harm to marginalized communities. In times where things might seem scary, it’s important to remain vigilant and informed, and to advocate for justice – both for ourselves and others. Together, we can challenge these harmful decisions and make sure no one is left behind.