- Trump has promised to do a number of different things on “Day One” of his second term.
- Much of his agenda will take time to implement, but there are things he can start immediately.
- This includes executive orders and the impeachment of government officials.
During the last two years of President-elect Donald Trump’s third presidential campaign, he often promised to follow through on certain promises on “day one” of his new administration.
“A lot of things will be done on the first day,” Trump said at a town hall with Tucker Carlson in Phoenix in late October. “Your head will spin when you see what’s going to happen.”
Several aspects of Trump’s agenda, particularly his promises to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security benefits, will require Congress to act.
But many of his signature promises can be set in motion through executive orders, which he will be able to issue once he takes office. He will also be able to issue pardons and fire government officials on day one.
Executive orders: Immigration and potential legal challenges
Some of Trump’s most accessible promises are related to immigration, an area where the White House and the Executive Branch have a significant say. In the final days of the campaign, Trump underlined his commitment to start work immediately on building the “largest deportation force” in the country’s history. The American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations have said they will challenge Trump’s actions in court, meaning anything started on Day One will be just the beginning of a potentially lengthy legal battle.
Trump also repeatedly promised to limit parole, which allows immigrants to live in the US temporarily, often for humanitarian reasons. He also pushed for denied claims of secret “migrant flights”, which he also promised to stop on day one.
Trump has promised to issue several executive orders when he takes office, although some of them are likely to be challenged in court.
For example, Trump has vowed to sign an executive order to remove birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.
During the Republican primary, he pledged to take executive action “banning schools from promoting critical race theory or transgender insanity.”
It is likely that such a move could reflect an executive order revoked by President Joe Biden after taking office, which at the time prohibited the federal government and federal contractors from conducting workplace training on “disruptive concepts.” A federal judge later blocked bans on some training.
Pardons and personnel decisions: Jack Smith’s firing, pardon of January 6 protesters
Some of Trump’s promises are simpler and include firing government officials he doesn’t like.
That includes special counsel Jack Smith, who is currently leading the Justice Department’s prosecution of Trump for his role in the January 6 uprising and Trump’s misuse of classified documents. Smith is reportedly already seeking to close those investigations in order to comply with a longstanding department policy that sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted.
“I would fire him in two seconds,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt in late October. “That will be one of the first things addressed.”
At a Bitcoin conference in July, Trump also vowed to fire Gary Gensler, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, on “day one” and appoint a replacement. Gensler has angered many in the cryptocurrency community, which Trump and his campaign have faced ahead of the 2024 election.
Trump has also vowed to pardon the January 6 protesters “if they are innocent,” which he will be able to do on his first day in office.
“Day One” promises Trump may not be able to keep
Some “day one” engagements are simply not possible.
At times during the campaign, Trump pledged to end inflation just hours after taking office. But no one, including the president, can alone lower the price levels imposed on the entire American economy.
The Federal Reserve, the nation’s central bank, is tasked with monitoring inflation and adjusting interest rates up or down as needed, and the Fed takes its political independence seriously. Far from ending inflation, economists worry that Trump’s sweeping tariffs could push prices even higher.
“Starting on day one of my new administration, we’re going to end inflation and make America affordable again because prices are too high,” Trump said at a rally in Wisconsin in October.
Prices hit record highs earlier in the Biden administration, but inflation has continued to cool since then.