President Donald Trump has finished the first week of his second tenure in the White House.
At an indoor inauguration ceremony Jan. 20 featuring some of the world’s richest men along with all the living former U.S. presidents and an a cappella performance from country singer Carrie Underwood, Trump declared that “the Golden Age of America” had begun.
Trump wasted no time issuing executive orders on a slew of issues from immigration to energy. Less than 24 hours in, he issued pardons and sentence commutations for over 1,000 Jan. 6 rioters, including those convicted of violent crimes. Trump said he believed the rioters were serving sentences that were “ridiculous and excessive.”
The move was met by outrage from members of the U.S. Capitol Police, with one officer calling it a betrayal and a stab in the back.
Trump also announced sweeping measures on his key campaign promise of immigration reform. He began by signing an executive order ending birthright citizenship. The move was immediately met by four separate lawsuits challenging it, claiming blatant unconstitutionality. A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked the order; However, the order is now on track to face the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Trump administration is also cracking down on illegal migration, shutting down the app “CBP One,” which allowed migrants to make appointments to apply for asylum remotely. Trump has also deployed U.S. troops to the southern border and the administration is using military planes to deport undocumented immigrants.
This move is already causing some challenges for the administration. On Sunday, Trump announced 25% emergency tariffs on Colombia after its president, Gustavo Petro, blocked a U.S. military plane carrying Colombian migrants from landing. Trump declared that those tariffs would be raised to 50% one week later. Colombia responded by announcing its own 25% tariff on all U.S. imports, saying that they would only accept deportees on civilian aircraft.
An agreement was reached between the two nations late Sunday night, averting a trade war that could have led to increased prices on items such as coffee, bananas and flowers right before Valentine’s Day.
Trump also fired over a dozen inspectors general, independent watchdogs within federal agencies who investigate and disclose waste, fraud and abuse, at various government departments. As many as 17 were let go by email, despite a federal law requiring a 30 day notice to Congress for the firing of inspectors general.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, the U.S. Senate will continue working to confirm Trump’s cabinet nominees. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, was narrowly confirmed with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie breaking vote after 3 GOP senators joined all Democrats in voting against his confirmation.
Other nominees confirmed this past week include John Ratcliffe as director of the CIA and former South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as secretary of Homeland Security, a key role in the administration’s efforts to crack down on immigration.
Trump also announced a $500 billion investment in private sector AI infrastructure. He was joined by the CEOs of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, along with Softbank and Oracle as he made the announcement the day after his inauguration in the Roosevelt Room at the White House.
On the world stage, Trump has faced pushback from Arab nations after he suggested moving Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and building housing in a different location. Countries including Jordan and Egypt have rejected the proposal, with some people accusing Trump of promoting ethnic cleansing.
Trump also held a phone call with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over the weekend. The two leaders discussed the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the importance of maintaining the strategic partnership between the two nations.
On Saturday, House Speaker Mike Johnson invited Trump to speak before both chambers of Congress on March 4, asking him to outline his vision for the future of the country.
This story was written by Sahil Gupta. He can be reached at [email protected].
