WASHINGTON – On Monday, President Donald Trump enacted numerous executive actions, including a significant pardon for nearly everyone involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots and a directive to prevent the shutdown of TikTok.

Trump’s measures aimed at overhauling various aspects of national policy, including immigration, the economy, global health, environmental issues, and even gender identity.

He commenced signing these executive orders around 7 p.m. on Monday, right after his inauguration ceremony and a celebratory parade, and just before the inaugural balls were about to start.

Initially, he revoked 78 executive actions established by his predecessor, Joe Biden, which focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting federal lands from drilling activities, and lowering prescription drug costs.

Among Trump’s new mandates are guidelines on how gender is recognized on federal documents and the renaming of certain geographic locations, such as Mount Denali in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. These orders might also empower the Trump administration to enhance authority concerning border security and immigration enforcement.

Under a national border emergency declaration, the administration plans to deploy the U.S. military to address illegal immigration, tackle transnational crime, and conduct mass deportations of undocumented individuals.

Officials indicated that a “national energy emergency” would also be declared, intending to repeal what Trump refers to as the “electric vehicle mandate,” a regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency that requires car manufacturers to lower greenhouse gas emissions for specific new models.

The national energy emergency would also prioritize oil drilling initiatives, officials noted, and the administration plans to commence the process of withdrawing from the World Health Organization, which has been a member since 1948.

Trump Issues Order to Pause TikTok Ban – Legal Concerns Remain

One of Trump’s initial actions after taking office was to issue an executive order that seeks to freeze the enforcement of a ban on TikTok in the U.S. for a period of 75 days.

This development follows the abrupt closure of TikTok in the U.S. over the previous weekend, before the company announced that it was working to restore service based on Trump’s assurances. Access to the widely-used short-video app was quickly reinstated on Sunday, even though it has not yet returned to the app stores operated by Apple and Google.

On Truth Social, Trump stated on Sunday that he would enact this order on his first day of his second term “to negotiate a deal that would safeguard our national security.”

He added that the order would ensure no legal repercussions for any company that assisted in keeping TikTok operational prior to his directive.

It remains uncertain if Trump’s executive order can effectively halt the law temporarily, as the legislation imposes fines of $5,000 on companies for each user who accesses TikTok through their services, impacting firms like Apple and Google as well as those like Oracle that provide hosting services.

Trump Pardons 1,500 Individuals Charged in Capitol Riot

In a significant move, President Donald Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 individuals on Monday who faced charges related to the January 6 Capitol incident, fulfilling a campaign promise that critics argued would “endorse attacks on democracy.”

This figure reportedly encompasses nearly all of the approximately 1,600 individuals charged in the Capitol riot as noted by the Justice Department by the fourth anniversary of the event on January 6.

So far, about 1,270 people have been convicted in connection with the riot, with more than 1,000 pleading guilty and 260 being found guilty in trials. Among those who pled guilty included 327 felonies and 682 misdemeanors.

“These are the hostages, about 1,500 for a pardon. Full pardon,” Trump stated in the Oval Office. “We have around six commutations under further review. This is a significant action. We hope they will be completed tonight.”

Trump to Declare ‘Border Emergency,’ Deploy Troops

Trump is expected to enact nearly a dozen executive orders concerning border security and immigration by declaring a national border emergency.

Incoming officials in the White House confirmed early Monday that the president plans to instruct U.S. armed forces to “repel forms of invasion” at the southern border, targeting illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

The administration’s expectations include halting refugee resettlement efforts, finishing the construction of the border wall, limiting the entry of nationals from “countries of concern,” and striving to terminate the constitutional right to citizenship for children born in the U.S. to certain foreign nationals.

Trump also intends to classify drug cartels as “global terrorists,” utilizing military forces to combat them, although specific details regarding the engagement rules were not disclosed.

Initiating a ‘National Energy Emergency’

On Monday, Trump announced his decision to declare a “national energy emergency,” although the specifics of this declaration remain unclear.

Typically, a national emergency declared by the president allows access to a range of statutory powers that were not previously available, according to research conducted by the Brennan Center. Past national emergencies have included situations involving natural disasters, maritime issues, security threats, and public health crises.

No prior national energy emergency has been declared. However, during the energy crisis of 1977, President Jimmy Carter allowed states to declare their own energy emergencies, which permitted them to waive certain environmental regulations.

By announcing a national energy emergency, Trump aims to prioritize the production of domestic oil and gas, despite U.S. crude oil production reaching record highs over the past year.

On the same day, Trump also repealed a non-binding executive order from Biden in 2021 that aimed for 50% of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2032 to be electric.

The U.S. to Exit the Paris Climate Agreement Again

On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order that initiates the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, a move he had previously made during his first term. Additionally, the White House notified the United Nations of this decision through a letter.

The landmark agreement from 2015 includes nearly 200 nations committed to addressing global warming by reducing emissions from fossil fuels.

In 2017, Trump announced the U.S. would exit the agreement. However, due to the agreement’s stipulations, the withdrawal only became effective on November 20, 2020.

This time, the withdrawal process may proceed more swiftly as the new administration is not subject to the original three-year timeline, as reported by Reuters.

Similar to how Trump signed the order to exit the Paris Agreement on the first day of his term, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to rejoin it on January 20, 2021 – the first day of his presidency.

The U.S. officially rejoined on February 19, 2021.Under Biden, in November 2021, the U.S. took a leading role in negotiations that established new standards for reducing emissions as part of an international agreement.

U.S. Exits the World Health Organization

On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from the WHO, fulfilling a campaign pledge to distance the country from global organizations. Health professionals expressed concerns that this move would leave the U.S. isolated, negatively impacting responses to pandemics and diseases, as well as diplomatic ties globally.

The process to leave WHO began in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but Biden halted this initiative and re-engaged with the organization, which focuses on tackling infectious diseases and enhancing basic health systems, especially in low- and middle-income nations.

In his executive order, Trump cited the U.S. withdrawal from WHO as a response to how the organization managed the COVID-19 crisis originating in Wuhan, China. He criticized WHO for not enacting needed reforms, and for being influenced by political pressures from member countries. Additionally, he mentioned the “excessive payments” the U.S. has made to support the organization.

Federal Employees Ordered Back to the Office

Trump issued an executive order mandating that department heads ensure federal employees “return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis” without delay, allowing some exceptions.

According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, only around 15% of federal workers are based in D.C., while the remaining 85% are spread across major cities like Dallas and state capitals including Carson City, Nevada.

These employees include postal workers, civil engineers, and Transportation Security Administration agents, many of whom are represented by the American Federation of Government Employees, which consists of 750,000 federal workers.

The mandate to return to the office is anticipated to face significant resistance from federal employees. Recently, Trump reiterated his stance by threatening legal measures against the AFGE’s new contract that extended remote work protections until 2029.

Trump Cancels Biden’s Prescription Drug Cost Initiative

President Donald Trump signed an executive order that dismantles a Biden-era initiative from 2022 focused on reducing prescription drug costs.

The Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s key healthcare and climate legislation, allowed Medicare to negotiate lower prices for ten commonly prescribed medications with drug manufacturers, starting in 2026.

Recently, the Biden administration included an additional 15 drugs for negotiation in 2027, targeting medications for conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and asthma, including Ozempic.

Pharmaceutical executives and lobbying groups have influenced Trump to eliminate these measures. It remains uncertain whether Trump’s executive order will affect the policy, as it was legislated by Congress through the act.

‘Male and Female’ Recognition

Trump is set to announce that the federal government will officially recognize only two genders—male and female—an action described by an incoming White House official as “restoring sanity.”

The State Department, Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies will implement this directive concerning passports, visas, and other government documentation.

Renaming Places from Mountains to the Gulf

One of Trump’s orders will include renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” as stated by press secretary Karoline Leavitt on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday morning.

Leavitt’s announcement also indicated Trump plans to revert Mount Denali, North America’s highest peak, back to its former name, Mount McKinley. The state of Alaska has recognized the peak as Mount Denali for a long time, and President Barack Obama changed its name at the federal level in 2015. Trump’s action will return the name to what it was before Obama’s administration.

Mexico, which borders the Gulf of Mexico, is not likely to support this renaming. Following Trump’s initial comments, President Claudia Sheinbaum remarked that the body of water separating Miami from Cancun has been known as the Gulf of Mexico since the 17th century.

This is a developing story.

Contributing: Joey Garrison, Sudiksha Kochi, Eduardo Cuevas