US President Donald Trump signed several orders and documents at the White House, including declaring a state of emergency on the border with Mexico, abolishing land law, suspending enforcement of the TikTok law and pardoning people convicted of storming the Capitol in 2021.
During an almost hour-long ceremony at the White House, interrupted by an impromptu press conference, Donald Trump signed over 20 documents.
These included a proclamation about the announcement state of emergency on the southern border, allowing additional troops to be sent there, restoring the policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexicoas well as recognizing drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
READ ALSO: Trump signed eight executive orders and directives
When asked if he was considering sending U.S. special forces to Mexico against cartels, Trump said it “could happen.” “Stranger things have happened,” he added.
Abolished land law, stopped enforcement of the TikTok law
By decree, Trump also changed the application of land law, i.e. citizenship is acquired upon birth in the territory USA. According to the issued document, this law does not apply to children of illegal immigrants and people staying in the US for a short time, including, for example, under visa-free travel.
When signing the act, Trump himself admitted that he expected the legality of this document to be challenged in the courts, but added that “we'll see what happens.”
As previously announced, Trump also declared a state of emergency in the energy sector and signed a number of regulations abolishing regulations on oil extraction.
US President Donald TrumpJIM LO SCALZO/PAP/EPA
The new president also decided to suspend the enforcement of the law banning TikTok from operating under Chinese control. Trump admitted that he changed his mind about the Chinese app after using it and how it helped him attract young voters.
He also repeated his previously expressed position that he wants to force TikTok into a joint venture with the United States, which could introduce some data controls, but he downplayed the issue.
– Remember that TikTok is largely about children, young kids. “If China is going to get information about young children, we've got bigger problems, frankly,” Trump said. He also did not rule out that he would travel to China this year.
He pardoned those who stormed the Capitol
The most controversial decisions made by Trump include pardoning or commuting the sentences of almost 1,500 participants in the storming of the Capitol, which includes almost everyone who was charged in the case. Among them, Enrique Tarrio, the head of the right-wing militia Proud Boys, was sentenced to the longest sentence, 22 years in prison.
Trump claimed that the convicts “have been in prison for a long time” and were treated unfairly, calling them “hostages” and claiming that they were incited to violence by “outside agitators”, including the FBI.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives commented with outrage on Trump's actions Nancy Pelosiwhose office was destroyed during the riots.
“The president's actions are an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma while defending the Capitol, Congress and the Constitution. It is shameful that the president has chosen to make it one of his priorities to abandon and betray the police officers who risk their lives, to stop an attempt to undermine the peaceful transfer of power,” the politician wrote on social media.
The US withdraws from the WHO, war in Ukraine, Greenland
The president also took a number of foreign policy actions, including America's withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), rescinding President Biden's decision to remove Cuba from the list of countries supporting terrorism, and sanctions imposed on radical Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
During the ceremony, Trump answered questions on a wide range of topics, including war in Ukraine. He confirmed that he intended to hold talks with… Vladimir Putin and end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible. He added that Putin “can't be thrilled” with how the war is going, estimating Russia's war losses at one million.
– I think he is destroying Russia by not accepting the agreement (…). Russia is in big trouble, he said. As stated, although the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky wants to reach an agreement, he is not sure whether Putin wants to do it.
Trump repeated that the US needs control over Greenland due to “international security needs” and did not rule out imposing 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
When asked about tariffs on goods from China, which he also threatened, Trump said that China was already subject to tariffs. However, he said that further tariffs on China would include, among others: depend on the fate of the Panama Canal, which – according to Trump – is controlled by the Chinese. He also admitted that although, in line with his election promise, he is considering imposing tariffs on all foreign goods, his administration is not ready to do it yet.
When asked about the attitude towards NATO countries that spend a low percentage of their GDP on defense, such as Spain, Trump falsely suggested that Spain belongs to the BRICS bloc and threatened that he could pay 100 percent of its GDP. customs duties.
He was also surprised by the fact that Brazil has its own proposal – together with China – to end the war in Ukraine. – How did Brazil get involved? This is something new, Trump said about the proposal submitted in May 2024.
Regulations signed during the presidential parade
Earlier, before arriving at the White House, the signing took place first regulations in an unusual setting in front of tens of thousands of spectators who came to the presidential parade, which was moved to the sports hall due to the cold. The parade featured marching bands from schools across the country, including schools where Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance studied.
Earlier, at the Capital One Arena, President Donald Trump signed eight executive orders and directives, including the repeal of 78 of his predecessor's actions on immigration and the withdrawal of the US from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United StatesALLISON DINNER/PAP/EPA
According to the published text of the first regulation, Biden's actions withdrawn by Trump include not only regulations on migration, but also regulations from the time of the pandemic, as well as regulations on the environment, employee protection and inclusivity.
The decrees signed by Trump at the Capital One Arena include suspending the issuance of new regulations by government agencies, suspending employment until “full control of the country is achieved,” ordering all federal officials to return to office work with… remote work.
Trump also decided to sign a directive banning “state censorship” and “ending the weaponization of justice.”
Main photo source: JIM LO SCALZO/PAP/EPA