The over 100 executive orders issued by President Donald Trump on the first day will drastically reshape the political landscape. But if we want to understand what he plans to do next, it’s enough to go back to his inaugural speech.
On the first day of his new presidential term, Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders, many of them directly impacting the international level, such as the withdrawal of the US from the WHO and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The United States, the largest funder of the WHO, is withdrawing due to the "mismanagement by the world organization of the Covid-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, the failure to urgently adopt necessary reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the undue political influence of WHO member states," as stated in the order signed by Trump.
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The new leader at the White House also stated that he plans to impose, starting February 1, a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico, as promised during the electoral campaign, which would mark a significant shift in US trade policy, considerably raising prices for American consumers.
America First, the Rest Doesn't Matter
Mexico was the largest US trading partner in 2023, with a total merchandise exchange of $807 billion, a sum that exceeded US trade with China, according to the US Department of State.
The decisions came in a "fast and furious" pace in the early hours of Trump's presidency, indicating that the United States' foreign policy will take a sudden and idiosyncratic turn in the view of the new president's "America First" vision, valuing US interests above all else, notes The Guardian.
At the same time, Trump stood out in the Oval Office with statements on current topics, from banning TikTok to his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine. He expressed confidence in convincing Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel, but not in maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza. "It's not our war, it's their war," he said.
More clues about what the new American president intends to do and the consequences of his actions on the international stage can be found in his inaugural speech, analyzed by Sky News.
First Day in the "Golden Age"
In his inaugural speech, Trump proclaimed the beginning of a "golden age for America." Words that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer quoted when Trump pardoned those involved in the January 6 Capitol riot. "Donald Trump is opening a Golden Age for people who break the law and try to overthrow the government," Schumer said.
Declaring a national emergency at the US-Mexico border to justify mass deportations aligns perfectly with Trump's electoral base. Rearranging positions in the public service, to hire and fire federal employees, allows Trump to argue that he is dismantling the "deep state."
The scope and immediate impact of his orders fuel the debate about the balance of power between the White House and Congress. Bypassing the legislative process raises concerns that such unilateral actions could undermine democratic norms, notes the British television station.
However, America's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the WHO sends a strong signal worldwide. America is turning back to the future, back to the isolationist stance of "America First" adopted during his first term in the White House.
Mark Stone, US correspondent for the British television station, believes there are similarities between this speech and the one Trump delivered at his first inauguration in 2017, but this time hope shines through his words, "hope for how he sees he will rebuild the nation."
"It was the 2017 speech reformatted because he believes this time he can say what he couldn't say before. He talked about the fact that, effectively, America is in chaos, it's destroyed, lawless, leaderless, corrupt. And it was his job to fix it. And he will," the journalist points out.
According to him, the order designating Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations will have major consequences. "We're getting rid of all the cancer caused by the Biden administration," Trump said as he signed a stack of executive orders in the Oval Office.
"What does that mean for those cartels? It changes the rules of engagement. It means American forces could hit those cartels in Mexico. Where does that lead? Troops to the southern border. American troops deployed to deal with immigration," Mark Stone explains, emphasizing that although the military is not prepared to handle immigration, it will be deployed to the US southern border.
Trump Said What Most Wanted to Hear
Stone believes that Trump's speech was designed for the majority of the American public, for what they wanted to hear. However, for those who did not vote for Donald Trump, there was nothing to urge them towards unity.
James Matthews, Sky News correspondent in Washington DC, shares the same view - the new president's speech was intended to show his supporters, those who put him in office, that he will keep his promises. In his opinion, as a skilled salesman, Trump seeks to capitalize on that initial public momentum to define his early days in office, showing that he is "an agent of change."
On the other hand, Trump devoted a significant portion of his speech "burning" Joe Biden's legacy, who was just a few meters away.
"It was the most awkward scene - half of that fairly confined space was intimately occupied by his political opponents. A microcosm, I think, of America's division. Democrats experiencing a sense of abject despair as they listened to Donald Trump's horrifying review of their situation. And Joe Biden and Kamala Harris - to stand there listening to that, it can't be easy. It was certainly very difficult for them," Matthews appreciates.