Washington, Jan 21, 2025, IANS

Washington, Jan 21 (IANS) Donald Trump, sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, signed a record number of executive orders within hours of assuming office, drawing cheers from a massive crowd. Less than six hours after taking the oath on Monday, Trump publicly signed several orders and continued to issue more from the White House later in the day. In his inaugural speech, Trump announced sweeping day-one measures to reverse key policies of the Biden administration. Following this, after witnessing the presidential parade, he delivered another speech and signed as many as 80 executive orders. "We will sign executive orders first to revoke nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration," he declared before proceeding with the signings. Outlining his priorities, Trump emphasised a national emergency at the US-Mexico border, vowing to halt illegal immigration and deport millions of individuals he described as "criminal aliens." He also ordered the immediate deployment of troops to secure the border. Among the measures, Trump focused on curbing immigration, boosting fossil fuel production, and rolling back environmental regulations, including the 2021 Paris Climate Accord. One of his initial actions was ending work-from-home policies for federal employees. "Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements," stated the White House. The order requires employees to return to in-person work full-time, with exemptions allowed at the discretion of department heads. On energy policy, Trump declared a "national energy emergency," lifting restrictions on mining and encouraging fossil fuel production. "Drill, baby, drill," he said, adding that America would capitalise on its vast oil and gas reserves to become a dominant manufacturing nation. Another significant executive order aimed to "restore freedom of speech and end federal censorship." This followed accusations by Trump and his allies that the Biden administration suppressed online discourse by pressuring social media platforms. The White House stated, "Over the last four years, the previous administration trampled free speech rights by censoring Americans' speech on online platforms." In a controversial move, Trump signed an order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. He also introduced a policy recognising only two genders -- male and female -- within the United States. Additionally, Trump ended the Biden administration's Green Policy on electric vehicles, shifting focus back to traditional energy sources. Trump used his presidential powers to pardon over 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. He justified this as addressing perceived injustices by the previous administration. The January 6 Capitol assault, which followed Trump's speech alleging election fraud and urging his supporters to march to Congress, disrupted the certification of Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election victory. The attack resulted in extensive chaos, injuries, and destruction, leading to charges ranging from trespassing to serious felonies, including seditious conspiracy and assaults on law enforcement officers. From the Oval Office, Trump referred to those convicted and charged as "hostages," declaring, "Approximately 1,500 for a pardon – full pardon. We hope they come out tonight." The President also signed a decree empowering his administration to combat inflation and reduce commodity prices. "We will use all our powers to make life more affordable for Americans," Trump said during his address. Taking the oath of office to "preserve, protect and defend" the US Constitution, Trump was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts. Vice President JD Vance was sworn in shortly before him. The day marked the beginning of an administration set on enacting rapid, sweeping policy reversals.