by Malik Miah and Barry Sheppard, published on Socialist Action, January 26, 2025
Donald J. Trump was sworn in for his second term as president at 12 Noon, January 20, in the Capital building in Washington, D.C. that was violently assaulted by his far-right supporters four years earlier, in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election when he lost to Joe Biden.
Now a convicted felon, Trump won reelection by a sizable Electoral College vote. The president is not directly elected by popular vote.
By the end of the day, Trump had signed some 200 Executive Orders and executive actions that are backed by the power of the federal state.
While these orders can be overruled by Congress or the courts, it is not likely since Trump loyalists control Congress and the Supreme Court.
Some news reports and analysts have called these Executive Orders “Shock and Awe” using the term used by former president George W. Bush when he launched his wars against Iraq and Afghanistan, and his “war on terror” that led to massive attacks on Muslims around the world.
That “war on terror” was supported by both ruling capitalist parties.
These are some of the key presidential orders Trump signed in his first 72 hours:
Mass deportations, ending birth right citizenship
Trump shut down the Mexican border by declaring a National Emergency, invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act to justify the use of the US armed forces domestically. He sent 1500 active-duty troops to the border. Within days, a military aircraft flew shackled “illegal” immigrants to Guatemala.
He signed an order to beef up ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement or immigration police) to go into urban areas, factories, churches, schools and hospitals to grab alleged “illegal aliens.”
These mass deportations will lead to social and economic disruptions since many industries rely on undocumented labor as well as skilled immigrant labor at high tech companies.
Trump signed an order ending “birthright citizenship.” That Executive Order says children born in the U.S. whose parents are not citizens, can no longer automatically become citizens at birth.
The decision violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
After the end of the Civil War the 13th Amendment abolished slavery after 1865, except for labor by those in prisons. Slaves had been property, not citizens, with no legal rights.
The 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868, says, in part, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”
This was true not just for children of former slaves, but for all children born in the U.S. since 1868, and Trump is the first to try to overturn this Constitutional right.
The children of migrant laborers from China were not included because they could not legally bring their families to the country, under The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. It remained on the books for decades even though in 1898 the Supreme Court ruled that babies born to Chinese parents were legally citizens.
The children of Native peoples who had been slaughtered and oppressed by white European settlers and the U.S. government were not included, until Congress changed that in 1924 and recognized the Native Americans as citizens.
Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship was ruled as a clear violation of the 14th Amendment by a district court in Seattle. It is expected that the birthright citizenship denial will eventually go to the Supreme Court.
Trump does not care how long the appeals process takes. He will unleash ICE among immigrants and send fear to all immigrant communities. His aim is to pressure millions of immigrants to go underground or leave the country with or without their families.
Frees insurrectionists and antiabortionists
Some 1,500 convicted insurrectionists who participated in the January 6, 2021, attack on Congress were pardoned or granted clemency by Trump. This includes those who physically assaulted police. Trump called these felons “hostages” and patriots.
Those he freed were leaders of two far right neofascist groups, the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. These groups used violence and held openly fascist ideology and spoke of revenge to those who arrested and prosecuted them.
On January 24 Trump pardoned 23 antiabortion activists whom he called “peaceful pro-life protesters.” They had illegally violently blocked entry to women into reproductive rights clinics in several states.
Trump is making clear to his supporters that their illegal crimes will be protected with pardons, and those who oppose his actions will face Justice Department investigations and prosecutions. “Law and order” means whatever Trump says is legal is legal.
Revokes 1965 anti-discrimination Executive Order
Trump revoked a 60-year-old executive order from 1965 banning discrimination in hiring practices by the federal government. He banned all mention by government agencies of referring to diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives for oppressed racial minorities and women.
The 1965 executive order was issued by President Johnson that occurred in the same period that Congress adopted the historic Voting Rights Act, and the year before, 1964, the Civil Rights Act, under pressure of the huge mass movement for civil rights.
The 1960s civil rights revolution is Trump’s target. He seeks to return the country back to a white privileged “merit-based” society.
The administration has moved swiftly to eradicate all programs and practices in the federal government aimed at addressing systemic racism.
For 250 years the US operated on a system of white supremacy-based “meritocracy.” The civil rights revolution changed that. Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders advanced the concept of color-blind hiring and practices but also demanded affirmative action to make up for legal and de facto segregation across the country.
Both steps had to be taken for racial minorities to ever win equality. Affirmative action has been effectively rolled back by both parties over the years. Trump wants to go further and to eliminate all steps to racial equality and make even the idea of inclusivity illegal.
Trump’s inaugural crowd was so white that one Black news observer asked, “Where are the people of color?”
US territorial expansionism
Trump in his inaugural speech said the US must expand its land mass. He proclaimed the United States has a “Manifest Destiny” to “expand our territory.”
He specifically referred to the Panama Canal, saying it was built by the U.S. and must be taken back. He also declared under the claim of “national security” the U..S must consider taking over Greenland, which is part of Denmark.
“Manifest Destiny” is not new. Previous presidents, especially in the 19th century, embraced the concept. It was used to claim that Latin America should be under U.S. domination — an aim it still holds.
Since WWII Democratic and Republican presidents, under the pressure of the colonial upsurge and the Soviet Union’s support of that upsurge, said falsely the U.S. was a beacon of democracy and a supporter of national sovereignty.
Trump is simply being honest about U.S. imperialism’s aims. He demands that friends and enemies listen up and accept America First.
Trump said “America First” means whatever it takes to protect the U.S. He wants the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to end, but on his terms. He fully supports Israel and its genocide in Gaza but seeks compromise to improve U.S. relations with the Arab regimes.
Trump made clear he’s done with new unwinnable wars like Iraq and Afghanistan, as he defends U.S. empire building. He told Israel to “finish the job” in Gaza.
He doesn’t support a two-state solution in Israel but backs “biblical Israel”, as his pick for U.S. ambassador to the U.N. said — that means Israel should include Gaza and the West Bank at least. This means ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, the goal of the Israeli regime and the racist settlers in the West Bank. He said the current ceasefire in Gaza will not last.
Trump quickly lifted sanctions against settler’ groups engaged in their terrorist campaign against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate accords and withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO), and limits U.S. collaboration with international health groups.
Trump made clear his government recognizes only two genders and does not recognize the rights of trans people and by implication, gays and lesbians. He said your gender identity is based only what your birth certificate says (male or female). He opposes health care for trans gender people in the military. Congress has already passed a rule that restrooms in the Capital can only be labeled men or women.
So far Trump has not laid out specific plans for the economy and what he will do about promises to lower taxes for workers, not just the billionaires, which requires passage by Congress. Except he promised an expanded round of tariffs against Canada and Mexico by February 1 and threatens to do so to all countries, including European and Asian allies. Inflation remains a big concern of his base, but his proposed actions may spur inflation.
Trump knows he controls the Republican Party, the Supreme Court and Congress. It’s why he is so open and forceful about his goals.
What next
What Trump has done in 72 hours shows he is serious about using the full presidential powers contained in the Constitution and which have greatly increased in practice since. His actions are structurally allowed by the capitalist system and the undemocratic nature of the founding legal documents.
“Shock and awe” is to impose changes before there is active mobilized resistance independent of the established parties and institutions.
The Democrats so far are only crying and whining about Trump and increasingly accepting his edicts as accomplished facts. Some leaders are hoping for a backlash that will win them future elections.
Stand up aggressively
There is no mass working class party or independent organizations capable to take on Trump.
Immigrant rights groups correctly are trying to help millions of immigrants—legal and undocumented.
Women’s rights and LGBT+ rights groups are also gearing up to file legal action and organize their communities.
There were some public protests before January 20, but much smaller than eight years ago for Trump’s first term.
The union officials are mostly silent since many of their members voted for Trump.
What’s needed is the type of mass street actions organized during the civil rights movement and recent Black Lives Matter campaign five years ago.
What must be done must go beyond electoral politics and lawsuits. We must stand up aggressively and fight back.
An example was recently seen in South Korea. The people rose up in the streets and stopped their president who attempted a coup.
The ruling class is now not fearing such a revolt in the United States.
Unless a popular revolt begins to happen, Trump will attempt to overturn all past gains won by the working class and the oppressed.
*Featured Image: WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 23: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on January 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump signed a range of executive orders pertaining to issues including crypto currency, Artificial Intelligence, and clemency for anti-abortion activists. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)