Trump’s rush to build a crueller America

The same cannot be said for Trump term two. The flurry of activity in his first 48 hours alone has been extraordinary, featuring unprecedented use of presidential powers, an attempt to overturn the US constitution, and huge moves on the international stage. 

The decisions show the dangers of believing the network of pundits around Trumpworld who explain away his seemingly more extreme plans by claiming they won’t actually become policy – who essentially sanewash Trump’s actual ideas into more normal political ideas. This time Trump means what he says, and is going to do it.

What follows is a non-exhaustive list of what Trump’s administration has done in the hours since he was sworn in as President, at noon US eastern time on Monday:

• Pardoned 1,600 January 6 rioters, referred to as “hostages” by Trump, including 400 convicted of violence against police officers in the attacks. As recently as last week, vice president JD Vance said pardoning violent rioters would be wrong. Jacob Chansley, who became the face of the insurrection as the “QAnon Shaman”, immediately posted he planned to go out and buy firearms in the wake of his pardoning, while other Jan 6 rioters were invited to inaugural balls fresh from their release from prison.

• Revoked the security clearance of 51 former security officials – removing their ability to work in the private sector, which relies upon such continued access. Trump further revoked the personal protection of his former national security advisor John Bolton, whose life had been threatened by Iran, sending the signal to current officials that if they cross him they may not just lose their careers, but their safety.

• Withdrew the US from the World Health Organization, leaving the agency facing a shortfall of more than 20% of its budget and causing an immediate crisis in the body responsible for responding to potential pandemic threats and other global health emergencies.

• Suspended the enforcement of a law banning TikTok, which had taken force the day before inauguration, using a power the law only granted to the president before the law took force, making its legality dubious at best. Trump has suggested the US state should be allowed to take ownership of 50% of TikTok.

• Signed an executive order revoking the mandate to introduce electric cars, unleashing new oil and gas drilling across the USA, and banning new wind farms, along with withdrawing the USA from the Paris climate accord (again).

• Fired America’s four most senior non-partisan immigration officials as part of a concerted effort to undermine efforts to ensure his crackdown on immigration complies with the law. Trump announced a suspension of all asylum claims, the closure of the southern border, designated some crime gangs as international terror organisations, and more, as part of what is expected to be a huge escalation of raids and deportations

• Attempted to override the 14^th amendment of the US Constitution – which codified the even older holding that any person born within the United States is a citizen of the country – with an executive order. This attempts to restrict birthright citizenship to the children of permanent residents, directly contravening the US constitution. It has already been challenged in the court by a coalition of 18 states.

• Removed the Covid vaccine requirement for federal workers and for the US military – and promised to give full back pay to all 8,000 service personnel who were discharged for refusing the order to receive the vaccine.

• Announced the US will only recognise two genders, which must always match birth sex, in an executive order which also introduced the concept of personhood for conception – a key idea used by conservatives looking to ban abortion (and the morning-after pill) for all purposes from the very earliest stages of pregnancy.

• Abolished all diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government, including removing the right of trans people to serve in the military.

• Introduced a fast-track path for his hand-picked officials to receive top-secret security clearance for at least six months with absolutely no security vetting or checks, at the discretion of his senior White House staff.

• Pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road online drugs sale platform, who enabled drug deals totalling 10 million Bitcoin (worth $500 million to $1 billion at the time, and far more now), who had also attempted to order the assassination of would-be rivals.

• Reversed sanctions introduced by Joe Biden against illegal Israeli settlers on the West Bank, additionally commenting when asked about whether he was confident the Gaza ceasefire would hold: “That’s not our war. It’s their war… Gaza is interesting. It’s a phenomenal location.”

• Announced his intention to introduce tariffs of 25% on all goods entering the US from Mexico and Canada, and 10% on all goods from China, from February 1, supposedly over their role in importing fentanyl into the USA.

Not everything Trump has done in this first 48 hours will stick: abolishing birthright citizenship – in this form at least – is likely to prove too much even for a Supreme Court dominated by the Christian hard right.

But with modern America, nothing is certain. Each one of these actions is at the minimum a statement of intent, but many are real, solid and will shape the next four years.

Two days down. 1,059 to go.