US President Donald Trump, on his first day as the President of The United States (POTUS), on Monday (Jan 20) signed a flurry of executive orders, which among other things included mandating federal employees to return to the office full-time, pardoning Jan 6 rioters and officially making male, female the only two accepted genders.

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In what was a highly choreographed event, Trump sat onstage at a desk signing a pile of executive orders — most aimed at reversing policies from the Joe Biden administration— showcasing each signed document to an applauding audience while an aide narrated the actions. 

Here's the low down on Trump 2.0 Day 1 executive orders.

End of Work From Home (WFH) 

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The White House, in a statement, detailed the executive order, stating: "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 and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis."  

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Regulatory and hiring freeze

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Trump also imposed a regulatory freeze, barring bureaucrats from issuing new regulations until "full control of this the government and this administration" is achieved.
  
The newly inaugurated US president also put in place a federal hiring freeze. However, the military and "a number of other excluded categories," till full control is in place.

Exit from Paris Climate Agreement

Marking a major pivot from former President Joe Biden's climate policies, Trump signed an order withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, along with a letter formally notifying the United Nations of the withdrawal.

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Exit from WHO

Trump signed an executive order directing the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), a body he has repeatedly criticised over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the White House hours after his inauguration, Trump said the United States was paying far more to the UN body compared to China, adding: "World Health ripped us off."

Cost-of-living directive

Federal government agencies were tasked with addressing the "cost of living crisis that has cost Americans so dearly."

Free speech

Trump issued a directive to the federal government ordering "the restoration of freedom of speech and preventing government censorship of free speech, going forward."

End to 'weaponisation' of government

Trump ordered federal departments to cease actions that he claimed targeted "political adversaries of the previous administration".  

"Could you imagine Biden doing this? I don’t think so," Trump declared while signing the orders.

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January 6 rioters pardoned

Trump issued a full pardon for around 1,500 of his supporters who, in 2021, sought to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden by attacking the Capitol building in Washington DC.

Addressing the press, the newly inaugurated US President said that the J6 participants have been treated very badly and directed the US Justice Department to drop all pending cases related to the rioters of the 2021 attack on the Capitol.

Trump said he hoped some of them would be freed on the same night: "We hope they come out tonight, frankly… They're expecting it."

Flying the American flag at full staff on Inauguration Day

In a turn away from tradition, despite mourning for recently deceased ex-president Jimmy Carter, flags flew at full staff in the Trump inauguration. To ensure American flag always flies high on Presidential inaugurations, Trump ordered that "on this and all future Inauguration Days, the flag of the United States shall be flown at full-staff."

Watch | Trump Inauguration 2025: US President Gets To Work On Day 1, Signs Slew Of Executive Orders

On LGBTQ and protecting women from gender ideology extremism 

Trump signed a slew of executive orders aimed at ending what the right-wing decries as "woke" culture. The newly inaugurated President of the United States (POTUS) repealed multiple Joe Biden-era executive orders promoting LGBTQ equality and issued an order decreeing the legality of only two genders. 

Trump, who during his campaign trail had vilified diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in the federal government, in an order ending them labelled them "immoral discrimination programs".

"The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government, in areas ranging from airline safety to the military," it read.

He also ordered that the Trump administration only use "clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male".

Restoring names that honour American greatness

"It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes," said Trump's order.

In line with this, Trump announced the renaming of Alaska's Denali to Mount McKinley.

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National emergency on the Mexico border

Fulfilling promises he made during the election campaign, Trump said that he would be declaring a national emergency at the southern border in Mexico and a "national energy emergency" aimed at boosting US oil and gas production and lowering costs for domestic consumers.

Trump said that he would deport "millions and millions of criminal aliens", adding that he would also designate the cartels as a foreign terrorist organisation. 

Declaring Energy Emergency

The Republican leader also declared a "national energy emergency" to expand drilling in the world's top oil and gas producer, and said he would scrap vehicle emissions standards that amount to an "electric vehicle mandate," and vowed to halt offshore wind farms, a frequent target of his scorn.

TikTok gets a grace period

Trump has signed an executive order to delay the ban of the popular short-video application TikTok by 75 days. The platform was slated to be shut on January 19.

Restoring the death penalty

"Capital punishment is an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens," said the US president in his order.

He ordered that the Attorney General shall pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use.

(With inputs from agencies)