Are you looking for an article with “alternative facts”? If so, then you’ve come to the wrong place. As you probably know, Donald J. Trump took the presidential oath on Friday at noon, beginning his term as president. Trump has made numerous promises during his campaign, and he hopes to fulfill as many as possible. Throughout the five days that he has been president thus far, he has been trying to repeal ObamaCare (the Affordable Care Act), build a longer Mexican border wall, and more.
On Inauguration Day, January 20th, Trump was sworn in. After the swearing in, he made a passionate and rather unusual speech acknowledging that we must put “America first.” After the inauguration, a controversial photo surfaced, comparing the crowd at Barack Obama’s inauguration to the crowd at Trump’s. On a much larger scale, women’s marches took place on all seven continents (see upcoming article on the Women’s March in Philadelphia).
Since he took office, Donald Trump has signed a plethora of executive orders. Please note that this information is accurate as of January 25th, 2017:
- A warning that the United States will leave the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. He stated that this will bring jobs back to the American people.
- An order that supports the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
- An order that supports the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
- An order stating that all pipelines must be constructed with American steel.
- An order to pause the hiring of federal employees in an attempt to make the government smaller.
- A ban on federal funding to international organizations that counsel women on family-planning practices.
Trump also announced on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 he will order the construction of the Mexican border wall and increase border security. He made a boisterous claim that he would build a wall to stop illegal immigration from Mexico, and…he wants Mexico to pay for it. He also claims that he will sign an executive order suspending immigration from “terrorist prone” countries, as well as primarily Muslim countries. Also, he wants to limit refugee immigration from Syria.
As we live under our new president, we must acknowledge that the laws of our nation are changing rapidly. Whether we agree with Trump or not, we, the people, should respect him as long as he respects us.
What is an executive order? An executive order has the power of a federal law. Any president can undo an executive order done by a prior president. It is often used to bypass the opposing party, specifically in Congress. However, Congress can respond and override the executive order.