WASHINGTON (OSV News) — President Donald Trump was sworn in for a second, nonconsecutive term in the White House Jan. 20, becoming the nation’s 47th president four years after he left office as its 45th.
In what the White House called Trump’s “First 100 Hours,” Trump signed a series of executive orders including on immigration, birthright citizenship and climate.
The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, said in a Jan. 22 statement executive orders signed by Trump on issues including migration, the environment and the death penalty are “deeply troubling,” while praising another on gender policy.
Executive orders are legally binding directives from the president and are published in the Federal Register. Conversely, the term “executive actions” is broader and may include informal proposals for policy the president would like to see enacted. While it is typical for new presidents to issue some executive orders on their first day to signal certain priorities, Trump signaled plans that were broader in scope. Some of his orders are already facing legal challenges.
Abortion
RealClear Politics reported that hours after delivering a virtual message to the March for Life on Jan. 24, Trump signed an executive order while aboard Air Force One to reinstate the Mexico City Policy, which bars taxpayer funds from going to nongovernmental organizations abroad that perform abortions. He also reportedly signed a second executive order to further enforce a ban on federal funding for abortion.
On Jan. 23, Trump issued pardons for 23 individuals he said were improperly prosecuted by the Biden administration under the Federal Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or FACE Act, which prohibits actions including obstructing the entrance to an abortion clinic. He touted those pardons in the video message for the March for Life rally.
Migration
Trump sought to implement some of his hardline immigration policies from his first day.
A Day 1 executive order sought to change the interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which grants birthright citizenship, with the aim of curbing that practice for children born on U.S. soil to parents without legal status.
The 14th Amendment states, “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.”
Trump’s order directed federal agencies to stop issuing passports, citizenship certificates and other official documents to children born in the U.S. to parents without legal status or who are temporary visa holders. The order would not apply retroactively, Trump said, and would be enforced in 30 days. That order was temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
The Trump administration said Jan. 21 it would rescind a long-standing policy preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals. Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, said in a statement the same day the policy change is one of “many drastic actions from the federal government related to immigration that deeply affect our local community and raise urgent moral and human concerns.”
Meanwhile, the use of CBP One, the mobile app run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to secure appointments needed to claim asylum and legally enter the United States, was suspended as Trump’s term began.
Death penalty
Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to “pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use,” prompting statements of concern from Catholic opponents of the practice.
Gender
Another executive order directed the U.S. government to only recognize two sexes, male and female. In an order titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government,” Trump directed, “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”
Other actions
Once he reached the Oval Office on Inauguration Day, Trump signed an executive order granting about 1,500 pardons for those charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol — the day 2,000 supporters of then-President Donald Trump attempted to block Congress’s certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory. Trump indicated there might be additional commutations after “review.”
On Jan. 23, Trump signed an executive order directing the declassification of files on the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, the nation’s first Catholic president, his brother Sen. Robert Kennedy, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the famed Civil Rights leader.
Congress passes Laken Riley Act
Trump is expected to sign the Laken Riley Act, the first piece of legislation of his first term. Both chambers of Congress approved the legislation this week. The measure is named for a 22-year-old Georgia nursing school student who law enforcement authorities said was murdered last year by a Venezuelan citizen who was in the United States illegally.
The bill would require the detention of immigrants without legal status who are accused of theft or violent crimes.
Rubio sworn in as secretary of state
Marco Rubio, who is Catholic and the son of Cuban immigrants, became the first member of Trump’s Cabinet to be sworn in, becoming the nation’s 72nd secretary of state and the first Hispanic American to hold the title.
The now-former Florida senator was unanimously confirmed by the Senate for the post on Inauguration Day. He was sworn in Jan. 21 by Vice President JD Vance.
In comments to State Department employees, Rubio said, “There will be changes, but the changes are not meant to be destructive, they’re not meant to be punitive.”
“The changes will be because we need to be a 21st-century agency that can move, by a cliche that’s used by many, at the speed of relevance,” Rubio said. “But we need to move faster than we ever have because the world is changing faster.”
Stephen Schneck, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, praised the confirmation in a statement, saying, “As senator, Secretary Rubio was a champion for international religious freedom.”
“Not only was he the Senate sponsor of USCIRF’s bipartisan reauthorization in 2024, but he also worked tirelessly to confront global violations of this fundamental human right for people of every belief and everywhere in the world, especially in China, Nicaragua, and Cuba,” Schneck said.
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.