Jan. 20 (UPI) — President Donald Trump previewed his plans for his first executive actions during his inauguration speech in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday.
After taking the oath of office, Trump outlined his plans for the next four years, boasting of a new “golden age” for America. The first executive order he plans to enact is the declaration of a national emergency at the southern border.
Immigration has been high on Trump’s list of priorities throughout and prior to his 2024 campaign.
“All illegal entry will immediately be halted and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came,” Trump said. “We will reinstate my ‘remain in Mexico’ policy. I will end the practice of catch and release and I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.”
Trump will designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. He also plans to direct federal and state law enforcement officers to target “foreign gangs” and criminal networks in the United States under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
“As commander in chief I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions and that is exactly what I am going to do,” he said. “We will do it at a level nobody has ever seen before.”
Following years of Republican efforts to peel back the rights of the transgender community throughout the country, Trump announced the White House will take an official position. It will recognize only two genders — male and female — ignoring the existence of transgender, nonbinary, intersex and other gender identities.
Trump announced he will declare a national energy emergency, saying “we will drill, baby, drill.” This was preceded by comments about combating inflation. He said massive government spending and rising energy prices were chief issues causing inflation.
“America will be a manufacturing nation once again. And we have something no other manufacturing nation will ever have,” Trump said. “The largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth and we are going to use it. We will bring prices down, fill our strategic reserves up again and right to the top. And export American energy all over the world.”
The president added that he will end the Green New Deal and revoke the Biden administration’s electric vehicle policy.
Notably former President Joe Biden’s actions as president have been removed from the White House’s official website.
Trump reiterated his plan to place tariffs and taxes on foreign imports, including China, saying he will “overhaul” U.S. trade policy. He plans to establish an “External Revenue Service” to collect tariffs and duties.
“It will be massive amounts of money pouring into our treasury,” he said.
The president also announced an executive order to stop government censorship.
“After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America,” Trump said.