If some hoped to see a calmer Donald Trump once his return to the White House was formalized, it was a wasted effort. At 78 years old, the oldest president of the United States began his second term on Monday, January 20, with the signing of numerous presidential decrees emphasizing his electoral program. Some of these spectacular measures may nevertheless be difficult to implement and promise strong challenges in court. Some even appear to violate the US Constitution.
RParis climate agreement and World Health Organization, pardons for hundreds of Capitol attackersrecognition of “two sexes” only to end the “transgender delirium”… We list the main presidential decrees that the 47th president of the United States chose to initial it on his first day in office.
Withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization
“The WHO defrauded us”accused the Republican when signing this decree, just a few hours after being inaugurated, justifying this withdrawal by the gap in American and Chinese financial contributions. The Republican had criticized the organization in the past for its management of the Covid 19 pandemic.
In this text, he urges federal agencies to “suspend the future transfer of any funds, support, or resources from the United States Government to the WHO” and enjoins them to“identify credible American and international partners” capable to “assume activities previously undertaken by WHO”.
Withdraw the United States from the Paris agreement
The withdrawal of the United States from the Paris agreement is underway: Donald Trump staged it by issuing one of his first signed decrees, on a desk installed on the very stage of the great hall of Washington in which some 20,000 of his supporters gathered.
This measure, coming from the world's second largest polluter behind China, endangers global efforts to combat climate change. It should be effective within a year. The United States had already briefly left the international agreement during the first mandate of the American billionaire, before Joe Biden marked their return. Donald Trump, notoriously climate skeptic, also signed an executive order declaring a “state of energy emergency” to boost hydrocarbon production in the United States.
Pardon the Capitol rioters
More than 1,500 participants in the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 were pardoned upon the return to power of the man who had inflamed them by claiming that the election of Joe Biden had been “rigged”. For the fourteen other people convicted, their sentence is commuted to prison time already served.
“We hope they will come out tonight”declared Donald Trump. The proceedings still underway against a few hundred people have also been canceled. A “insult to the American justice system”protested the former Democratic President of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
-Declare a “state of emergency at the southern border” with Mexico
“I will declare a state of emergency at our southern border” with Mexico, announced the Republican president, barely invested. “All illegal entries will be stopped immediately and we will begin sending millions and millions of criminal aliens back to where they came from.” “I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country”he insisted.
According to an official of his future administration, Donald Trump also wants to put an end to the right to asylum and land rights, and to resume construction of the border wall with Mexico. First concrete effect on Monday: the asylum application platform launched by the Biden administration stopped working. “Existing appointments have been cancelled”we can read on its website, reports AFP.
Sweeping away support policies for transgender people
“Effective today, it will be the official policy of the United States Government that there are only two sexes, male and female,” he said during his inauguration in Washington. To give a first concrete translation to this speech, the Republican revoked several texts signed by his predecessor Joe Biden to fight against racial or gender discrimination.
“Ces sexes [masculin et féminin] are not modifiable and are anchored in a fundamental and incontestable reality”thus mentioned a decree published by the White House in the evening, and which will have to be applied by all federal agencies. “Federal funds should not be used to promote gender ideology”affirms the same decree, which wants “restore biological truth”. Another text orders the end of all diversity and inclusion programs within the federal government.
Remove Cuba from the blacklist of countries supporting terrorism
Donald Trump returned Monday to the removal of Cuba from the list of states supporting terrorism, announced a few days ago by the previous Biden administration as part of an agreement for the release of political prisoners, the White House announced.
Cuba immediately reacted by qualifying this decision “an act of arrogance and disregard for the truth”. “This is not surprising. Its objective is to further strengthen the cruel economic war against Cuba for the purposes of domination”Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel reacted on X.
