Mass deportations. Pardoning Jan. 6 rioters. Banning trans athletes from sports. President-elect Donald Trump has said he would not be a dictator “except for Day 1” of his presidency, when he plans to act swiftly on those proposals and several other major campaign promises he made to voters during the election.
Some of Trump’s “Day 1” plans may clear before he even takes office; for example, special counsel Jack Smith, whom he has threatened to fire, is likely to step down before Trump’s inauguration. Smith has also wound down both federal cases he brought against Trump in recent weeks.
Many of the president-elect’s immediate plans are likely to require massive financial and logistical resources — not to mention political will — to carry out. Here’s a look at what Trump has promised to do upon his return to the White House.
Immigration
One of Trump’s most extreme campaign promises was to carry out “the largest mass deportation program” in the country’s history beginning on Day 1 of his presidency. It’s unclear how such a such a large-scale operation could be executed, but immigration officials have said it would be a huge logistical and financial effort. Economists have also warned that such a program would cause an “economic disaster” for the U.S., which relies heavily on migrant labor.
Trump told NBC News in November that there would be “no price tag” for his mass deportation plans.
In a move that could face a prolonged legal fight, the president-elect has also said that he wants to end birthright citizenship through executive action on his first day to deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants. Birthright citizenship is a protection enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, but Trump has said that he would consider changing the Constitution to rescind the rule. And amending the Constitution is a power that lies with Congress, not the president.
Energy regulations and climate policies
Trump has said he would issue an executive order to reverse President Joe Biden’s climate policies and would push for a steep increase in oil and gas drilling on his first day as president.
However, revoking regulations cannot be done simply with the sweep of a pen: The Environmental Protection Agency is required to go through a notice-and-comment process — which can take years — to do so, and the Trump administration will likely face fierce pushback from environmental organizations in courts.
Trans rights
Trump made several promises to crack down on transgender rights upon his return to office. He said he would cut federal funding for schools that teach “critical race theory” and what he called “transgender insanity.” He also said he would bar trans women from competing in women’s sports, fueling an issue that conservatives have framed as a widespread threat to cisgender women but in reality is supported by scant evidence.
Research has shown that such rhetoric and threats to further disenfranchise trans people have a demonstrably negative impact on a community that is estimated to make up less than 1% of the U.S. population. After Trump’s win in November, several LGBTQ advocacy organizations reported a surge in calls to their crisis hotlines.
Pardon Jan. 6 rioters
Trump has said that one of his first acts in the White House would be to pardon those convicted in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He has called the insurrection “a day of love” and cast the rioters as “patriots” who were “horribly and unfairly treated.”
In an interview with NBC News, he also did not rule out pardoning individuals who pleaded guilty to their crimes, including assaulting police officers, saying that they “had no choice.”
Trump told Time magazine in December that his administration would be looking “at each individual case,” starting “in the first hour that I get into office.” Trump has vowed to sign an executive order imposing steep tariffs on goods from some of the U.S.’ largest trading partners on the first day of his presidency. In a Truth Social post in November, he threatened to charge a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico as punishment for what he called the “open borders” through which people are “bringing Crime and Drugs at levels never seen before.” “This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” he wrote. “Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!” During his campaign, Trump promised to impose a 60% tariff on goods from China. In late November, he further vowed to charge China an additional 10% tariff on imports as retaliation for “the massive amounts of drugs, in particular Fentanyl, being sent into the United States.” Trump has also threatened to raise tariffs on countries in the European Union if they don’t increase their purchases of American oil and gas. The president-elect has a history of pitching steeper tariffs on foreign countries as a way to protect American businesses, to generate federal revenue, to restrict illegal immigration and to encourage companies abroad to manufacture goods in the U.S. However, many experts have said that tariff hikes will ultimately be a burden on U.S. consumers. Contrary to Trump’s claim that foreign companies pay for increased tariffs, it is in fact the American businesses that import goods from abroad that would foot the bill, and they are more likely than not to offload those additional costs onto the consumer.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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