During Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech at the Ellipse last week, the Democratic candidate turned her attention to the very near future. “In less than 90 days, either Donald Trump or I will be in the Oval Office,” she said. “On Day One, if elected, Donald Trump would walk into that office with an Enemies List. When elected, I will walk in with a to-do list, full of priorities on what I will get done for the American people.”
It was a good line, which was well received, but it also touched on an underappreciated point: What exactly should Americans expect from these candidates on their first day in the Oval Office?
A couple of days after delivering her Ellipse remarks, for example, Harris pledged to sign a “Day One” executive order that would “eliminate unnecessary degree requirements for federal jobs.” This is a policy measure touted by, among others, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and it has a lot of progressive support.
A day later, the vice president also talked to reporters about unveiling, on her first day, an economic package focused on bringing down costs, specifically on housing.
As for Trump, The Washington Post found that the former Republican president has presented to voters more than 200 “Day One” promises — he plans to be quite busy, evidently — and the list includes: Steve Vladeck, a constitutional law expert at Georgetown University Law told the Post, “A lot but not all of what Trump says he wants to do on day one is going to be illegal or impractical. But even the illegal stuff might go into effect for some time, and he might actually succeed in pushing the law in his direction.” Inauguration Day 2025 is 76 days away. Watch this space.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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