From TikTok to foreign aid: Trump returns to White House with a blitz of executive orders

2. Pete Hegseth confirmed arsenic US defence caput amid controversy

The Senate has voted 51 to 49 to beforehand Pete Hegseth’s information to go caput of defense. (AP)

Pete Hegseth has been confirmed arsenic the caller US Defense Secretary following a uncommon 50-50 divided ballot successful the Senate, with Vice President JD Vance casting the deciding vote. This marks lone the 2nd clip successful US past that a furniture nominee needed a tie-breaker. Hegseth’s confirmation is simply a important triumph for President Donald Trump, but it has besides exposed to heavy divisions betwixt Republicans and Democrats.

Three Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Mitch McConnell, joined each Democrats successful opposing Hegseth’s appointment, citing concerns implicit his acquisition and past allegations of home maltreatment and intersexual misconduct.

3. Trump’s TikTok intervention

President Trump has intervened successful the ongoing conflict implicit TikTok’s aboriginal successful the US. He instructed the Justice Department to hold enforcing a instrumentality that would prohibition the app from moving with US companies for 75 days . This determination has allowed TikTok to resume its US operations, including returning to app stores.

The determination comes aft a national prohibition was triggered owed to nationalist information concerns. However, Trump’s enforcement bid has enactment the prohibition connected hold, enabling TikTok to proceed operating portion negotiations are ongoing. Additionally, Trump has projected a US authorities ownership involvement successful TikTok .

4. Trump’s sweeping migration reforms

Trump issued implicit a twelve immigration-related orders, including denying asylum seekers introduction and expelling astir a cardinal radical who entered the US connected a impermanent basis.

– Denial of Asylum Seekers: Trump’s orders contradict introduction to asylum seekers, perchance leaving thousands of individuals successful limbo .
– Mass Deportations: Nearly a cardinal radical who entered the US connected a impermanent ground are astatine hazard of expulsion.
– Tighter Visa Requirements: Stricter scrutiny of visa applications, including much documentation and interviews, whitethorn pb to accrued denial rates.
– Border Security: Restarting the confederate borderline partition and deploying precocious exertion to unafraid the border.
– Changes to Citizenship: A much hard civics trial and ramped-up denaturalization efforts whitethorn interaction those seeking US citizenship.

5. Trump revokes information for erstwhile officials

President Trump revoked information extortion for his erstwhile caput of state, Mike Pompeo, and a erstwhile apical adjutant contempt warnings from the Biden medication that some men faced ongoing threats from Iran due to the fact that of actions they took connected Mr. Trump’s behalf, 4 radical with cognition of the substance said connected Thursday.

Mr. Pompeo and the aide, Brian Hook, had been portion of an assertive posture against Iran during the archetypal Trump presidency, astir notably the drone onslaught that killed the almighty Iranian wide Qassim Suleimani in aboriginal 2020.

6. Executive orders connected Cryptocurrency and assassination records

Trump signed enforcement orders supporting the maturation of cryptocurrency and declassifying records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.

7. Pardons for protesters astatine termination clinics

Trump issued clemency to 23 individuals arrested for protesting extracurricular termination clinics, further solidifying his stance connected the arguable issue. President Trump signed pardons for 23 anti-abortion protesters connected Thursday, the White House said, including a acceptable of radical convicted of blockading a session entrance.

The radical had been tried for conspiring successful 2020 to overrun a Washington reproductive wellness session and mounting up a blockade to intimidate patients and staff.

8. Trump freezes overseas aid, but for Israel and Egypt

President Donald Trump has ordered a 90-day intermission connected overseas improvement assistance, conscionable hours aft being sworn in, affecting astir each countries but for Israel and Egypt.

This determination is portion of a reappraisal to measure the effectiveness and consistency of US overseas assistance with Trump’s overseas argumentation goals. The determination has important implications, arsenic the US is 1 of the largest donors of overseas assistance globally, with Ukraine being the largest recipient, having received $16.2 cardinal successful assistance .

9. Kristi Noem confirmed arsenic homeland information caput amid migration debate

The Senate has confirmed Kristi Noem arsenic the caller Homeland Security Secretary, with a 59-34 vote, marking a important triumph for President Donald Trump’s nationalist information team.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump’s prime to beryllium Secretary of Homeland Security, is sworn successful earlier the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for her confirmation hearing, astatine the Capitol successful Washington, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP)

Noem, the existent Governor of South Dakota, volition oversee a sprawling bureau liable for borderline security, migration enforcement, and catastrophe response, among different captious tasks.

Her confirmation comes amidst a heated statement connected immigration, with Trump readying large changes to the department’s functions, including involving the subject successful migration enforcement .

10. Focus connected US manufacturing

In his Davos address, Trump urged planetary businesses to manufacture their products successful the US, promising immoderate of the lowest taxes successful the satellite but threatening tariffs for those who don’t comply.

These actions bespeak Trump’s ambitious and arguable agenda, sparking debates crossed political, legal, and planetary spheres.