9 Trump Executive Orders You Should Know About

On President Trump’s first day in office, he wasted no time putting his constitutional authority as the Executive to work, immediately fulfilling key campaign promises.

“Today, I will sign a series of historic Executive orders," he declared in his inauguration speech at the U.S. Capitol. “With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense.”

True to his word, Trump took swift action, signing a wave of Executive orders. In magnificent political theater, the groundbreaking event took place at Washington’s Capital One Arena, where thousands of supporters witnessed the President’s historic move. Following the arena event, he continued with more traditional signings in the Oval Office while simultaneously fielding questions from reporters.

According to our legal team, here are nine Executive orders you should be following:

1. Protecting the American People Against Invasion

The previous Administration allowed millions of illegal immigrants into the U.S., many of whom posed security risks and strained public resources. These individuals have committed crimes, including terrorism-related activities, and cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

This Executive order enforces strict immigration laws, revokes prior Executive orders that weakened enforcement, and prioritizes the removal of dangerous individuals. The order establishes new task forces to combat illegal immigration, human trafficking, and criminal organizations. It also targets sanctuary jurisdictions, increases penalties for violators, and reviews federal funding to ensure no support goes to illegal immigration activities. The goal is to prioritize American safety and uphold immigration laws.

Why it matters to us: The ACLJ has filed FOIAs to expose the disaster on the southern border. An open border threatens national security with gangs taking over, FBI-listed terrorists apprehended, and 320,000 unaccounted-for migrant children.

2. Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government

This Executive order addresses the previous Administration’s use of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to target political opponents and violate people’s rights. It points out examples like investigations into parents speaking out at school meetings, criminal charges for minor political actions, and unfair treatment of different political groups.

The order also directs a review of what federal agencies did over the last four years to find any wrongdoing or abuse of power. The Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence will lead these reviews and report back to the President. It also makes sure that federal agencies follow rules about keeping records and avoid politicizing their work.

Why it matters to us: The Deep State FBI was exposed for planting undercover agents inside churches to spy on believers. For a country founded on religious liberty, this is an egregious offense against all faiths. President Trump was unjustly prosecuted. Whistleblowers were targeted. And there are countless other examples of the weaponization of government.

3. Unleashing American Energy

This Executive order lays out a plan to boost America’s energy production and strengthen its economy. It stresses the need to use more of our own energy resources, such as oil, gas, minerals, and nuclear power to lower energy costs, create jobs, and improve national security. The plan includes opening up federal lands for energy exploration, getting rid of unnecessary rules, and giving consumers more options when it comes to cars and home appliances.

It also cancels several previous Executive orders, speeds up the approval process for energy projects, and focuses on making the U.S. a leader in mineral production again. Agencies are instructed to fix policies that slow down energy development, with a focus on national security and economic growth.

Why it matters to us: As former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo explains, unleashing American energy “would energize markets, increase confidence in the American economy, and pay massive dividends over the next few years by lowering the cost of energy and bringing inflation back down.”

4. Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship

This Executive order addresses the ways that the previous Administration interfered with free speech by pressuring social media companies to censor or suppress speech it disagreed with. The government justified this to combat “misinformation,” but as we have long argued, it violated Americans’ First Amendment rights.

The order emphasizes the importance of protecting the right to free speech and bans federal employees or resources from censoring speech. It directs the Attorney General to investigate past government actions that may have violated this principle over the last four years and report findings to the President. The goal is to prevent future censorship and ensure Americans can express themselves freely without government interference.

Why it matters to us: The ACLJ has over four million Facebook followers, but social media censorship has limited our reach. As a result, only a few hundred see our live broadcast, which is absolutely unacceptable. We’ve seen how this impacts Americans and squelches free speech, something we have spent decades defending at the U.S. Supreme Court.

5. Designating Cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

This Executive order addresses the threat posed by international criminal cartels and violent transnational organizations such as MS-13 and Tren de Aragua which are involved in drug trafficking, violence, and terror. These groups have infiltrated governments, destabilized countries, and are a significant threat to U.S. national security.

The order designates these organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, allowing for increased efforts to eliminate their influence in the U.S. The Secretary of State, Attorney General, and other officials will work together to identify and take action against these groups. The goal is to protect U.S. citizens and secure the country from these dangerous organizations.

Why it matters to us: Because of Joe Biden’s refusal to secure the border, Americans remain in grave danger. It’s estimated that fentanyl was responsible for 76,000 U.S. deaths in 2023.

6. Establishment of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

This Executive order creates the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). While the Executive order may only appear to rename the U.S. Digital Service as the U.S. DOGE Service (USDS) and focus on technology efficiency, what it actually does is establish a temporary organization to focus on the President’s DOGE agenda for the next 18 months (which is much broader). It requires each federal agency to set up a DOGE Team to help with the effort to root out wasteful bureaucratic spending and regulations that crush our liberty.

Why it matters to us: As ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow writes, “[T]he golden nugget from [DOGE] is that Planned Parenthood appears to be on the chopping block – a goal we have long fought for at the ACLJ.”

7. Ending Radical-Left DEI Programs

The Biden Administration introduced "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI) programs across federal agencies, promoting discrimination under the guise of fairness. These initiatives, including mandatory DEI training and hiring quotas, were pushed through. This Executive order ends these programs, instructing federal agencies to remove DEI-related positions, programs, and policies. It also requires a review of federal contracts and grants linked to DEI. The goal is to restore a government focused on equal respect and merit-based performance, eliminating divisive and discriminatory practices in federal employment.

Why it matters to us: As former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on April 26, 2024: “[The Biden Administration’s] core commitment is to inflict a divisive, un-American, Marxist dogma on the American people, wasting your tax dollars to do it.”

8. U.S. Withdrawal From the World Health Organization (WHO)

This Executive order initiates the process for the United States to leave the World Health Organization (WHO) because the organization mishandled global health issues, especially COVID-19, and failed to make needed changes. The order says the WHO is too influenced by politics and unfairly asks the U.S. to pay more than other countries, like China, which pays much less. As part of the withdrawal, the U.S. will stop sending money to the WHO, recall American workers from the group, and stop working on WHO agreements about pandemics. The Secretary of State will notify the WHO and others about the withdrawal. The U.S. will focus on strengthening its own health security and response systems.

Why it matters to us: The WHO has long sought to expand its power in global health protocols, allowing it to declare public health emergencies in member states, including the U.S., and enforce compliance with its recommendations. And worst of all, the WHO has long been promoting a population control-influenced effort to expand abortion globally.

9. Holding Former Intel Officials Accountable for Election Interference

This Executive order addresses the involvement of 51 former intelligence officials who allegedly coordinated with the Biden campaign to discredit a story about Hunter Biden’s laptop in the final weeks of the 2020 election. The officials falsely suggested the story was part of a Russian disinformation campaign. This order declares this misuse of their positions to influence a U.S. election a serious breach of trust.

The order also criticizes former National Security Advisor John Bolton for publishing sensitive information in his memoir for personal gain, risking national security. To address these issues, the order mandates the immediate revocation of security clearances for those involved, including the 51 former officials and Bolton.

Why it matters to us: The Deep State FBI pressured Facebook to suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story days before the 2020 election. This is what election interference and collusion look like. We’ve filed a FOIA request on this, and we will get to the bottom of it.