When Joe Biden took office in 2021, the events leading up to his inauguration were anything but ordinary. Biden wasn’t afforded a peaceful transfer of power because Donald Trump attempted to overturn the will of the people. President Trump’s actions before and after the election threatened the country’s stability, and America is still grappling with the damage inflicted during his first term.
Yet, here we are again, welcoming him back into power and allowing him to cause even more harm than before. This time, he is armed with a cabinet that will likely accommodate any desire that crosses his mind.
With his mental state in question and a strong need to be loved by those he perceives as important, Trump is even more susceptible to being persuaded to meet any of their requests. He hasn’t even taken office yet, and already we have seen him taking the opposite side of issues he campaigned on, in order to side with the richest person in the world.
He has backtracked on his promise to reduce inflation, giving a vague excuse, “It’s not that easy to bring costs down after they have gotten so high.” This is a very different claim in contrast to his guarantee that he would bring costs down on day one. He has shifted from an anti-war stance to suggesting invading our allies and forcefully taking land that is not for sale.
While the list of promises number more than 100, there are some very specific things he says he will do on “day one.” Well, day one begins on Monday, less than 2 days from now.
Trump’s Day-One Promises:
Mass Deportation
“On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program of criminals in American history. We’re going to get them out. We have to.”
With about 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., Trump has previously claimed he would “declare a national emergency and use military assets” to implement mass deportations. However, his exact plans remain unclear, as he has yet to disclose the specifics.
Who Trump intends to target is also vague. He has stated he will focus on criminals without legal papers, yet under current U.S. law, undocumented individuals arrested for a crime are deported upon conviction. It is unclear why he believes the military is necessary for deportations or whom he plans to target within communities.
The only logical conclusion is that he intends to deport more than just “criminals.” Several interviews with Trump voters reveal, that many believe Trump will not deport undocumented individuals who are currently employed or have families, but they may be in for a rude awakening. There have been efforts to change current laws so that even schools, churches, and hospitals are not safe from the “raids” Trump is planning.
Restricting Citizenship
“On day one of my new term in office, I will sign an executive order making clear to federal agencies that, under the correct interpretation of the law, going forward, the future children of illegal aliens will not receive automatic US citizenship.”
Trump seeks to eliminate the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the country. This is particularly strange since he also expressed a desire to preserve the “Dreamers Act,” which protects children who arrived before their 16th birthday from deportation, yet aims to deport those born in the U.S.
Muslim Ban
“We will ban refugee resettlement from terror-infested areas like the Gaza Strip, and we will seal our border and bring back the travel ban.”
Trump has promised to reinstate the ban he signed in 2017, restricting travelers from countries such as Syria, Libya, Yemen, and Sudan.
Woke Ideology and Culture Wars
“On day one, I will revoke Joe Biden’s cruel policies on so-called gender-affirming care… I will sign a new executive order instructing every federal agency to cease all programs that promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age.”
Trump has threatened to cut federal funding from schools and colleges that promote “woke” ideas like critical race theory, transgender recognition, and other concepts he deems inappropriate.
It’s worth noting that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a college-level course focused on laws promoting equality and is an elective part of many degree programs. Additionally, limiting adults’ choice of college classes seems to violate our constitutional freedoms.
Afghanistan Withdrawal Resignation
“We’ll get the resignations of every single senior official who touched the Afghanistan calamity, to be on my desk at noon on Inauguration Day… You know, you have to fire people. You have to fire people when they do a bad job.”
It was Trump who made the problematic agreement with the Taliban and failed to follow through, leaving Biden to manage the withdrawal with a limited timeframe and no prior plan. Trump should consider including his own resignation in this demand.
Deregulation
“On day one, I will sign an executive order directing every federal agency to immediately remove every single burdensome regulation driving up the costs of goods… It’s going to be the largest regulatory reduction in the history of our country, and it’s going to happen very fast.”
Trump plans to undo environmental-related orders, including higher emissions restrictions for automakers. Seeing his outrage about natural disasters and the cost of recovering from them, one would think he would support regulations since that is the only thing that stands between an acceleration of natural disasters and keeping the status quo.
Tariffs
“I will create an external revenue service…” that would “...collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources.”
Trump plans to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada unless they take more action to prevent border crossings. He has also threatened 60% tariffs on Chinese goods and 15-20% tariffs on ALL other imported goods.
He overlooks the fact that tariffs are fees the U.S. pays when imported goods enter the country, rather than costs imposed on the exporting countries. This approach will not lower costs for Americans or encourage domestic manufacturing. Instead, these tariffs would harm the U.S. economy, leading to higher prices and potential company closures.
Pardoning January 6 Inmates
“People that were doing some bad things weren’t prosecuted and people that didn’t even walk into the building are in jail right now… So we’ll be looking at the whole thing. But I’ll be making major pardons.”
Trump plans to review each case and decide on pardons, claiming that those who did nothing wrong would be pardoned. However, all individuals eligible for pardons have been found guilty except those awaiting trial. His vague promises allow him to excuse himself by stating, “I can’t pardon this person because they are guilty” or “This person hasn’t been sentenced yet, so there is nothing I can do.”
When his supporters challenge him, they may find themselves without an argument.
Ending Wars
“That is a war that’s dying to be settled. I will get it settled before I even become president… If I win, when I’m president-elect and what I’ll do is I’ll speak to one, I’ll speak to the other, I’ll get them together.”
Trump believes that a stern conversation with Putin will suffice to end conflicts, seemingly underestimating the complexities involved. I wonder how Putin feels about Trump’s assumption that Putin is weak and easily persuaded to stop a war that he is intent on continuing just because Trump says he needs to.
What You Can Do
As the inauguration approaches it is only natural to feel a lack of control and a desire to give up hope, but we cannot do that. If we do, Trump wins. There are still things we can do and we need to do them. We need a lot of like-minded people to join the cause. You’d be amazed at what can happen when we put our minds to it and use a little WYCD unCommon Sense.
Stay Informed: Keep up with reputable news sources to understand the developments and implications of Trump’s policies. Use services like “Ground News” that help sort sources by bias. Remember it is important to read news from all types of sources and not just depend on one.
Engage in Dialogue: Discuss these issues with friends, family, and community members to raise awareness and encourage informed decision-making. Sometimes it won’t be evident at first that anything you say is sinking in, but if you repeat something enough, someone will listen.
Participate in the Political Process: VOTE! Vote in local and national elections, support candidates who align with your values, and consider volunteering for campaigns or political organizations. Remember, the president has the least amount of power (at least for right now), if we elect strong, outspoken officials, they control what happens, but they can’t help unless we support them. It is important to remember that no politician is going to offer everything you want, you need to evaluate the candidate and choose one that most closely aligns with what you want
Advocate for Change: Join or support advocacy groups that work on immigration reform, civil rights, and other issues important to you.
Hold Leaders Accountable: Use your voice on social media, write to your representatives, and attend town hall meetings to express your concerns and expectations from your leaders.
Support Affected Communities: Offer assistance to immigrant communities and other groups that might be adversely affected by proposed policies through volunteering, donating, or providing resources.
By staying proactive and engaged, you can help shape the future of our country and ensure that your voice is heard.
Trump’s plans for “day one” are horrifying to most of us and many of his promises can be accomplished on day one, but only if he were a competent president, his ability to handle them effectively remains questionable. We will have to wait and see what unfolds. I have a feeling Trump supporters may be disappointed, but some of the anti-Trumpers might be shocked at what he gets done on “day one”. I suspect this will definitely be true, by the end of the week. But either way, we need to prepare for a potentially bumpy ride.
References
Al Jazeera Staff. (2025, January 18). What has Donald Trump promised to do on day one of his second term? Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/18/what-has-donald-trump-promised-to-do-on-day-one-of-his-second-term
Jansen, B., Kuchar, S., & Kochi, S. (2025, January 17). Donald Trump’s pledge of “major pardons” for Jan. 6 defendants has allies, critics on edge. USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2025/01/17/trump-pardons-jan-6-defendants-critics-mistake/77359524007/
Serino, K. (2024, September 11). WATCH: Trump promises to “settle” war in Ukraine if elected. PBS News. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-promises-to-settle-war-in-ukraine-if-elected
