President Trump’s remarks at his Inauguration on Jan. 20 were followed by an eerie applause. Sat to his left were former president Joe Biden and former vice-president and Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, watching the president slander much of their previous work. Trump marked his first day in office with 46 presidential actions. How exactly does one keep up with such a flurry? Listed below are five notable actions concerning (1) transgender treatment, (2) birthright citizenship battles, (3) declining DEI programs, (4) pardoning Jan. 6 rioters and (5) reimagining immigration.
Contrasting Biden-era policies, President Trump issued an executive order titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government.” Professor of Politics Stephen Engel explained that the order establishes that “for the purposes of federal recognition and policy there are two biological sexes, and federal documents will only recognize these two.”
A UCLA study in 2022 estimated that approximately 17,000 individuals identified themselves as “X” on their passports each year, meaning that their gender falls outside of the binary male and female genders. Professor Engel noted “what the executive order is doing is essentially saying that the federal government will simply not recognize transgender identities…I think it’s dangerous, it doesn’t treat people with due respect and dignity.” However, this executive order does not apply to state documents such as driver’s licenses.
The “Protecting The Meaning And Value Of American Citizenship” which aims to eliminate birthright citizenship has come under increased scrutiny because of its overt reinterpretation of the fourteenth amendment. Professor Engel noted that President Trump would have anticipated significant legal pushback, but aimed to make a constitutional amendment a legitimate topic of debate. Engel explained the process, stating, “someone thinks it’s interesting, they write a law review article about it…then some law school hosts a symposium…and suddenly something that was strange is now a plausible reading.” In essence, an idea is deliberately introduced into professional discourse to gain legitimacy.
The “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing” only applies to federal hiring, yet it’s tone setting for the private sector. Soon after the announcement of this executive order, Professor Engel noted that “companies like McDonald’s, Meta and Target roll back their DEI initiatives that were put in place in 2020.” What this means for Bates is currently unclear.
Title IX Coordinator Gwen Lexow stated in a previous article that the Trump regulations “are a floor” and that “there’s no ceiling necessarily, so we can do more [than what Title IX protects].”
The President’s executive order, “Granting Pardons And Commutation Of Sentences For Certain Offenses Relating To The Events At Or Near The United States Capitol On January 6, 2021,” is worrisome for many students including Jack Kingsley ‘28. Kingsley stated “I think regardless of what your party affiliation is…it sets a negative precedent for potential insurrections in the future.”
Professor Stephen Engel questioned this order, saying, “Does that create a kind of extra-legal body of individuals who can use force on behalf of the President?”
Another act titled “Protecting The American People Against Invasion” uses broad language to attack immigration. For students like Kingsley, who is friends with many international students, a small liberal arts college such as Bates should take into consideration the “potential impacts on the access to higher education degrees for international students as a result of this, and whether that will potentially deter prospective students from looking at US colleges and universities in the first place.”
Moreover, much of Trump’s true immigration agenda still remains veiled.
For many Bates students, it feels as though the political landscape is shifting beneath their feet. With policies that completely unravel much of the Biden-Harris administration’s work, President Trump is not just making waves—he’s launching political tsunamis.
Whether President Trump’s executive orders survive numerous legal battles or not, his commitment to using executive power to force through political change is undeniable.
