From Pardons to Policies: Trump’s Second Act Brings Sweeping Changes on Day One

President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive actions, including a sweeping pardon for nearly all individuals convicted in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Trump announced that the federal government would officially recognise only two sexes—male and female—a move described by an incoming White House official as "restoring sanity".

He revoked 78 executive orders signed by his predecessor, Joe Biden. These included measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect federal lands from oil drilling, and lower prescription drug costs.

New directives also mandate changes to how gender is recognised on federal documents and rename Mount Denali in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico.

Under a national border emergency, Trump plans to deploy the military to curb illegal immigration, combat transnational gangs and drug trafficking, and carry out mass deportations of undocumented migrants.

One order begins the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, repeating a move from Trump's first term.

Another executive order announces the U.S. will leave the World Health Organisation, citing its "mishandling" of the COVID-19 pandemic, failure to reform, and "inappropriate political influence" from member states.