Donald Trump will sign at least a dozen executive orders soon after he’s sworn in as president Monday, looking to quickly implement his agenda, including declaring a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border, ordering construction on his border wall to resume, and terminating diversity programs in federal agencies.
Another of Trump’s executive orders seeks to bring an end to birthright citizenship, transition officials told reporters in a call ahead of the actions Monday.
Birthright citizenship has been understood to be required under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”
Democrats and some legal groups have vowed to challenge in court any Trump attempt to do away with birthright citizenship.
The orders are part of a broad plan that’s expected to include more than 50 items in total signed by the new president following his inauguration, as he seeks a quick Day 1 start.
“With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense. It’s all about common sense,” Trump said in his inaugural address.
Trump’s other executive orders on immigration would reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy from his first administration for those seeking to enter the U.S. through Mexico, while another is set to designate cartels and migrant gangs, specifically MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
Mexico’s Foreign Ministry told NBC News that Trump was making the move on his “Remain in Mexico” policy unilaterally, without the country’s agreement, which could be a hurdle for implementation.
Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the border would allow the Defense Department to deploy the U.S. military and the National Guard to the border. Asked what the rules of engagement would be for the military deployed to the border, the Trump transition officials said that would be up to the Defense Department.
“We have to set our country on the proper course,” Trump said of his immigration plans Sunday at a rally for supporters. “By the time the sun sets tomorrow evening, the invasion of our borders will have come to a halt, and all the illegal border trespassers will, in some form or another, be on their way back home.”
Orders cover a wide range of issues
Not all of the executive orders are on border and immigration policy. Another one will say it’s the policy of the U.S. to recognize two sexes — male and female — including on all government documents such as passports and visas.
In 2022, the Biden administration had allowed U.S. citizens to be able to select the gender–neutral “X” as a marker on their passport books.
As had been previously announced, Trump will also sign an order creating the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which will have a mission of cutting government spending, according to Karoline Leavitt, the incoming White House press secretary.
In November, Trump announced DOGE would be co-led by billionaire Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. But sources familiar with his thinking told NBC News on Monday that Ramaswamy would not be involved so he can focus on running for governor in Ohio.
Trump is also signing executive orders designed to spur energy production: One order will declare a “national energy emergency” in order to reduce bureaucracy and allow more drilling, while another will allow more energy production in Alaska.
He’s also signing another order changing the name of Alaska’s Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, back to Mount McKinley. Then-President Barack Obama renamed the mountain in 2015 at the request of native Alaskan tribes and politicians, a move that sparked anger in McKinley’s home state of Ohio.
Another order would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, although it is not clear if a U.S. president has the authority to rename an area that is considered international waters.
The scope and number of orders Trump is expected to sign far exceeds what he did on his first day in office in 2017, when he signed one executive order that targeted the Affordable Care Act.
It also goes beyond the number signed by Joe Biden on his first day in office. Biden signed nine executive orders on topics ranging from ethics commitments for executive branch personnel to combating discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, while also signing orders reversing Trump directives on immigration and deregulation.
Biden also signed off on seven other executive actions that day in 2021, including directives aimed at halting funding of Trump’s border wall and reversing his decision to pull the U.S. out of the international Paris climate agreement.
In a phone interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker on Saturday, Trump said he planned on signing a large number of executive actions on his first day.
“We have a record-setting number of documents that I’ll be signing right after this [inauguration] speech,” he said.
