Upon his return to office, Donald Trump pardoned 1,500 supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, including leading members of far-right groups. Shortly after being sworn in, he introduced measures to restrict immigration, withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement and abolish diversity programs. He dismissed numerous diplomats and set up a “Ministry of Government Efficiency”. In his speech, Trump praised himself as God's chosen savior of the nation and announced further controversial measures, including the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico and plans to colonize Mars.
Immediately after his inauguration, Donald Trump introduced comprehensive measures against illegal immigration, declared a national emergency and deployed military personnel to help secure the border. He discontinued the asylum programme of his predecessor Joe Biden and lifted the prioritization of serious offenders for deportations. He also announced that he would no longer recognize the citizenship of children born in the USA without parents with US citizenship or permanent residence status. These measures sparked widespread criticism and legal challenges, including from the ACLU. Migrants at the border reacted with despair to the cancellation of their immigration appointments.
Donald Trump has signed an order to withdraw the USA from the World Health Organization (WHO). He criticized the WHO for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and claimed that the organization was shaped by the political influence of certain member states. He also criticized the USA's contributions, which he considered disproportionately high compared to other countries.
The withdrawal, which takes effect in twelve months, also suspends US payments to the WHO, which affects 18% of total WHO funding. Experts warn that this could jeopardize programs to fight tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and other health emergencies. Trump also announced that he would suspend negotiations on the WHO pandemic treaty and revise the U.S. Global Health Security Strategy. The US wants to find alternative partners to continue important WHO activities. This move echoes Trump's earlier attempts in 2020 to leave the WHO, which Joe Biden reversed after taking office in 2021.
Donald Trump has issued an executive order severely restricting the protection of diversity and LGBTQ+ rights. In future, the USA will only recognize two immutable genders and government documents will be based on the “biological classification”. Trump rescinded 78 Biden executive orders, including measures to combat discrimination and promote minorities. He also limited the protections from the Bostock v. Clayton County ruling, which prohibited discrimination based on gender identity and sexuality. Human rights organizations sharply criticized the setbacks and announced legal action. Trump also plans to exclude transgender women from women's sports.
Donald Trump has ordered federal employees to return to the office five days a week and weakened the protection against dismissal for civil servants. This is aimed at replacing longtime employees with loyal followers. Trump restored the “Schedule F” program, which Biden had abolished, and plans to drastically reduce the administration with the new DOGE advisory. The measures also include a hiring freeze. Critics fear that talented employees will leave the system and that important government services could suffer as a result. Unions have already filed lawsuits against the orders.
Donald Trump has effectively withdrawn the USA from the 2021 global minimum tax agreement. In a memorandum, he stated that the deal had “no force or effect” in the US. The 15% minimum tax was adopted by the EU and other countries, while the US remains at a 10% tax from Trump's 2017 tax cut package. Trump criticized the deal as harmful to American businesses and instructed the Treasury Department to consider protective measures against countries that might impose “retaliatory” taxes on US companies. Experts warn that digital taxes could be reintroduced in countries such as France and Italy, which would exacerbate trade conflicts with the US.
Donald Trump has caused a stir with the memecoin $TRUMP, launched on the Solana blockchain. The token rose from under $10 to as much as $74, but fell back to $33. The market capitalization exceeded $10 billion. At the same time, Bitcoin reached a record high of $109,000, but later fell. Trump's crypto-friendly stance could loosen regulations, but raises ethical questions. Experts warn against speculation and volatility.
Trump's presidency has already led to market fluctuations. His surprise tariff announcements for Canada and Mexico caused the Canadian dollar (Loonie) and Mexican peso to fall. The US dollar strengthened against other currencies, while Trump's comments on tariffs and trade deficits, including the possibility of higher US oil and gas sales, continue to cause market reactions. Cryptocurrencies, led by Trump's meme coin, rose, sending Bitcoin to a new high, although the price later fell again. Economic data from the UK, Germany and Canada is expected today as EU finance ministers meet in Brussels.
Leak from the German Foreign Office: A few days before Donald Trump's inauguration, the German ambassador in Washington, Andreas Michaelis, wrote a secret dispatch to Baerbock:
“Trump will take away the independence of law enforcement agencies and the media and use them as a political tool.”
“Trump's program will lead to an overhaul of the constitutional order and the maximum concentration of power in the hands of the president.”
“Basic democratic principles will be undermined.”
“Control of the Justice Department and FBI is key to achieving Trump's political and personal goals, including mass deportations, retaliation against enemies, and legal sanctity.”
“In the event of a declaration of 'rebellion' and 'invasion,' the use of the armed forces domestically for policing activities could be possible.”
And what about Berlin? Departs and declares that it will “work closely with the new US administration in the interests of Germany and Europe”.
Trump announced these plans during his speech at the Capitol:
Immediately declare a state of emergency on the southern border to fix the migration crisis
Move soldiers to the US southern border, military to solve border crisis
Deport millions of illegal migrants Cartels and gangs will be classified as foreign terrorist organizations and fought militarily
Declare an energy emergency, massive oil production End the Green New Deal and electric car mandate (no combustion car phase-out)
Create the External Revenue Service (tariffs to replace taxes) Decree, banning all government censorship on the internet and in the press
US government officially recognizes only 2 genders Full compensation for all US soldiers discharged for refusing vaccination
Gulf of Mexico to be renamed “Gulf of America” Panama Canal to be taken over by US Mars mission launched
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