Trump’s First Weeks in Office

It hasn’t even been a full month since Trump has taken up his seat in the White House, but it has certainly felt much longer. In just a few weeks there have been more than 60 executive orders, off-hand comments about plans for ethnic cleansing, ICE raids through neighborhoods, and a multi-billionaire, the richest man in the world, running amok through government agencies.

So much has happened since January 20, starting on Day One with an executive order issued to halt all enforcement of the TikTok ban that went into effect just hours prior. While this 75-day extension allows U.S. users to continue scrolling through the app, the future for TikTok is still unclear. However, notably, there was messaging during and after the ban on the platform’s notification system that explicitly mentioned the Trump administration. This has caused many people to raise eyebrows at what could be happening behind the scenes regarding algorithmic changes based on political and reactionary messaging like what has occurred on X and even Facebook.

This wasn’t the only day one executive order, though. Some of the various executive orders range from “Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements” which removed the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord to “Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness” which renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. 

Not all of these executive orders have been met with submission so far though. The Gulf of Mexico, namely, has only been enforced on some navigational maps like Google Maps whereas Apple’s Maps application has not done the same, staying true to the historic, globally-accepted name. That was until mere days ago when they finally gave in to the Trump executive order.

Another notable development to come from the past few weeks were Trump’s comments about wanting the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, send Palestinians elsewhere, and redevelop the land into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” In an interview with POLITICO, Navi Pillay, chair of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said, “Trump is woefully ignorant of international law and the law of occupation. Forcible displacement of an occupied group is an international crime, and amounts to ethnic cleansing,” While Trump’s claims and plans may be baseless, the fact that a major world leader is flinging around comments like these is horrifying and irresponsible.

Those following along to the news about Trump’s presidency will have likely heard the common buzzword frequenting the media, This being DEI or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. DEI has been an integral part of the government’s action to create equality in spaces such as schools and the workplace, as well as working to reverse systematic oppression. The term “DEI hire” is often paired with this idea conservatives use to attack leaders they believe are only hired for certain positions because of their race, gender, or ability. 

The distrust for these organizations that uphold DEI ideals has led Trump to dismantle several institutions and in several instances, pause or withhold funding from government agencies to increase pressure on them to rid them of DEI. Obviously, this has resulted in immense backlash from U.S. citizens and several lawsuits have been filed.

The past few weeks have felt like several long months and it’s hard to believe that there are still four years to go. Today, we can only imagine what is to come but it has become very clear that Project 2025 is being enacted throughout Trump’s presidency. Those blueprints can give us a slight indication of what might be in store for America. It is also important to note that several of President Trump’s orders have been blocked. The Supreme Court has continued to remain strong in its duty to uphold the Constitution and ensure we never stray too far from the path our Founding Fathers set for the United States.