[News Terms] 'Executive Orders' Storm-Signed by Trump on Inauguration Day One

by Oh Suyon

Published 22 Jan.2025 13:01(KST)

Updated 22 Jan.2025 15:00(KST)

The First Executive Order: "Erasing Biden"

Confusion has arisen following U.S. President Donald Trump signing 26 executive orders, 12 memorandums, 4 declarations, and 4 personnel orders from his first day in office.

According to the Associated Press on the 21st (local time), attorneys general from 22 Democratic-leaning states filed a lawsuit claiming that an executive order signed by President Trump the previous day, which partially restricts birthright citizenship, violates the 14th Amendment and is unconstitutional. Additionally, according to NBC News, concerns have emerged that the executive order signed the previous day, which officially recognizes only male and female genders, will result in the removal of a third gender option on passports starting that day, potentially affecting transgender individuals who have changed their biological sex or are preparing for gender transition.

Donald Trump, President of the United States, is signing an executive order at the White House. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

In the United States, an executive order is a written directive issued by the President, the head of the federal government, to agencies, agency heads, and public officials of the federal government, and does not require congressional approval. The authority to issue such orders is based on Article II of the U.S. Constitution, which states that "the executive power shall be vested in a President."

What executive orders did President Trump sign immediately after his inauguration? The first executive order revoked 78 executive actions of the Joe Biden administration, initiating a purge of his predecessor’s policies. He also signed orders to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), pardon 1,500 individuals related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, and declare a national emergency at the Mexico border.

Executive orders range from historic matters such as President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to routine administrative tasks like former President Obama granting half-day leave to government departments on Christmas Eve in 2015.

Like ordinary laws, executive orders have legal binding force. However, unlike laws enacted by Congress, they can be repealed by a succeeding president, as seen when President Trump signed executive orders canceling many of former President Biden’s executive actions.

Why does a president issue executive orders? Normally, laws must pass through Congress. However, executive orders allow the president to implement policies at their discretion, as demonstrated by President Trump’s "signing show" where he signed 46 executive actions in one day.

Meanwhile, executive orders can be challenged and overturned through lawsuits. Not only the executive order partially restricting birthright citizenship but also the government efficiency department (DOGE) led by Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and Trump’s "first buddy," which was newly established by executive order, has faced lawsuits for violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).