US President Donald Trump was sworn into office on Monday to become the 47th president, saying in his inaugural speech that he planned to sign a flurry of executive orders on his first day, tackling issues from energy to immigration to national security.
Several US media reports say that the number of executive orders expected to be signed is close to 100, with Reuters reporting that more than 200 orders and directives could be released.
In tying the issues of immigration and national security, Trump announced that he would be declaring Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organisations (FTO) and that he would be declaring illegal immigration into the US a national emergency.
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Over the past two decades, the use of FTO designations was used extensively on armed groups operating in Muslim-majority countries, including, most prominently, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group.
Trump made no mention of the IS group or of “radical Islamic extremism” as he did during his previous presidency and instead focused on labelling drug cartels as one of America’s biggest adversaries.
Trump said he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to eliminate foreign gangs and designate cartels as FTOs.
He also said he would deploy the US military to the southern border and reinstate a “remain in Mexico” policy.
Another one of his immigration-related actions is an attempt to end birthright citizenship for children born in the US from undocumented immigrants, which will likely face a legal challenge as birthright citizenship is enshrined in the US Constitution.
Trump the ‘peacemaker’
In his inaugural speech, Trump again touted his team’s role in the achievement of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza and said that he wants his presidential legacy to be that of a peacemaker.
“My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That’s what I want to be: a peacemaker and unifier, Trump said.
“I’m pleased to say that as of yesterday, one day before I assumed office, the hostages in the Middle East are coming back home to our family.”
The first stage of the three-stage ceasefire went into effect this weekend, and while the news has been met with mass celebration across Gaza, it’s unclear whether peace will hold into its second and third phases.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel has the right to restart the war after the ceasefire is over, causing concerns as to whether Israel will stop its military campaign.
Trump, during his speech, also offered vague criticism of US military support for foreign conflicts.
“We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defence of foreign borders but refuses to defend American borders, or, more importantly, its own people,” Trump said.
Throughout Trump’s campaign, he reiterated that he wants to ensure the US doesn’t get involved in any more wars.
At the same time, much of Trump’s base of support, as well as major donors, have pro-Israel sentiments, and Trump has appointed pro-Israel hardliners to several key positions in his administration.
‘Liquid gold’Â
The new US president said he would also immediately declare a national energy emergency and vowed he would increase oil production in the US to a point that would allow the country to export it across the world.
“We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help to do it,” he said.
The US will also withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement for the second time, according to a White House document seen by Reuters.
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Trump’s return to the White House is likely to usher in a departure from the Biden administration’s policy regarding the global energy trade, which went through a historic change in the past four years.
Under Biden, Iranian oil exports flourished, and Russia became a target of US sanctions. As a result, China has gorged on cheap Russian and Iranian oil, and the oil-rich Gulf monarchies lost their market share in Asia.
Former Trump officials and Arab diplomats previously told Middle East Eye that they expect Trump to reimpose sanctions on Iran quickly.
The US was already the world’s largest oil producer under Biden, but Trump pledged to expand drilling across the US even more, in a promise he says is to lower domestic energy prices and curb the country’s reliance on the Arab Gulf states.
Tariffs and sanctions
Trump also highlighted his plan to use tariffs to overhaul the global trade system, saying he would establish an “External Revenue Service”.
The president pledged to impose 10 percent tariffs on all global imports and 60 percent tariffs on Chinese products while imposing 25 percent tariffs on America’s neighbours in Canada and Mexico.
Trump has said that these tariffs would be beneficial to American economic growth and could help put a dent into the US deficit. However, opponents of the policy say it would only lead to rising consumer costs.
Absent from Trump’s speech was another economic tool he used frequently during his first term in office: sanctions.
Trump used sanctions on a number of countries, including Iran and also Turkey, a Nato ally, as well as China.
While sanctions will likely play a role in Trump’s second presidency, he also shared his concerns about them while on the campaign trail.
“I was a user of sanctions, but I put them on and take them off as quickly as possible because ultimately it kills your dollar and it kills everything the dollar represents,” Trump said at the time.
“So I use sanctions very powerfully against countries that deserve it, and then I take them off because, look, you’re losing Iran. You’re losing Russia,” he added.
