Donald Trump: What the incoming President's first day in office could look like

From deporting undocumented migrants in his 'first hour in office' to getting rid of gun-free zones, the billionaire property developer has made a number of bold promises for his first day

Maya Oppenheim
Thursday 19 January 2017 17:30 GMT
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Mr Trump has said he will start building a border between Mexico and the US immediately
Mr Trump has said he will start building a border between Mexico and the US immediately

Since Donald Trump’s unlikely victory, the world has been catapulted into a limbo period of speculating about what a Trump presidency will look like.

While you get people who argue the billionaire property developer will tone down his inflammatory campaign rhetoric once in office and should be allowed a “grace period”, there are others who subscribe to a wholly different school of thought and instead think he must be judged on his rhetoric.

If you are proponent of the second viewpoint and take the President-elect literally, his cornerstone policies look set to be implemented on his very first day in office.

Mr Trump has made a great deal of pledges for his first day. If implemented, the political fabric of America could begin to radically change in just a day as Barack Obama's legacy is rolled back and the Trump team's agenda is brought in.

Here is a selection of some of the promises he said he will start enacting on his first day in the corridors of the White House.

Repeal all of Obama's executive orders

The soon-to-be Vice-President Mike Pence said Mr Trump planned to repeal “every single Obama executive order” on his first day. To be clear, executive orders are unilateral actions that do not need congressional approval.

In a similar vein, his former transition chair, Chris Christie, told lobbyists in private meetings in Washington in September that the transition team were focused on reviewing administration policies to try and find everything which could be rolled back.

It would technically be possible for Mr Trump to issue a blanket order which repeals every executive order Mr Obama signed on his first day as President.

His spokesman Sean Spicer said on Wednesday that he might impose four or five executive orders on day one.

Repeal Obamacare

Mr Trump has frequently touted his plans to repeal Obamacare - the commonly used nickname for The Affordable Care Act. Not only did Mr Pence say that the President-elect would immediately “repeal Obamacare”, the pledge has also been listed on Mr Trump’s actual campaign website.

“On day one of the Trump Administration, we will ask Congress to immediately deliver a full repeal of Obamacare,” it reads.

Get rid of gun-free zones

Mr Trump claimed gun-free zones acted as “bait” to a “sicko”. For this reason, he said he wanted to do away with them immediately.

”I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools and on military bases. My first day, it gets signed, OK? My first day. There's no more gun-free zones.“

According to The Atlantic, repealing gun-free zones would require Congressional approval so an executive order is wholly unworkable.

Mexican wall

Mr Trump has said he will start building a border between Mexico and the US immediately.

“On day one, we will begin working on an impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful southern border wall,” Mr Trump said during a speech on immigration in Phoenix in September.

Deporting undocumented migrants

In September, Mr Trump said he would waste no time in deporting two million migrants with alleged criminal records.

“We will begin moving them out, day one. My first hour in office, those people are gone,” he said.

Make America Great Again

This might sound like an obvious one but almost a year ago Mr Trump said he would "make America great again" on his very first day and is likely to have said it incalculable times since.

“What I would do on my first day in office. #MakeAmericaGreatAgain,” he wrote on Facebook. “Text TRUMP to 88022 to join the #TrumpTrain”.

Withdraw from TPP

He promised that if elected, he would withdraw the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which is aimed at making trade easier among twelve Pacific Rim countries - apart from China who refused to sign it. It was signed in February last year, concluding seven years of negotiations, but has stalled.

“If the media doesn’t believe me, I have a challenge for you. Ask Hillary Clinton if she is willing to withdraw from the TPP [on] her first day in office and unconditionally rule out its passage in any form".

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