As the eve of his second inauguration approached, President-elect Donald Trump was gearing up for a dynamic start to his presidency. On January 19, 2025, Trump addressed a vibrant crowd at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, during a MAGA victory rally. This marked a key moment, positioned just a day before he was set to officially commence his second term.
In a bold move, Trump planned to sign an impressive set of executive orders—over 50 on his first day, with the possibility of extending the count to over 100—according to a source from his transition team. The ceremonial oath-taking is scheduled for noon at the Capitol, with Trump aiming to validate several of these orders in the presence of his supporters at an indoor gathering later in the day, a change required by bad weather conditions disrupting events in the capital.
These initial executive orders are expected to fulfill a variety of commitments Trump made during his campaign, counter the policies of his predecessor Joe Biden, and overhaul segments of the federal workforce. One significant anticipated action centers around an executive order to declare a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, underscoring his dedication to tackling illegal immigration and associated crimes—a focal promise for his MAGA supporters.
At Sunday’s rally, Trump energized the crowd with the promise of impactful executive actions. “You’re going to see executive orders that are going to make [you] extremely happy,” he declared. “By the time the sun sets tomorrow evening, the invasion of our borders will have come to a halt, and all the illegal border trespassers will, in some form or another, be on their way back home.”
Reflecting on his first term, Trump had previously invoked a national emergency in an attempt to redirect funds from the Defense Department to construct a border wall, challenging Congress’s refusal to allocate the desired budget. Although a federal court obstructed this initiative, and Biden later reversed it before it reached the Supreme Court, Trump’s resolve remains steadfast as he re-enters office.
In his strategic resurgence, Trump laid out key aspects of his agenda during a breakfast meeting with Republican senators. Among the discussed actions was the intention to discontinue funding for climate-focused elements of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act—a contentious move that may test presidential authority over congressionally sanctioned funding.
Stephen Miller, set to become the deputy chief of staff for policy, briefed Republican legislators about the impending executive orders. In a conversation with Kristen Welker, the moderator of NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Trump proclaimed his plan to sign a “record-setting number of documents” post-inauguration.
Trump is also poised to reintroduce the “Schedule F” initiative from his first-term tail-end in 2020. This strategy involves reclassifying numerous civil service roles to simplify the installation of officials aligned with his strategic goals. As Trump marches forward into his second term, the anticipation surrounding these actions marks just the beginning of his renewed political chapter.
