Since his Inauguration, President Trump has passed many executive orders and motions, many of which struck controversy with the public. This short collection displays the scope of recent actions taken during the start of his presidency.
Photo by Kent Nishimura at Los Angeles Times
Jan. 20: Jan. 6 Participants Pardoned
On Jan. 20, Donald Trump issued over 1,500 pardons related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol that took place on Jan. 6, 2021. After commuting the sentences of over a dozen of his supporters who were imprisoned, Trump announced that he would be issuing a “full, complete, and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.” This claim struck controversy because many were not in favor of pardoning those convicted of assaulting U.S. government officials. Still, the Trump administration made it one of their top priorities to release the people that they saw as wrongfully convicted during the event four years ago.
Photo by Cheryl McCloud/Naples Daily News
Feb. 9: The Gulf Below America
On Feb. 9, 2025, Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and he says he did it to “restore American pride” as one of the first actions of his presidency. However, Mexico has publicly disagreed with this sudden name change, with Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum asking companies like Google to list the gulf under the name “America Mexicana” in their maps. Claudia insists that “For [Mexico] it is still the Gulf of Mexico, and for the entire world it is the Gulf of Mexico.” Even with this callout from Mexico, Trump’s administration is still strong on this new change, declaring Nov. 9 of 2025 to be the first ever annual “Gulf of America Day.”
Soon… The Department of Education
Since 1979, the Department of Education has worked to ensure equal education opportunities across America and overseen student loan programs for low income and disabled students to receive education, and Trump wants to shut it down. However, full closure would require congressional action, which Trump cannot achieve alone.
The dismantling of the department was outlined in Project 2025 with the belief that education should be overseen by the states. Trump is said to be preparing an order aiming to fully eliminate the department, and there are currently efforts to begin dismantling the institution by implementing anti-DEI initiatives and cutting staff.
