During his hectic first week in office, President Trump has sparked controversy by issuing several executive orders to reorient the US government. His executive orders address a wide range of topics, including employing government employees, civil rights, demographic diversity, trade, immigration, and U.S. international aid. Some immediately affect policy. Some are already being challenged by federal lawsuits as well.  

Trump signed a total of 26 orders on his first day. The securing of the US-Mexico border is a main concern on his agenda and he has declared a national emergency at the southern border. This directive frees up more federal resources and assists the secretary of defense in swiftly and smoothly deploying military personnel to the border. To secure additional cash to fortify the border with Mexico, Trump has declared that "America's sovereignty is under attack" and declared a national emergency. Trump has issued numerous directives on the border because he is very concerned about immigration on the southern border. Among the many include reinstating the death penalty for some immigrant criminals, and in addition to the so-called Islamic State, Trump has designated transnational gangs and drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, including the Salvadoran gang MS-13. 

Trump is also challenging birthright citizenship, Trump has directed officials to deprive children of migrants who are in the US illegally or on temporary visas the chance to citizenship. However, the US Constitution's 14th Amendment has historically protected that right, and Trump's order was promptly challenged in federal court. Among other things, the Fourteenth Amendment, which was ratified after the Civil War, gave African Americans in every state certain rights. Crucially, it overturned the Dred Scott ruling from 1857, which held that individuals of African heritage were not eligible for citizenship under the U.S. Constitution. The Citizenship Clause, the opening sentence of the Fourteenth Amendment, aimed to guarantee birthright citizenship to all people born in the United States, regardless of race, which was historically a huge step toward equality of all races. 

These executive orders have sparked controversy across the country, among many others. A prominent order was the withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organization. According to Trump, the US will only accept "two sexes, male and female." These sexes are rooted in fundamental and unquestionable reality and cannot be altered. Transgender policies are anticipated to have an impact on federal financing, civil rights protections, government communications, and prisons. Official documents such as passports and visas will be impacted as a result of his order as well. 

Trump has issued several appalling executive orders, but that is not the only thing he accomplished in his first week of office. He made the imprudent decision to pardon almost everyone accused of involvement in the uncivil attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. He issued roughly 1,500 pardons. 

This is only the beginning of Trump’s presidency, and we can only expect more issues of these sorts in the future.