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PARIS – Newly elected political leaders often refer to the “first 100 days” as a pivotal moment to implement their agenda before obstacles arise. Donald Trump is seeing how much he can cram into the first 100 hours — America’s 47th president is a man in a hurry.
If there’s one ritual Donald Trump cherishes above all, as he demonstrated during his first term, it’s the signing ceremony for Executive Orders — the presidential decrees he has the privilege to issue. With his famously bold signature, he proudly displays the signed documents, accompanied by his trademark self-satisfied smile.
Four years ago, these moments unfolded in the Oval Office; this time, he has taken it to a public arena: the “Executive Order Show”!
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For his second term, it’s a fireworks display: a record-breaking 100 Executive Orders are planned. These decrees were prepared in advance, signaling a presidency far more calculated than his first, which had seemed to have surprised even him.
Donald Trump is tackling every issue on his political agenda right from the start — an agenda of disruption, made clear within the first hours after being inaugurated Monday.
Key orders and reversing policies
Some of the topics addressed in his Executive Orders align with themes he emphasized during his campaign. For example, he declared a national emergency at the Mexican border, ordering the military to complete the construction of the controversial separation wall he began during his first term. On immigration, he is also initiating a crackdown on undocumented immigrants within the country, paving the way for mass deportations.
As in his first term, he plans to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement — a decision that had been reversed by Joe Biden following his 2020 victory.
Project 2025 also identifies personnel to be installed in key positions to carry out his agenda.
This marks a return to Trump’s original agenda. A direct consequence of abandoning the fight against climate change is his green light for increased oil production in Alaska and expanded fracking operations. “Drill, baby, drill,” the president reiterated in his inaugural address. He also aims to pressure the European Union into purchasing more American oil and gas.
Creative chaos
Donald Trump’s frenzy of executive orders is driven by two key motivations. The first, as it was eight years ago, is to undo the actions of his Democratic predecessor. This comes with symbolic gestures: for example, he plans to rename North America’s highest peak, located in Alaska, after President William McKinley, a Republican who was assassinated in 1901. Barack Obama had removed McKinley’s name in favor of “Denali,” a name derived from an Indigenous language.
The second reason is that Trump aims to bulldoze what he calls the “deep state” — the individuals and structures he believes obstructed him during his first term. To achieve this, he is leaning on “Project 2025,” a plan devised by an ultraconservative think tank. This initiative not only outlines policies but also identifies personnel to be installed in key positions to carry out his agenda.
This frenzy of executive orders in the first hours is meant to strike public opinion, creating a sense of shock within the state apparatus, already threatened by the cuts Elon Musk is preparing.
Donald Trump is thus setting in motion the conservative revolution, of which he is the new emperor — barely crowned and already sowing a kind of chaos that aims to create not destroy.
