Implications Of Trump's Executive Orders

Donald Trump as an individual and the president of the most powerful country on earth has started shocking the world as usual as soon as he took office for the second time. The United States of America is a beacon of bright future to aspiring youth from all over the earth. The democratic value system ingrained into its systems and people is a strong attraction for people suppressed by autocratic regimes.

During my several visits to the USA and work with American colleagues, I have always come up with admiration for their strong work discipline and warm hearts. I have mostly found them ready to extend a helping hand wherever possible. They have also impressed me with their patriotic value system as Americans but always prepared to help where needed. 

Aid suspension 

Donald Trump is now giving room for the global citizens to question whether the democratic value system in the country is still intact? The orders given by the USA government to suspend its aid all over the world, is not exactly how the USA is perceived as. The USAID in Nepal like many other developing countries has sent circulars to all its development partners especially working on human rights and women’s rights to halt work for now.  This has given food for thought for developing nations not to be too depended on powerful rich countries who come in as friends but might change policies based on powerful individuals and political wind within the country.

January 20, 2025 saw Donald Trump inaugurated as the 47th president of the USA. He was president for the first time during 2017-2021 as the 45th president. Thus, he made history as the second person to serve non-consecutive terms as president of the USA.  During his presidential campaign for the 2024 elections Trump devoted most of the time to cover up what mistakes he and his team may have made leading to his defeat in 2020 elections. According to his campaign websites and speeches during the elections of 2024, he and his team put together a plan Agenda47 referring to Trump becoming the 47th President if he won. Now he has won and is full swing enacting his plan.

The US elections is an event watched with keen interest all over the world as being one of the biggest economies it has implications on people’s lives all over the globe. He gave some very controversial executive orders. The US Presidents have been given constitutional rights to exercise political powers as soon as they take oath and come to office through unilateral executive orders. While legislative efforts often take long time, such executive orders made just by a swipe of the pen at the white house can enact broad changes in the government policies and practices.   

He cancelled all federal aid but this was stopped by the federal judge. He has made it mandatory that all federal staff need to go to office to work and not work from home. Trump gave orders targeting transgender medical care under 19 and stated that in the USA there were only men and women and no other sex. He has been cracking down on illegal immigrants and reshaping the federal government. He has also issued several controversial pardons. He has signed a directive creating the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which is a new advisory body led by Elon Musk and cuts government costs. 

Trump has proclaimed a national emergency quoted in several media as “America’s sovereignty is under attack” and declared this to be a national emergency that allowed him to free up more funding to reinforce the border with Mexico.  He has stopped children of migrants to get right to citizenship upon birth in the USA. This faces legal challenges.  Although US presidents can give executive orders, they can be challenged and nullified if courts think it necessary. Several of Trump’s orders face some legal challenges.

There have been cases of executive orders taken by former USA presidents during war and domestic crisis. President Franklin D Roosvelt signed an executive order in 1942 that led to the creation of detention centres for about 120,000 Japanese Americans. In 1952, President Harry S Truman issued an order that put the steel industry under the control of the government to avoid a strike. Some former US Presidents have used executive orders extensively. Data reveals that Roosevelt issued 3,522 orders.  

Emergency situations

The power given to the US Presidents to enact executive orders must have been developed to help them in their leadership to make sure several important issues could be facilitated to help the citizens and the country to progress and come out of emergency situations. As USA citizens are educated and aware of their rights, if such decisions contradict their human rights, they go against it and challenge executive orders taken by presidents. However, some of the orders and policy decisions taken by the Trump administration in his second term seem to ridicule immigrants residing in the USA and also put undue pressure especially in developing countries where good work is being done with USAID support. 

This raises a question on who is to raise issues of human rights of these people. While USA will and must be first for their country, it is important for leadership there to adhere to the stand they have taken of being an upholder of democracy. It is also important for the global community to start making international acts and instruments which prevent superpowers start taking contradictory stand against human rights and climate justice within and outside their countries.  

(Sharma is a senior journalist and women’s rights advocate. namrata1964@yahoo.com or on X @NamrataSharmaP.)