Dictator On Day One... Or Not...

To quote George W. Bush in Trump’s first inauguration: "That was some weird shit."

Exhausted already (Photo Credit: AP Photo)

Back in December 2023, Fox News host Sean Hannity gave Donald Trump a chance to rebuke warnings of Trump’s authoritarian tendencies, and reassure the public that he would not abuse his power to seek retribution. However, the future president did not assure many voters.

“Except for day one,” the GOP front-runner said Tuesday night before a live audience in Davenport, Iowa. “I want to close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill.”

And in case anyone missed it, he reenacted the exchange.

“We love this guy,” Trump said of Hannity. “He says, ‘You’re not going to be a dictator, are you?’ I said: ‘No, no, no, other than day one. We’re closing the border, and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator.’”

Trump’s first day in office has ended, and even though he did not become a dictator immediately, there has still been lots of drama over the past 24 hours.

Hours before the inauguration, multiple news sources reported Trump wanted to sign “dozens and dozens” of executive orders, focusing on border, oil drilling, and DEI policies. In his victory rally in Washington DC, the most notable moment was when the Village People performed their song YMCA next to a dancing Trump, while the president-elect raised eyebrows as he said of Musk: “He knows those computers better than anybody. All those computers. Those vote-counting computers. And we ended up winning Pennsylvania like in a landslide.” There were also signs of concern, as scores of diplomats resigned from the State Department ahead of the inauguration, reportedly at Trump’s request. In a bit of comic relief, the crypto market tripped and fell after Melania Trump released her version of meme coins, while Vivek Ramaswamy left DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) as he is expected to announce a potential Ohio gubernatorial run the week after Trump’s inauguration.

On Monday morning, in a sweeping use of presidential power, Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired General Mark Milley, and members of the House January 6 Committee (Including staffers and the police officers that testified in front of them) against Trump’s proclaimed “retribution.” An act mired in controversy, Biden wrote in a statement that “The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense. Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.”

In the first appearance by Donald Trump, he and his wife Melania attended a church service at St John's Church, a tradition for all presidents. Before the inauguration, both the NYT and WSJ reported Trump was not imposing tariffs on his first day in office, instead directing agencies to investigate and remedy persistent trade deficits and address unfair trade and currency policies by other nations. Biden and Trump, alongside their wives, had a polite tea gathering before leaving for the Capitol Rotunda, Trump’s swearing-in ceremony was moved inside due to extreme cold conditions. When Trump arrived at the White House, Biden told his successor “Welcome home.” Before Biden left the White House, his social media account posted a selfie of Joe and Jill, writing: “One more selfie for the road. We love you, America.” In the very last moments of his presidency, Biden pardoned five members of his family including his brother James, saying they did nothing wrong except he feared Trump’s political and legal attacks might affect them too.

At noon, Donald Trump swore his oath of office and became the 47th President of the United States, as well as the nation’s first convicted felon becoming the country’s leader. Funny enough, many have spotted that Trump’s hands did not touch the Bible while he was swearing in. During Trump’s inaugural address, he cast himself as the country’s savior against “American decline,” calling for a “revolution of common sense,” saying “I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country. My message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor, and the vitality of history’s greatest civilization.”

Despite his self-described unity, Trump still painted a dark portrait of America riddled by the “radical and corrupt establishment,” describing the “pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair.” On his personal ego boost, the president claimed he was spared from death during last year’s assassination attempt because “I was saved by God to make America great again.” Trump also predicted: “My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.” Naturally, Trump attacked Biden during his address, ranting that “We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad.” If anyone wants to pick two words to define the address, Trump wants it to be “Manifest Destiny,” proclaiming he will rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” (That bit got a laugh from Hillary Clinton), change Mount Denali’s name back to Mount McKinley, and devoted a significant part of his speech to retaking the Panama Canal. On the subject of the Panama Canal, Trump repeatedly lied about US ships being “severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form,” he even exaggerated the US death toll constructing the Canal by claiming America “lost 38,000 lives in the building of the Panama Canal.” In one notable point on space exploration, Trump said “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars." Trump said of the law and justice: “The scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government will end.” Trump did not speak of retribution during the address, but he did say: “Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents — something I know something about. We will not allow that to happen. It will not happen again.”

Now, brace for pandemonium. Right after Trump’s inauguration, the first lawsuits against his administration targeted DOGE, alleging it does not comply with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Since we are on the subject of DOGE, the department’s co-leader Elon Musk celebrated the inauguration at a post-ceremony rally and ended it with an odd-looking salute, more specifically it looks like the billionaire just made a Nazi salute in front of the Capital One Arena event. He did it twice. On the streets of Washington DC, the far-right group the Proud Boys happily marched through the streets of the nation’s capital, calling for the release of January 6 rioters, many of them belonging to the extremist group.

The Pentagon removed a portrait of General Mark Miley, from a corridor of the building filled with paintings of all of his predecessors in a petty move ten days after the artwork was unveiled. Trump administration officials immediately shut down the CBP One app, a Biden administration mobile app for migrants to make appointments at the US-Mexico border for legal entry. It also meant all outstanding appointments made by migrants without visas who sought to enter the United States through legal ports of entry were canceled, as one family who waited months to cross the border found out the sad and hard way.

Trump’s nominees, including Pete Hegseth, John Radcliffe, and Marco Rubio cleared their hurdles in their respective Senate panels, while the White House confirmed Vivek Ramaswamy is not going to be working in DOGE. Boosting the president’s agenda on immigration, the Senate passes the Laken Riley Act in their first move after Trump’s inauguration. By nighttime, Marco Rubio was unanimously confirmed in the Senate, making him the first cabinet appointee of the second Trump administration.

Outside of Washington, the small Swiss town of Davos was dubbed the world’s most exclusive watch party, as the members of the World Economic Forum monitored the progress of a new Trump term.

Among the flurry of executive orders that were signed on the first day, the priorities of the administration were laid clear as he signed numerous executive orders at a packed Capital One Arena, throwing pens at his supporters as he signed to undo his predecessor’s legacy because a reality TV presidency needs a reality show in place.

Trump signed an executive action ordering federal workers back to the workplace five days a week, halted 78 Biden-era executive actions, freezing new federal regulations, restored Schedule F that could drastically impact federal workers, granted full pardons to 1500 Capitol rioters, and ended the “weaponization of government” against political opponents.

On immigration, Trump’s orders have ended asylum access, approved sending troops to the southern border, fast-tracked construction of his border wall, reinstated the “Remain In Mexico” policy, paused refugee resettlement programs, designated drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and ended birthright citizenship. Some have argued the plans are still vague in implementation, and many are likely to be challenged in the courts in an epic showdown.

On tech, Trump fulfilled his promise to formally delay the TikTok ban, keeping it alive in the US for at least 75 days.

Concerning the environment, Trump pulled out of the Paris Agreement for a second time and ended electric vehicle “mandates” through executive action.

On energy, Trump declared a national energy emergency, which could expand his legal options in addressing high costs, and promoting fossil fuel interests while ending many renewable energy initiatives passed by the Inflation Reduction Act under Biden’s term.

Aside from the Paris Agreement, Trump also pulled out of the WHO, meaning the organization lost its largest national donor.

On the economy, Trump established an External Revenue Service to collect tariffs, and directed departments and agencies “to deliver emergency price relief.”

For the culture wars, the new Trump administration undid progress by his predecessor, declaring that the federal government would recognize males and females as the only two genders, removed protections for transgender prisoners, and ended DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) measures in the federal government.

As Trump talked to the press, Trump said he would be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin but didn’t know the timing, confused Spain as a member state of BRICS, only found out where Biden put his letter for Trump at the Oval Office desk drawer after being reminded by a journalist, and eyes February 1 as the date to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada.

With much talk about what Trump has done, it is notable to recognize what he hasn’t done so far. Running on a campaign to reduce grocery prices, very little of what Trump has done in executive orders has targeted the needs of many of his supporters. Instead, as expected, the most notable executive orders Trump has signed are mostly red meat for his MAGA base, using legislation to spite political opponents. On the war in Ukraine, Trump has yet to stop the war in his first day in office, which was widely expected as even Trump’s inner team climbed down from a day one deadline to 90 days.

That’s not to say Trump won’t be following up on his past promises, but it is going to be a bumpy ride for the next few months, if not years, until Trump can claim he has made some concrete progress.