Trump returns to White House and unleashes barrage of executive orders

US president pledges immigration crackdown, rolls back climate rules and pardons 1,500 January 6 rioters

President Donald Trump signs an executive order as he attends an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event at Capital One Arena, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Donald Trump launched his second term as US president with a barrage of executive orders reaching into broad swathes of American life, from pardoning hundreds of supporters who attacked Congress on January 6, including rightwing extremists convicted of seditious conspiracy, to rolling back LGBTQ+ rights and environmental rules while declaring an immigration emergency on the southern border.

Trump and his allies had long promised a “shock and awe” approach. They did not hold back.