WASHINGTON—President Trump plans to sign executive orders to overhaul border and energy policies and end diversity programs across the federal government, unwinding signature Biden administration policies on the first day of his second term.
Trump’s immigration plans include ending birthright citizenship, deploying troops and declaring a national emergency at the southern border as well as ending asylum by speeding deportations, Trump said after he was sworn in on Monday.
“With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense,” Trump said in his inaugural address.
Trump and his staff gave few details on the orders. Some will likely face legal challenges. The Pentagon will determine the specifics of a troop deployment that Trump wants to begin within weeks, a person familiar with the plans said.

Former U.S. President Joe Biden reacts as U.S. President Donald Trump applauds during his Presidential Inauguration at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Trump considered trying to end birthright citizenship in his first term. Constitutional scholars and civil-rights groups have said a change to birthright citizenship can’t be done through executive action and would require amending the Constitution.
Trump also plans to revive a policy called Remain in Mexico, which requires migrants seeking asylum at the southern border to live in northern Mexican border cities during U.S. court proceedings. He plans to resume construction of a border wall, designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and pause refugee resettlements for four months.
Trump also plans to sign orders and memorandums to cut regulations around energy production and reduce inflation. They include eliminating former President Joe Biden ’s climate regulations tied to electric-vehicle production, Trump said. Another order focused on bolstering energy production in Alaska. Trump also plans to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance applauds as U.S. President Donald Trump gestures on the day of his Presidential Inauguration at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/Pool
Trump isn’t expected to implement new tariffs on Monday, but he plans to issue a memo directing federal agencies to evaluate trade policies and economic relationships with China and North American neighbors.
Trump will also direct federal agencies to alleviate persistent U.S. trade deficits and confront what he calls unfair trade and currency policies by other nations. He is expected to focus on China, Canada and Mexico, directing agencies to assess compliance with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and a 2020 trade deal with China.
The absence of new tariffs he has pledged to implement during this term from the orders he planned to sign Monday offered a moment of relief to foreign leaders and demonstrates disagreement in the new administration on Trump’s trade agenda. Trump wanted to advance trade policies “in a measured way,” a senior policy adviser said.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: First lady Melania Trump bows her head in prayer during inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. Chip Somodevilla/Pool via REUTERS
Federal agencies will be instructed to study trade policies and recommend actions to Trump, the adviser said. In addition to trade deficits, unfair trade practices and currency manipulation, agencies will review policy on counterfeit goods and a tariff exemption for goods under $800, the adviser said, along with trade-and-tariff actions taken during Trump’s first term.
Some Trump nominees with more traditional trade views, such as Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent, have argued that his tariffs should exclude certain sectors, rather than being universal. More protectionist advisers, such as incoming deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, have urged Trump to declare a national emergency that would allow him to raise tariffs across the board, as he pledged during his campaign.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former U.S. President George W. Bush, former first lady Laura Bush and former U.S. President Barack Obama arrive to the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. Chip Somodevilla/Pool via REUTERS
Trump also plans to ask agencies to evaluate the feasibility of an “External Revenue Service”—a new federal agency Trump has floated to collect tariff revenue. Exactly how that agency would differ from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which has held that responsibility for decades, hasn’t been spelled out.
In an order ending Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, Trump plans to direct the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management to help agencies eliminate any programs that hire or promote people based on characteristics including race or disability status.
“We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based,” Trump said in his address.

Vice President JD Vance, Barron Trump, President Donald Trump and Melania Trump during the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States takes place inside the Capitol Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., Monday, January 20, 2025. It is the 60th U.S. presidential inauguration and the second non-consecutive inauguration of Trump as U.S. president. Kenny Holston/Pool via REUTERS
Another order would end federal recognition of people’s expressed gender identity, instead recognizing biological sex as defined by their reproductive organs at birth. That would require government-issued documents such as passports and visas to identify sex rather than expressed gender. It will direct agencies to ensure places including prisons and migrant shelters separate people by biological sex, not expressed gender.
Trump plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Mount Denali in executive orders. The Gulf of Mexico will be renamed the Gulf of America and Mount Denali, the highest mountain in North America, will once again be called Mount McKinley, he said.