With his first speech during his inauguration as the 47^th President of the United States, Donald Trump has set the tone for his second four-year tenure. Trump’s no-holds-barred speech splattered with several announcements that mostly shaped out as a ‘blizzard’ of executive orders has left analysts scurrying to decipher the broader policy dimensions of his regime.

As a paramount power of the post-war era, US President Trump’s policies are immensely consequential for the world. Known for his turbulent approach Trump's historic comeback in 2024 has underscored the complete rejection of the establishment’s liberal policies. This inherent unpredictability of Trumpian politics during this critical geopolitical turbulence has presented a challenging scenario for the World.

Besides being voted back to power with a record 77.3 million popular votes with a majority in both the Senate and the House, Trump is at the top of his game. Towing an aggressive approach since the day he was elected Trump’s statements, social media posts, interviews and proclamations have stoked controversy even before his inauguration. Infamous for his punitive transactional tariff regime, his latest threat of the use of economic force to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal has alarmed the world. Reference to Canada as the 51^st State of the US fuelled seasoned mistrust of allies towards the Trump administration.

Pronouncing, “the golden age of America begins right now” Trump reasserted his “America First Policy” and pledged, “We will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer”. His nationalistic sentiments while striking a chord with the domestic constituency inadvertently exposed the hegemonistic facet of the US that maintains 800 military bases spanning 70 countries under the pretence of “rules-based order” to ensure global peace and stability.

In his opening salvo against the establishment that labelled him a “Russia agent” Trump having been pronounced a “felon” after an unending legal scrutiny, promised to ‘rebalance scale of justice’. “The vicious, violent and unfair weaponisation of the Justice Department and our government will end”, he said.

The establishment’s libertarian approach that slowly eroded societal values faced stiff resistance from Trump, an outsider. These ideological fissures soon transmogrified into a political witch hunt leading to Trump’s defeat in the 2020 elections. Refusing to bow down, Trump contested the 2024 elections. Perceptive of the Deep State’s machinations, American public rallied behind Trump. Failed assassination bids and vicious media campaigns on Trump further bolstered his populist approach.

Recounting an attempt on his life, on his inauguration eve, Trump stated, “my life was saved for a purpose”. Hitting out at the previous regime for rising inflations, widening income disparities, crumbling health care system and an influx of illegal immigrants, Trump castigated the establishment for its inability to handle emergencies like floods in North Carolina and raging wildfires in California.

Inflicting a body blow to the liberal concepts that thrived under the flourish of identity-centred, diversity education, in one fell swoop Trump dismantled the DEI (Diversity Equality and Inclusion) policies. DEI with deep roots in the Western world is now extending to developing countries. Civil Societies and NGOs, the ideological repositories of these libertarian concepts are now infiltrating the democratic societies and interfering with the domestic polity.

Trump’s executive orders dismantling this DEI ecosystem should serve as a blow to the American libertarian entitlement that directly and indirectly advocated a borderless world, gender identity, permissible speech  (cancel culture) and diversity regulation. The effective defanging of these policies will go a long way in safeguarding American society.

Executive orders are mostly used by the Presidents to overturn predecessor’s policies and deliver on campaign promises. Within hours of his inauguration, Trump rescinded 78 of Biden’s orders. Though these orders can be challenged in the courts, they can’t be simply overturned by the Congress. According to American Bar Association, “Congress may pass legislation that might make it difficult, or even impossible, to carry out the order, such as removing funding”. But, an existing executive order can be overturned by another executive order by the sitting president.

The radical changes, that Trump envisioned is a demonstration of impressive power play and firm intent. Calling them historic, he opined that his actions would “complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense”, he reinforced his unique vision for America and declared January 20, 2025, as “Liberation Day”. His swift illegal migration curtailment plan included- declaring a national emergency at the Southern border, reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy and ending the practice of “catch and release”. In line with his campaign promise of ending the drug menace, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 he ordered the designation of drug cartels as foreign terrorist organisations.

Impressively the initial set of executive orders addressed all issues that Trump has accused the establishment of inaction such as illegal migration, inflation, escalating energy prices, and augmenting manufacturing. Notorious for his anti-climate action, he dumped the “Green New Deal”, revoked the electric vehicle mandate, withdrew from Paris Agreement and espoused ‘drill baby drill’. Bringing back his prescriptive tariff regimes to address trade imbalances, he proposed to institute an ‘External Revenue System’ to collect tariffs, duties and revenues.

Banned from social media platforms and politically hounded, Trump acutely aware of the weaponisation of state power to oppress political opponents vouched to restore free speech and stop government censorship. Establishment-supported liberal indoctrination of “superior Western values” has set a rot in American society. Trump’s laudable announcements on that front can effectively restore American values.

Following the success of Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, Trump flaunted his “peacemaker and unifier” credentials. But the name change of ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to ‘Gulf of America’ and decreeing to take back Panama Canal are bound to stir a row. His opening assertions to reclaim “sovereignty” have set a dangerous precedent. His nationalistic aspirations to “make America a great nation”, “a nation like no other” and” greater than ever before” have seemingly overstepped into a territory of “exceptionalism and entitlement”.

Every nation is entitled to take extreme pride in its nationality. But Trump’s bombastic exhortation along with the coercive threats evocative of American Unilateralism is indeed unsettling. Steadfast in retaining American global leadership and economic dominance, Trump’s enthusiasm to impose tariffs and deploy economic force can further intensify global turbulences and uncertainties.

1. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/transcript-trump-inauguration-speech-2025/