President-elect Donald Trump has promised to storm into the presidency with a whirlwind of executive actions during his first days as president, making sweeping changes to the country at the stroke of a pen and setting the tone for his second administration.
He has an overflowing in-tray: Mass immigration, trade conflicts, wars in Europe and the Middle East, and much more besides. He has already had phone calls with Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping.
And Trump has a long list of big promises made on the campaign trail, including what he could achieve even in the first 24 hours of his presidency.
"Your head will spin when you see what's going to happen," Trump said back in October about his plans for the start of his presidency.
So, as he is inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States of America on January 20, what will Trump prioritize in his busy first week? Newsweek put the question to some experts. Here's what they thought.
Allan Lichtman: An Immigration Crackdown
Trump has indicated that he will prioritize immigration in his first week. We can expect a flurry of executive orders.
They will likely be aimed at closing the border, undermining protective programs established under President Biden, cracking down on so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, denying citizenship rights to children of undocumented immigrants born in the United States, and facilitating his plans for mass deportation.
He may also be working with Republicans in Congress to develop a strategy for enacting his tax cut legislation, a tricky proposition given the GOP's razor-thin majority in the House.
Allan Lichtman is distinguished professor of history at American University.
Thomas Gift: Tariffs Will Spark Disagreements
Tariffs will almost certainly be at the top of Trump's list in his first week in office.
Tariffs are quite possibly the most consequential policy that Trump imposed during his first term in office, and given his repeated threats to use tariffs as a bargaining tool during the campaign, reneging on this pledge would cause backlash within the MAGAverse.
There will be, however, significant disagreements within the administration on how aggressively to use tariffs, especially among more moderate voices like Trump's soon-to-be Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.
Thomas Gift is associate professor of political science and director of the Centre on US Politics (CUSP) at University College London (UCL).
Lee M. Miringoff: Big Splash of Executive Orders
I expect a big splash of executive orders focused on illegal immigrants. I also expect a quick listing of initial pardons.
Lee M. Miringoff is the director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.
Ross K. Baker: Immigration Was the Very Core of Trump's Campaign
I would be shocked if Trump led with anything other than immigration. This issue was at the very core of his campaign. If Congress passes the Laken Riley Act, I think the signing will be a major media event.
Ross K. Baker is distinguished professor emeritus of political science at Rutgers University.
Brandon Rottinghaus: Trump Must Satisfy Two Coalitions
President Trump has two coalitions to satisfy: The base wants immigration reform, and the mass public wants prices reduced. Anything he does has to be dedicated to one of the two of those policy items.
Brandon Rottinghaus is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Houston.
Thomas Whalen: 'End of the World as We Know it'
I expect him to hit the ground running on immigration and the war in Ukraine.
He will sign a blizzard of executive orders that will expedite the deportation of all unskilled undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S. while beginning again the construction of a border wall with Mexico.
On the Ukrainian front, he will dramatically threaten to cut off military aid to force Zelensky to go to the peace table with Putin and achieve a ceasefire agreement.
All the while, he will pressure the Republican Congress to come up with an omnibus bill to finally lower the boom on the Affordable Care Act and achieve massive tax cuts for the wealthy, especially his newfound friends in Silicon Valley, i.e. Elon Musk and the tech oligarchs.
Also, don't rule out the imposition of punishing tariffs on all Chinese imports.
File under: "It's the End of the World As We Know It."
Thomas Whalen is associate professor of social sciences at Boston University.
English (US) ·