MONITORING (SW) – Donald Trump has only just been sworn in as the 47th president but the global impact of his second term is already being felt.
From Jerusalem to Kyiv to London to Ottawa, his election victory and the anticipation of a new Trump agenda has changed the calculations of world leaders — with some far-reaching consequences, reported BBC.
Trump has rescinded sanctions imposed by the former Biden administration on far-right Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the new White House website said.
According to Reuters, the website said Trump rescinded Executive Order 14115 issued on Feb 1, 2024, which authorised the imposition of certain sanctions “on Persons Undermining Peace, Security, and Stability in the West Bank”.
The US President on Monday issued a flurry of executive orders and directives as he sought to put his stamp on his new administration on matters ranging from energy to criminal pardons and immigration.
Trump pardoned about 1,500 people who stormed the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, in a sweeping gesture of support to the people who assaulted police as they tried to prevent lawmakers from certifying his 2020 election defeat.
Trump signed orders declaring illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border a national emergency, designating criminal cartels as terrorist organisations, and targeting automatic citizenship for US-born children of immigrants in the country illegally.
Trump signed an order to delay a ban for 75 days of popular short-video app TikTok that was slated to be shuttered on Jan 19. The order directs the attorney general to not enforce the law “to permit my administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course of action with respect to TikTok”.
Trump also signed a withdrawal from the Paris climate treaty, including a letter to the United Nations explaining the withdrawal.
Another order withdrew the United States from the World Health Organisation, saying the global health agency had mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic and other international health crises.
Trump signed an executive action to create an advisory group called the Department of Government Efficiency aimed at carrying out dramatic cuts to the US government, attracting immediate lawsuits challenging its operations.
The group — dubbed “DOGE” — is being run by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and has grandiose goals of eliminating entire federal agencies and cutting three quarters of federal government jobs.
The president signed a document “ending weaponisation” of government against political opponents. The order directs the attorney general to investigate the activities of the federal government over the last four years, including at the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission during the prior administration.
Trump signed an executive order that he said was aimed at “restoring freedom of speech and ending federal censorship”.
