ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
This afternoon, it became official. President Trump was sworn into office. He took the oath for the second time, becoming the 47th president, and he vowed to immediately get to work.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Today, I will sign a series of historic executive orders. With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense.
SHAPIRO: Trump has promised a barrage of executive action covering immigration, the federal workforce, the economy and more. This is a dramatic move straight out of the gate, reflecting Trump's desire to make the most of these critical first few months in office. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez is at the White House, where Trump is expected to sign most of these actions. Hi, Franco.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hey, Ari.
SHAPIRO: What more can you tell us about the executive actions he's expected to sign?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, we're expecting he'll sign some at the Capital One Arena, where he's meeting with supporters very, very shortly. But there are dozens in play today - as many as a hundred or 200, according to some accounts. I mean, they fall largely in three buckets - border security, energy and government reform. I mean, he's basically sweeping aside many of President Biden's policies, reinstating those from his first term in office and then going much, much further. He's also saying that he's going to pardon at least some of those arrested for their role in the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
SHAPIRO: The big focus here, obviously, is immigration. We'll be talking about that in more detail later in the show. But what is the significance of him taking these actions today, right away?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, what it shows is how far Trump is willing to go to make up for, basically, lost time and expand his presidential powers. I mean, just as an example, he plans to launch the largest deportation operation in history. He also wants to end birthright citizenship for the children who are here illegally. And some of these steps, like birthright citizenship, will no doubt face challenges in court and potentially in Congress.
SHAPIRO: Since it is protected in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
ORDOÑEZ: Right.
SHAPIRO: In the inaugural address today, we heard Trump call for a revolution of common sense. What did he mean by that?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, that is how he describes his agenda, of course. But when it comes to these executive orders, he's really leaning into the culture wars that were a big part of his campaign.
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TRUMP: I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.
ORDOÑEZ: Now, he's promised to roll back protections for transgender people. He's going to sign an executive order stating that it's the policy of the U.S. to recognize two biological, distinct sexes - male and female. An incoming White House official told reporters that the government will use these definitions for documents like passports and employee records.
SHAPIRO: Is the focus just on domestic policy today, or are there elements of his foreign policy in play also?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, another theme on the campaign has been that the U.S. is being taken advantage of by countries around the world. And he's promising an executive order that signals America's place as, quote, "the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth."
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TRUMP: A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
SHAPIRO: He talked about other name changes as well. But does signing these immediately make them policy? You said some are likely to be challenged in court.
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, some of these are likely to be proclamations or recommendations to various agencies, but some will take effect immediately. Others, for sure, are going to face legal challenges. I mean, just in this example, you can expect court challenges against Trump's plan to reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers so that they can more easily be fired and replaced with loyalists. I mean, there is a lot to be hashed out, but regardless, there is going to be a lot of changes ahead.
SHAPIRO: White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, thanks for walking us through this.
ORDOÑEZ: Thanks, Ari. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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