First drama

• Donald Trump, the 47th President of the U.S., has issued numerous executive orders, actions, and directives, setting the tone for his administration’s policy agenda.

• Notable actions include nearly 1,600 pardons for those prosecuted for the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the U.S.’s exit from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization, the ending of birthright citizenship for children of undocumented migrants and those on temporary visas, a proposed 100% tariff on BRICS nations, a declaration of national emergency on the U.S.’s southern border with Mexico, and reversing 78 executive orders and memoranda of his predecessor, Joe Biden.

• The incoming administration’s policy agenda appears hostile to the progressive agenda of the Democrats, despite significant differences on economic, immigration, and reproductive rights.

• The federal government trifecta and a sympathetic Supreme Court stacked with conservatives may mean the Trump team needs to rely less on support from across the aisle.

• Trump appears to be emboldened by his election victory to allow unconventional policy priorities, including the takeover of the Panama Canal, the derecognition of transgender rights, threatening Denmark with a plan to takeover Greenland, and the prospect of travel bans for certain countries.