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Washington is holding its breath until Monday’s inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump because of what he has threatened to do on his first day in office. Trump said at a town hall meeting in 2023 that, if he was elected for a second term as president, he would not be a dictator “except for Day 1.” On the campaign trail, he added that he wants to “close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill” on the first day. People recall these words as they wait to find out which Trump will show up at the Oval Office.
There are differing opinions on what to expect on his first day. His political allies, as well as his opponents, agree that it will not be a usual day at the White House. Republican Sen. John Barrasso, the Senate majority whip, promised “shock and awe” and a “blizzard of executive orders.” Although all presidents sign executive orders on their first day in the Oval Office, Trump is likely to have a huge pile, reportedly more than 100. Still, there are others who predict this boasting will be more shock than awe, but even then it will not be a normal day.
Trump’s agenda will be extensive, but he has his priorities and these are the issues he is expected to act on immediately.
Immigration has been a top priority for Trump. He believes it is what got him elected and it is expected to be at the top of the list of executive orders. He has said he will use his authority to “close the border.” His press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that immigration and the border with Mexico would be a priority.
She said: “We know that on Day 1 he is going to launch the largest mass deportation of illegal immigrants in American history.” However, this will present the new administration with a big challenge, both financially and logistically, and it will have a human toll on the millions who will be affected.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, there were an estimated 11 million immigrants who lacked permanent legal status in the US in 2022 and possibly qualified for deportation. The American Immigration Council calculated the cost of deporting these people, as well as “an estimate of the impact of deporting an additional 2.3 million people” who entered the US illegally across the southern border and were released by the Department of Homeland Security between January 2023 and April 2024. It put the cost of deporting these two groups at $315 billion, while cautioning that this was a conservative estimate.

Trump wanted a ceasefire in Gaza to come into effect before he took office and on Sunday he got his wish.

Dr. Amal Mudallali

This would be a massive operation. But something has to be done about immigration to fulfill the president-elect’s promise to voters.
Another Trump priority is a possible pardon of the Jan. 6 rioters who were convicted of breaking into the Capitol building in 2021. He has vowed to pardon them, but there is uncertainty about his plans and whether he will do it on Day 1. Trump has recently avoided giving any details about this issue, leaving people guessing whether he will pardon only the nonviolent rioters or if there will be a blanket pardon. Vice President J.D. Vance seemed to rule out pardoning the violent offenders and distinguished between them and the peaceful protesters.
Stripping foreigners who are born in the US of the right to automatic citizenship, or birthright, is another potential first-day executive order. The 14th Amendment grants all persons born or naturalized in the US instant American citizenship, but Trump wants to change that. This change will certainly prompt numerous legal actions by those opposed to the change and it could end up at the Supreme Court.
Trump is also considering another executive order on his first day in office that would prevent the enforcement of the ban on TikTok. This would give time to the popular video-sharing platform to find a solution, either through a sale or another alternative, after Congress passed a law banning it last year.
But what about the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine? Trump wanted a ceasefire in Gaza to come into effect before he took office and on Sunday he got his wish. He also said many times during the campaign that he could end the war in Ukraine with a deal on his first day in office, although lately he has backtracked and started using the wording “very quickly.” The president-elect’s advisers conceded last week that ending the war will take months, if not “even longer.”
But Trump is determined to fulfill his promises and the world will soon find out what America will look like for the next four years.

• Dr. Amal Mudallali is an international affairs adviser for Think and a former Lebanese ambassador to the UN.