What is an executive order?

What is an executive order? Do they have the same power as a law? Why did Donald Trump sign so many on his first day? In this episode, we talk about executive actions, look at lessons from the past, and review the White House's current policy priorities on its website. 

Be sure to follow us on Instagram @DearGirlFriday and sign up for The Friday Brief newsletter on deargirlfriday.com.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome
• 0:17 What is an executive order?
• 1:20 Lessons from the last Trump administration
• 2:15 Trump pardoned January 6th insurrectionists
• 2:55 Do you know what the Trump administration's stated priorities are?
• 8:00 My opinion on finding a policy area to focus on
• 8:37 Until next time!

Transcript

Welcome to The Friday Brief, a news podcast by Girl Friday. I’m Phoenix Ricks, the CEO of Girl Friday and your host. This is your brief for January 21, 2025. Following his campaign promise, Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders yesterday. What exactly does that mean? Essentially, executive orders are the president's signed statements indicating how the president wants the federal government to be managed. 

The AP points out that some Executive Orders are quite simple, like giving federal employees a day off after a major holiday. Other Executive Orders can indicate a policy path for something the president can’t seem to get through Congress. They are also a communications tool, like a bat signal to the country of the president’s goals. And that’s where these orders can be a bit tricky. I keep seeing people on social media say that because executive orders don’t have the power of legislation, no one needs to worry about them. 

But, this isn’t our first rodeo. We’ve seen that Trump’s base is fully on board with his plans and ready to execute them if needed. When things weren’t going their way with Congress or federal agencies during his last time in office, they tended to take matters into their own hands. For example, TIME magazine points out that during his first term, Trump’s border wall faced “significant legal and legislative hurdles, with courts blocking his attempt to divert federal funds for its construction.” 

So, what did his base do? The Texas Tribune reported that Trump supporters privately funded a wall on the banks of the Rio Grande, which in turn helped the builder of that wall secure $1.7 billion in federal contracts. However, at the time of publication in 2020, that wall was apparently close to falling into the river. 

What will his base decide to take on for themselves this time around? Well, we all witnessed the events of January 6th, and yesterday, making good on his campaign promise, Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who were charged in connection with the January 6th insurrection. He also commuted the sentences of the Proud Boys’ and Oath Keepers’ leadership. CNN reported that in the Oval Office tonight, Trump said, “These are the hostages.” 

You can be upset and question why he would commute the sentences of known far-right extremists, but you can’t say he didn’t tell you he was going to do this. The same applies to removing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords and trying to abolish birthright citizenship. So, for those who didn’t read Project 2025 or pay attention to the campaign’s agenda, let’s dive into Team Trump’s priorities. 

I’m going to read, verbatim, what is currently on the White House’s website as a refresher for what we can expect to see in the coming days. Maybe you’ll love the direction they’ve outlined or disagree with everything I’m about to read, but either way, I recommend staying informed. 

The first section is called MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. "President Trump will take bold action to secure our border and protect American communities. This includes ending Biden’s catch-and-release policies, reinstating Remain in Mexico, building the wall, ending asylum for illegal border crossers, cracking down on criminal sanctuaries, and enhancing vetting and screening of aliens. President Trump’s deportation operation will address the record border crossings of criminal aliens under the prior administration. The President is suspending refugee resettlement after communities were forced to house large and unsustainable populations of migrants, straining community safety and resources. The Armed Forces, including the National Guard, will engage in border security, which is national security, and will be deployed to the border to assist existing law enforcement personnel. President Trump will begin the process of designating cartels, including the dangerous Tren de Aragua, as foreign terrorist organizations and use the Alien Enemies Act to remove them. The Department of Justice will seek the death penalty as the appropriate punishment for heinous crimes against humanity, including those who kill law enforcement officers and illegal migrants who maim and murder Americans."

Next we have, MAKE AMERICA AFFORDABLE AND ENERGY DOMINANT AGAIN. "The President will unleash American energy by ending Biden’s policies of climate extremism, streamlining permitting, and reviewing for rescission all regulations that impose undue burdens on energy production and use, including mining and processing of non-fuel minerals. President Trump’s energy actions empower consumer choice in vehicles, showerheads, toilets, washing machines, lightbulbs, and dishwashers. President Trump will declare an energy emergency and use all necessary resources to build critical infrastructure. President Trump’s energy policies will end leasing to massive wind farms that degrade our natural landscapes and fail to serve American energy consumers. President Trump will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. All agencies will take emergency measures to reduce the cost of living. President Trump will announce the America First Trade Policy. America will no longer be beholden to foreign organizations for our national tax policy, which punishes American businesses."

The third section is titled, DRAIN THE SWAMP. "The President will usher a Golden Age for America by reforming and improving the government bureaucracy to work for the American people. He will freeze bureaucrat hiring except in essential areas to end the onslaught of useless and overpaid DEI activists buried into the federal workforce. He will pause burdensome and radical regulations not yet in effect that Biden announced. President Trump is announcing an unprecedented slate of executive orders for rescission. President Trump is planning for improved accountability of government bureaucrats. The American people deserve the highest-quality service from people who love our country. The President will also return federal workers to work, as only 6% of employees currently work in person. President Trump is taking swift action to end the weaponization of government against political rivals and ordering all document retention as required by law. President Trump is also ending the unconstitutional censorship by the federal government. No longer will government employees pick and require the erasure of entirely true speech. On the President’s direction, the State Department will have an America-First foreign policy."

And, finally, we have BRING BACK AMERICAN VALUES. "The President will establish male and female as biological reality and protect women from radical gender ideology. American landmarks will be named to appropriately honor our Nation’s history."

That’s a long list of priorities and many are intentionally vague, giving this administration leeway to build agendas within agendas. If this list left you overwhelmed or discouraged, I recommend considering which policy priorities matter the most to you. Whether they are on the list or not, get involved with those issues. For instance, nothing was directly listed about an issue that I'm deeply concerned about: gun violence. Regardless, I plan to still actively advocate for gun-safe policies. 

And that concludes your brief for today. Make sure you don’t miss an episode! Follow Dear Girl Friday on Instagram, where we post episode summaries and sources. You can sign up for The Friday Brief newsletter on deargirlfriday.com. Until next time, I’m Phoenix Ricks signing off from Washington, D.C. Let’s work together for a world of good.