What has Donald Trump promised to do on his first day as President?

As of today (20 January 2025), Donald Trump is once again President of the United States – and he's already announced some key changes in his inauguration speech, promising a "revolution of common sense" in the form of newly signed executive orders.

Alongside vowing to kickstart a "golden age of America", Trump promised America would become "the envy of every nation and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer".

The new President said he would "put America first... our sovereignty will be reclaimed, our safety will be restored and the scales of justice will be rebalanced".

He also commented on the country's justice system, which he has been vocal about in the past, claiming that he is a victim of it (when being accused of attempting to overturn election results or when being found guilty of multiple counts of fraud in relation to paying off adult entertainer, Stormy Daniels).

"The vicious, violent and unfair weaponisation of the justice department and our government will end, and our top priority will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous and free," Trump declared. "America will soon be greater, stronger and far more exceptional than ever before."

The new President spoke about how he'd like to be remembered in history as a 'peacemaker', before declaring that the Gulf of Mexico shall now be known as the "Gulf of America".

Trump also said, "We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into. My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That’s what I want to be, a peacemaker and a unifier."

During his speech, Trump also spoke about the Panama Canal, falsely claiming that "China is operating" it. "We didn't give it to China. We're taking it back," he said to applause, as former president Joe Biden and Kamala Harris sat with blank expressions.

Previously, Trump has said he wouldn't rule out using military force to take over the Canal, which acts as an important link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

It seems the new President is hoping that his 'golden age' will include expanding America all the way into space – most specifically, the planet of Mars. "We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, to plant the stars and stripes on planet Mars," he told the gathered crowd.

Trump greets his wife, Melania, at his inauguration ceremony

Trump spoke about three Israeli hostages who were released yesterday and promised that he would be a "unifier" when it comes to conflict in the Middle East.

"America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth, inspiring the awe and admiration from the entire world," he claimed.

Trump said he is enacting a new policy which means there are only two genders in America (male and female), and build a society that is "colourblind and merit-based".

"This week I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life," he said during his address. "We will forge a society that is colourblind and merit-based. As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female."

He did not say anything about concrete plans to help those from disadvantaged communities, e.g. those that do not have as easy or equal access to opportunities such as higher education, but said he looked forward to "working with" Black and Hispanic Americans.

Trump also referenced that his inauguration fell on Martin Luther King day, and said "in his honour, we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true."

Hot on the heels of Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg announcing his platforms, Facebook, Instagram and Threads, will do away with independent fact-checking in a bid to allow 'free speech' (including hateful comments) to flourish, Trump also spoke about his question to 'bring back free speech' to America.

"After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional restriction of expression, I will also sign an Executive Order to stop all censorship and bring back free speech to America," the new President declared.

Despite concerns from climate change activists, Trump is encouraging the United States to "drill baby, drill" for oil and gas, saying the country has "the most oil and natural gas of any nation on earth, and we're going to use it."

Trump has declared from today on, anyone found illegally trying to enter America will be "immediately be halted" and that his government will begin the task of sending "[millions of criminal aliens" back to their home countries. He has reinstated his "remain in Mexico policy" and said he will send troops to the southern border, declaring it an "emergency", and labelling the cartels as "foreign terrorist organisations".

Trump said he'll be galvanising his staff to "defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices". He also laid out plans to make America a "manufacturing nation" once more (through the earlier mentioned oil/gas).

The new President said as of today, he will "end the Green New Deal [a set of policies designed to tackle climate change and improve equality while growing the economy] and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American autoworkers."

Jennifer Savin

Features Editor

 Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.