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In his first three days in office, President Trump launched “a revolution of commonsense” by signing dozens of executive orders and presidential proclamations. Here’s how this flurry of activity impacts issues that concern conservative Christians.
After taking the oath of office at noon on January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump almost immediately got to work. It was a busy day, filled with ceremonies, speeches, celebrations, and more, but the new President wasted no time acting to fulfill a number of campaign promises and setting the tone for what his second term will look like and accomplish.
Although by no means an exhaustive list, here are some of the actions the new President has taken in his first 72 hours in office that will have profound impacts on some of the issues of most concern to conservative Christians.
These include religious liberty; free speech; the pro-life movement; border security and national defense; increasing public safety; restoring biological reality; protecting women and girls; eliminating woke ideologies like critical race theory (CRT), diversity, equity, and inclusion policies (DEI), and LGBTQ pride from federal policies; reining in government abuse and weaponization; and unleashing the power of energy and the free markets.
In his inaugural speech, Trump stated,
“Just a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear. But I felt then and believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again.
That is why each day under our administration of American patriots, we will be working to meet every crisis with dignity and power and strength. We will move with purpose and speed to bring back hope, prosperity, safety, and peace for citizens of every race, religion, color, and creed.
For American citizens, January 20, 2025, is Liberation Day. It is my hope that our recent presidential election will be remembered as the greatest and most consequential election in the history of our country.”
As promised on the campaign trail, Trump moved aggressively to implement fixes to his signature issue: restoring law and order with regard to illegal immigration and the border.
On Monday, he signed several executive orders on illegal immigration and national sovereignty. One of the most notable is called “Guaranteeing The States Protection Against Invasion,” which suspends the entry of aliens across the southern border until Trump “issue[s] a finding that the invasion at the southern border has ceased.”
Trump also declared a national emergency at the Southern border, which he will use to deploy National Guard and the Ready Reserve, as well as to construct additional barriers.
In addition, he signed an executive order to use the military to seal the border. On Wednesday, a military official announced that, on President Trump’s orders, the Pentagon is sending 1,500 military troops to assist, and more deployments are expected in the near future. The military will also provide aircraft to assist in repatriating illegal immigrants.
Another order, known simply as “Securing Our Borders,” orders the construction of a physical border barrier, the detention of illegal aliens, and the end of “catch and release,” the latter being a policy in which illegal aliens are released into the United States. Border personnel are also required to document a detainee’s DNA and fingerprints and to determine whether claimed familial relationships between illegal aliens are legitimate.
Trump also signed an order that mandates federal, state, and local authorities follow and enforce all federal immigration laws, including identifying and repatriating illegal immigrants. That particular order also cuts off federal funds to any sanctuary jurisdiction that fails to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement officers or follow federal immigration law and commands a review of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) receiving federal funds to provide services to illegal aliens to determine if waste, fraud, or violation of immigration laws are occurring.
A critically important order designates drug cartels and gangs such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as foreign terrorist organizations and global terrorists, while another will enhance vetting to better safeguard Americans from entry into the country by foreign terrorists.
The most controversial order ends the policy of birthright citizenship if a child’s parents are not “legal permanent resident[s]” of the United States.
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order called, “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government,” which states that the federal government will only recognize two sexes, male and female, and that these sexes are unchangeable.
The order mandates that government-issued identification accurately reflects a person’s sex, not gender. It will also correct the Biden administration’s application of Bostock v. Clayton County to Title IX and protect sex-based distinctions; assess grant funding to ensure taxpayer funds are not used to promote gender ideology; ensure that males are not housed in women’s prisons or detention facilities; enact a policy protecting women seeking safety at a women’s rape shelter; ensure that intimate spaces are designated by sex and not identity; protects the right to express the binary nature of sex and right to single-sex spaces; and ensures that federal funds are not used to perform gender transitions on prisoners.
In his first round of executive orders Trump signed an executive order to terminate all government Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) mandates, policies, and preferences. The order also calls for terminating DEI positions and committees.
The order also mandates a report on the previous administration’s expenditures on DEI, as well as information on contractors and grantees who performed DEI services.
Agency and department heads received notification that all DEI offices had to be shuttered by the end of Wednesday, January 22, and that all workers in those offices must be placed on paid leave. All websites and social media of DEI offices were also shut down, and departments must cancel all DEI trainings.
Trump also signed an order banning hiring based on sex, race, or religion and restoring merit-based hiring.
On January 21, Trump signed an order rescinding many of Biden’s executive orders on DEI-based hiring, which means all DEI-based hiring in the government is to be eliminated. To combat private-sector hiring practices based on DEI, Trump also rescinded an executive order signed in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson that had required all federal contractors to have affirmative action programs in place.
In addition, Trump signed an executive order specifically eliminating hiring practices based on race, religion, sex, or disability status in the Federal Aviation Administration.
In response, the State Department, which is now headed by newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, issued a policy banning ideological flags on government buildings. The order says, “Starting immediately, only the United States of America flag is authorized to be flown or displayed at U.S. facilities, both domestic and abroad, and featured in U.S. government content. The flag of the United States of America united all Americans under the universal principles of justice, liberty, and democracy. These values, which are the bedrock of our great country, are shared by all American citizens, past and present.”
The “One Flag Policy” will end the flying of LGBT Pride flags, Black Lives Matter flags, or any other ideological flag. However, the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) flag and the Wrongful Detainees flag are still permitted.
On Monday, Trump issued the “Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements” order, which removes the United States from the Paris Agreement and other United Nations climate deals.
Trump then signed an executive order that encourages energy and mineral production and eliminates the electric vehicle mandate, which will level the playing field for gasoline vehicle manufacturers. The order also safeguards Americans’ right to use lightbulbs, dishwashers, stoves, water heaters, and other appliances of their choice.
Trump also declared a national emergency regarding the lack of affordable energy. The order says that the Biden administration’s policies have strained the power grid and are a national security threat. Trump ordered department heads and federal agencies to find ways to expedite the identification and utilization of energy resources.
To further his energy independence goals, Trump signed an executive order to open Alaska up for energy and natural resource production, lifting previous restrictions on the state. The order prioritizes the production of liquid natural gas. The government is ordered to expedite the permitting process.
On the other side of the energy issue, Trump announced the suspension of leasing of lands in the Offshore Continental Shelf for wind farms and mandated a review of leasing policies due to the harms caused by offshore wind farms, including harm to marine life and navigational issues.
Trump signed an executive order Monday announcing the formation of DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency) with the intent of modernizing government technology, cutting wasteful spending, and making government run more smoothly. Agency heads are to consult with DOGE and form four-person DOGE teams within each department. DOGE’s end date is set on July 4, 2026.
The President also issued an order on Monday that froze the publishing of new federal regulations and the implementation of any new regulations published in the Federal Register until new heads of agencies are able to review and decide whether to approve them.
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order on “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship.” This recognizes that the Biden administration trampled on Americans’ constitutionally protected right to freedom of speech to supposedly target “misinformation,” “malinformation,” and “disinformation.”
The executive order ensures that no federal employee is allowed to censor the free speech of American citizens, either directly or indirectly; that no taxpayer funds are used to facilitate or abridge the free speech of American citizens; and that steps are taken to correct the misconduct of the prior administration.
The order also mandates that the U.S. Attorney General investigate the federal government’s censorship of American citizens over the last four years and deliver a report on any findings of misconduct.
Trump also issued an order to end the weaponization of the federal government. This recognizes that the previous administration used federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to punish perceived political enemies, including “parents protesting at school board meetings, Americans who spoke out against the previous administration’s actions, and other Americans who were simply exercising constitutionally protected rights.”
Finally, the order mandates the Director of National Intelligence to conduct a review of the intelligence apparatus and its role in violating the constitutional rights of Americans.
Trump’s bold actions during his first three days in office are great news for all Americans, and the new administration promises they’re just getting started. Still, everyone should buckle up for a bumpy ride. The effort to restore America’s institutions and culture after years of Deep State influence and woke and communist capture will not be easy, and executive orders can only do so much.
Many of Trump’s orders have already been challenged in court. For example, there have been at least three lawsuits filed to block Trump’s order ending birthright citizenship.
One, brought by 18 Democratic state attorneys general, including for California, New York, and North Carolina, and joined by the cities of San Francisco and Washington D.C., was filed in federal court in Massachusetts. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also filed suit. And a federal judge in Seattle has already issued a temporary injunction against Trump’s order as part of a third challenge filed on Tuesday by four additional states—Illinois, Washington, Oregon, and Arizona. There is little question that the issue will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, activist’s and the media have already unveiled tactics and narratives to try to undermine the Trump administration and its MAGA goals.
This is the nature of American politics, but especially at this time when our nation is so divided.
There will be judges who will enjoin some of Trump’s orders. Hopefully, most will be left in place or at least partially in place. And Trump will need Congress to work with him in order to implement much of his agenda.
Americans cannot lose heart if things move more slowly than we desire or there are major setbacks.
A new day in America has dawned and positive changes are happening. But in a government of, by, and for the people, we all have to do our part. Make sure you get involved locally and continue to stay engaged nationally. And critically for Christians, we must be good stewards of our citizenship and civic responsibility by voting in every single eligible election.
Photo: President Donald J. Trump signs an executive order in front of a crowd of supporters at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2025 (YouTube Screenshot).
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