Opinion | In 230 Executive Orders, Trump Has Reshaped America

Mr. Trump referred to himself as the “fertilization president,” and reiterated his support for family formation and the need for higher birth rates in the United States. As part of this agenda, he directed the federal government to lower costs for I.V.F. and expand access to the procedure through policy development. 

Claire, 22 months, was conceived through fertility treatments that cost her parents over $100,000. They used up much of their savings, took money out of investments, borrowed from family and maxed out their credit cards to pay for repeat I.V.F. cycles. They drove to five different states to source medications, and purchased some with cash. Claire’s parents want another child, but only if I.V.F. costs are lowered so they can afford it.

In a memorandum addressed to several members of his cabinet, Mr. Trump confirmed his commitment to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes Basin, an essential freshwater system used for drinking water, fishing, shipping and tourism. 

Invasive carp were originally imported by fish farmers and wastewater facilities from China to the United States as a cheap solution to algae control. Many ended up in river systems and are now rapidly advancing toward the Great Lakes. Carp grow to very large sizes, reproduce explosively and have very few predators in North America. The memorandum supports the building of the Brandon Road Interbasin to block the fish. Stopping invasive carp protects jobs and economies in the swing states that surround them.

This order directs the attorney general to enforce criminal and civil laws to the fullest extent possible against those who desecrate the American flag. 

At the signing, Mr. Trump said, “If you burn a flag, you get one year in jail — no early exits, no nothing.”

Jan Carey, a combat veteran who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf war, as well as in Bosnia and Afghanistan, burned an American flag across from the White House hours after the executive order was signed. He never considered burning the flag before, but in this instance it was necessary because the order was unconstitutional. Mr. Carey now faces two federal charges.

This flag, flown at the base where Mr. Carey was stationed in Afghanistan, is among the items he saved from his military service.

This order directs the attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on unfair and rigged practices in live entertainment ticket sales. Citing deceptive pricing, bots, anti-competitive conduct in the secondary market and unlawful resale schemes, the order sets clear goals to ensure price transparency, reduce junk fees and limit scalping. 

In December 2024, after a meeting with Pam Bondi, who is now the attorney general, the musician Kid Rock made a prediction on social media: “Gonna open a can of whoop ass on the bots, scalpers, venues, ticketing companies, managers and artists alike who rip off and deceive the public.”

Kid Rock joined Mr. Trump at the signing of the executive order in the Oval Office. He has built a 27,000-square-foot replica of the White House on his property in Nashville.

The order seeks to downgrade cannabis from the most restrictive category of drugs, removing longstanding barriers to medical and scientific research. Cannabis is currently listed alongside heroin and LSD as a Schedule I drug with a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. The reclassification would expand access to marijuana and CBD, allow for new sources of medical funding and permit cannabis producers to take full advantage of standard business tax breaks. It also encourages scientific research to guide clinicians and patients using these drugs.

Howard Kessler, the founder of the Commonwealth Project and an advocate for the use of cannabinoid-based therapies for seniors, and Kim Rivers, the chief executive of Trulieve, Florida’s largest medical marijuana company, fought for the reclassification. Mark Savaya, a cannabis entrepreneur and prominent supporter of the president, serves as Mr. Trump’s special envoy to Iraq.

This order established the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, expanding federal law enforcement authority in the District of Columbia, including the enforcement of federal immigration law. 

Months later, Executive Order 14333 declared a crime emergency in the District of Columbia, providing the legal basis for federal intervention and the deployment of the National Guard. Two weeks later, E.O. 14339 expanded the National Guard, military support and enforcement measures.

Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, members of the West Virginia National Guard, were deployed to Washington in August. While on patrol a few blocks from the White House in November, a gunman fired on them, killing Ms. Beckstrom. She was 20 years old. U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Eric Davis played “Taps” on this trumpet at the close of her funeral service.

The Trump administration declared that it would halt federal funding for schools using content it views as unpatriotic or promoting “anti-American, subversive, harmful and false ideologies” that undermine the authority of parents.

It defines D.E.I. as content and curriculum, including books, in which people are defined as members of groups as opposed to individuals. Under the order, federal funding will go toward teaching that promotes patriotic education and the “celebration of America’s greatness and history.”

The Department of Defense Education Activity compiled a list of 596 books and ebooks that were removed and quarantined from school libraries and curricula in military schools in response to the order. A federal judge has ordered books in five school libraries to be returned.

Citing Christians praying and demonstrating outside abortion clinics, some of whom were given lengthy prison sentences under the Biden administration, this order demands a federal review of government policies and standards that discriminate against Christians. 

The anti-abortion activist Lauren Handy was sentenced to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release for violating two federal laws when she organized the blocking and invasion of a D.C. clinic. When she arrived at a federal prison in Tallahassee, Fla., she was issued these rosary beads and other materials she needed to practice her faith. 

Ms. Handy served 17 months before receiving a pardon from Mr. Trump.

This order bans transgender women from participating in women’s sports. At the signing, Mr. Trump said, “Riley Gaines is a person I have been watching. She’s fought hard.”

Ms. Gaines, who swam for the University of Kentucky Wildcats, competed in the women’s 200-yard freestyle final against Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Gaines and Ms. Thomas tied for fifth place. Ms. Gaines was given a sixth-place trophy that was later replaced with this one, for fifth place.

The federal government and the University of Pennsylvania agreed that Penn would comply with the Trump administration’s executive orders, and the university removed Ms. Thomas from its official women’s record books. Her title is still recognized by the N.C.A.A.

This order directed the federal government to stop purchasing paper straws and remove them from federal buildings, citing widespread dissatisfaction with their use. The measure rolled back the Biden administration’s planned phaseout of single-use plastic at federal agencies. It also requires the development of a National Strategy to End the Use of Paper Straws nationwide and the removal of any federal policies that disadvantage plastic straws.

“My administration is committed,” the president wrote in the introduction to the report, to “ridding us of the pulpy, soggy mess that torments too many of our citizens whenever they drink through a paper straw.”

The government maintains an approved list of suppliers for plastic straws.

On March 4, 2025, tariffs were briefly imposed on almost all Canadian exports to the United States. Mr. Trump cited an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the United States, based on what he described as ongoing failures at the northern border to stop drug trafficking networks. 

Protesting the announcement of Mr. Trump’s tariffs as well as his suggestion that Canada become the 51st state, several Canadian provinces pulled U.S. goods from their shelves. Jack Daniel’s said that sales to Canada were down 62 percent in the second quarter of 2025 from a year earlier.

In December, Nova Scotia began selling off its stockpile and donating some of the proceeds to charity.

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, the largest in that state, has been seeking full federal recognition from the U.S. government since 1888.

On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump repeatedly promised the Lumbee that he would sign legislation granting them what they were seeking. 

Congress included the Lumbee Fairness Act in its $900 billion annual military spending package in December, giving the tribe full federal recognition. Members joined Mr. Trump in the Oval Office to watch him sign the bill into law.

The current Miss Indian North Carolina, Kearston Page Freeman, is a Lumbee citizen. Her crown represents the eight North Carolina tribes for which she serves as ambassador during her term.

The order introduces “America-first pricing” for National Parks passes, giving priority access to residents of the United States and increasing fees for nonresidents. The Interior Department also announced changes to no-fee entrance days for American citizens and legal residents: Flag Day — which is also Mr. Trump’s birthday — is now a free day, while Martin Luther King’s Birthday and Juneteenth, which were free in past years, no longer carry that designation. 

The 2026 passes feature new designs promoting America’s 250th anniversary. For the first time they also bear the portrait of a sitting president. Traditionally, the passes featured landscape or wildlife photographs by amateur photographers that were selected by the National Park Foundation through a contest.

The White House Faith Office was reorganized and renamed to bring faith-based groups closer to the presidency. Led by Paula White-Cain, Mr. Trump’s pastor, spiritual adviser and close ally, it puts faith groups inside the Domestic Policy Council.

Ms. White-Cain delivered the invocation at Trump’s 2017 inauguration and gave the opening prayer at the Save America rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021. The day Executive Order 14205 was signed, Ms. White-Cain posted on social media, “America, we MUST remain in prayer! Pray for our nation, our President, The White House Faith Office, and believers everywhere.”

She maintains an active ministry in Florida and offers products to “strengthen your spirit, deepen your faith and inspire your journey with God.”

This order says that the United States will suspend aid to South Africa based on the Trump administration’s assessment that the country has engaged in discriminatory policies and actions since the end of apartheid.

U.S. agencies were directed to prioritize humanitarian relief and the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees from South Africa whom it describes as “victims of unjust racial discrimination.” 

Afrikaners are a South African ethnic group descended primarily from Dutch and other European settlers, and are a minority in post-apartheid South Africa. 

Charl Kleinhaus was among the first of 59 South African nationals admitted to the United States. Upon arrival at Dulles International Airport, he was given a welcome package by U.S. immigration officials that included Hershey’s Kisses packaged with the presidential seal.

The Fostering the Future initiative prioritizes modernizing child welfare policy to support families, reduce unnecessary foster placements and improve outcomes through accountability, data-driven decisions and cross-agency coordination.

First Lady Melania Trump, who is described in the executive order as providing “special leadership” to the effort, joined the president at the executive order signing ceremony. She put her signature alongside Mr. Trump’s on the document. After the president signs an executive order, the White House sends it to the Office of the Federal Register and an official copy is made available for public inspection. This is believed to be the first time in history that a first lady has signed an executive order.