LEILA FADEL, HOST:
We're watching President Trump's first full day back in the White House.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Let's catch up because yesterday was a lot. After being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, he wasted no time undoing President Biden's policies and starting to implement his own - all while using his trademark Sharpie marker.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: So this is a big one.
MARTÍNEZ: That was the sound of Trump signing one of dozens of executive orders, actions and proclamations on his first night back in power.
FADEL: Here with us to break down all that's already happened in the Trump presidency is White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Good morning, Franco.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: OK, so you were at the White House as Trump signed these actions in the Oval Office. What really stood out to you?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, I think, clearly, it's the pardons of those involved in the riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. I mean, he pardoned 1,500 people who were involved, a really big number. And he also signed a series of orders on immigration. He took a big step toward his own stated goal of overhauling the federal government. Doing so, he signed an order reclassifying tens of thousands of career civil servants so that they can be easily replaced with, basically, loyalists who are more willing to carry out his agenda. I'll just note that's likely to face legal challenges.
FADEL: OK, so not even a full day in office and he's signing all these orders, including things, as you point out, that will likely be contested in court. Why the hurry? What's the message here?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, on the one hand, it's a full-scale assault on President Biden's legacy. Trump revoked nearly 80 executive actions taken by the Biden administration on issues like climate, energy and diversity programs. On the other, it's a sign of how Trump plans to expand his presidential powers. I mean, a number of these orders will be challenged in the courts, like you said, but Trump and his team just do not seem to care. I mean, they've made it very clear they're willing to be creative when interpreting and applying these old laws in new ways to fulfill his agenda. It also shows how Trump is willing to get back at people who he feels wronged him. I mean, just as an example, one executive order - there was a measure revoking the security clearance of his former national security adviser, John Bolton. Bolton, of course, wrote a book that Trump was unfit to be president.
FADEL: Were his orders and actions generally focused on domestic issues overall?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, it was kind of a mix of domestic and foreign, a long list. And as he signed, he actually took questions from reporters who were in the pool in the room about his plans to do in office. I mean, one of them asked when he'll talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine. Here's what Trump said.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TRUMP: I have to speak to President Putin. We're going to have to find out. He can't be thrilled. He's not doing so well. I mean, he's grinding it out, but most people thought that war would've been over in about one week. And now you're into three years, right? So he can't be thrilled. It's not making him look very good.
ORDOÑEZ: So we'll be watching to see when some of these calls with Putin and other foreign leaders start to take place.
FADEL: OK. So that all happened, like, in hours...
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah.
FADEL: ...Not even a full day in office. So today is actually his first full day in office. What should we expect?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, he's already busy. You know, he posted on social media this morning that he was removing more than a thousand of Biden administration appointees, like celebrity chef Jose Andres and retired General Mark Milley. And my colleague Deirdre Walsh confirmed that House Speaker Mike Johnson is planning to come to the White House today. But really, beyond that, we don't know much more.
FADEL: NPR's Franco Ordoñez. Thank you, Franco.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Leila. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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