What happened in Donald Trump's first week in office? The 'radical transformation' of the US

Suat TEKİN - 12punto FOREIGN NEWS

Donald Trump became the US President for the 2nd time on Monday. The 47th US President's first week began with the ''Make America Great Again-Victory Rally'' held on Monday, and continued with the president's inauguration ceremony the following day. In his first week, Trump signed decisions that would lead to a 'radical transformation' in the structure of the US state, social life in the country, and the relations between the US and world countries. 

During the election period, Trump and his team advocated ideas such as: the state should be downsized; God created only two genders, male and female; 'globalism' harms the world; and the climate crisis is a lie.

Throughout the election campaign, Trump and his team had stated that they had 'ideas that would radically transform' the US.

According to the decisions Trump made in his first week, the US: withdrew from the Paris climate agreement and all its agreements with the World Health Organization; the definition of transgender individuals in military regulations was removed; all civil servants working in the diversity, equity, and inclusion program were placed on paid leave. 

Trump also decided to invest in the artificial intelligence industry. According to the decision, the United States will support the artificial intelligence industry with a budget of 500 billion dollars consisting of private company incentives. Furthermore, Trump reiterated his promise to reduce oversight on pharmaceutical companies. 

SUCCESSIVE PARDON DECISIONS FROM TRUMP

In the first hours after taking office, the new President issued pardons for 1,600 people who attacked the Capitol building on January 6, 2021. Among those pardoned are leaders of Neo-Nazi groups.  

Most of the people convicted for the Capitol riot had gathered in the area after Trump said, 'You go to the Capitol building, and I will come too.' When the events escalated, Trump had appeared before the cameras and called on people to 'go home'. 

Trump also pardoned 2 former police officers who were convicted of killing a Black man. 

The 47th president of the US also announced that he had pardoned Ross Ulbricht, who is well-known to those interested in crypto markets. Ulbricht is known as the founder of the illegal trade network on the Dark Web. Ulbricht's release is considered a 'clear indicator' of Trump's support for crypto markets. 

Joe Biden, who handed over the presidency to Trump, had given a farewell speech on Monday. In his speech, Biden warned the American people and the world. Drawing attention to the rising 'techno-industrial complex', Biden stated that democracy was under threat. 

'TECH-ELITES' GAVE FULL SUPPORT TO TRUMP

While Biden's statements did not attract much attention, the greatest support for Trump came from technology billionaires. 

The most well-known of the Republican president's 'billionaire supporters' is Elon Musk, who was appointed head of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency. 

On the other hand, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg became another business person to announce his support for Trump in his first week in office. It had been revealed that in the 2016 elections, Zuckerberg sold Facebook users' data to Trump's propaganda team.  

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos is also among the names who did not forget to wish Trump success in his new term. Bezos attended Trump's inauguration ceremony along with Zuckerberg, Musk, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. 

These names could be of critical importance in terms of Trump's 'transformation' promises.

Technology billionaires attending Trump's inauguration: Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos

A NEW ERA IN US FOREIGN POLICY

Another important item on Trump's agenda is the international interests of the US. 

President Trump, who is also known for his nationalist rhetoric, had announced that he would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. 

On Trump's first day in the Oval Office, a document signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis referred to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. 

However, Trump's nationalist rhetoric was not limited to the Gulf of Mexico. A few weeks before taking office, Trump had announced that he wanted to include Canada and Greenland in American territory. 

As soon as Trump and his team took office, they began to voice their demands regarding Canada and Greenland again. Although the Trump administration has not yet taken a concrete step on this issue, Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede has stated twice so far, 'We do not want to be American.'

Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede

MACRON'S 'WAKE UP' MESSAGE TO EUROPE

European countries, on the other hand, reacted to this 'expansionist' rhetoric of Trump. French President Emmanuel Macron, in a statement he gave one day after Trump's inauguration, called on European countries to 'wake up'. Macron emphasized that Europe should not continue its dependence on America in the field of defense. 

The US President, instead of responding to Macron, announced that he would impose additional customs duties on Mexico and Canada. Trump also demanded that NATO member countries allocate 5 percent of their budgets for the defense of the alliance. 

If Trump's additional customs duty policies are implemented, Chinese companies exporting to America via Canada and Mexico could be in a difficult situation. 

Trump, who advocates economic policies that can be described as 'protectionist', wants to bring American companies producing abroad back to the country by imposing additional taxes. 

However, it is still very difficult to predict what the net results of the economic policies Trump advocates will be. Some experts state that if Trump implements what he advocates, the American economy could face the 'danger of inflation'. 

If Trump implements a low-tax policy domestically and reduces controls on companies, it could trigger a 'consumption frenzy' in America.

French President Emmanuel Macron

CANCELLED THE DECREE PREVENTING DISCRIMINATION

Trump's action that will most affect the American people in the near term was the cancellation of the 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' decree that came into effect in 1965.  

The Trump administration first placed everyone working in 'equal opportunity' programs called 'DEI', which stemmed from this decree, on mandatory leave. Following the mandatory leave practice, the Trump administration sent messages to state employees, asking them to report 'secret DEI programs'.

In the messages sent with the signatures of ministers from the Trump cabinet, it was written to employees who did not cooperate, 'If you do not provide information, there will be serious consequences for you.'

The White House has not yet made a statement regarding the incident reported by Reuters. 

ELON MUSK GAVE A NAZI SALUTE

While Trump encouraged his supporters with the victory speech he gave at the rally held on Monday; one of the names most affected by the speech was Elon Musk.

Musk, who took the stage at the inauguration ceremony held on Tuesday, could not control himself after dancing for a while and gave a 'Nazi salute'.  

Activists in Germany projected Musk's Nazi salute onto the wall of the Tesla building in Berlin. The activists changed the Tesla sign on the wall to ''Heil Tesla'' by adding the expression 'Heil', which means 'salute' in German, to the beginning. This word was used in the past by the Nazis to salute dictator Adolf Hitler. 

Elon Musk tweeted a 'troll' tweet about the incident, mentioning the names of Nazi leaders Göring, Goebbels, Hess, and Himmler.

A view from the activists' protest in Berlin. 'Heil Tesla'

MELANIA TRUMP DREW ATTENTION WITH HER OUTFIT AT THE INAUGURATION

What came to the agenda in Trump's first week was not limited to politics and economics. Trump's inauguration ceremony also drew attention with its details.  

‘First Lady’ Melania Trump came to the agenda with the outfit she wore at the inauguration ceremony.  

Melania, who chose an outfit that the American press described as 'masculine', attended the ceremony in a simple black outfit and a hat that covered half of her face.  

Throughout the ceremony, the strange movements of the president's son Barron Trump also became the agenda of social media.

'MANHUNT' IN NEW JERSEY

Another one of the most important developments of the week was the Trump administration's action against immigrants. Trump, who wants to send illegal immigrants out of the country, took a series of decisions in this direction.  

Police officers, acting in line with Trump's decisions, went on a 'hunt for illegal immigrants' in New Jersey.

The police, who raided a workplace in the city, detained some American citizens along with immigrants. Approximately 500 people were arrested in the raid.

WILL TRUMP'S DECISIONS BE BLOCKED BY THE JUDICIARY?

Despite all these developments, the first judicial obstacle to Trump's decisions came last Thursday.  

The US President had signed a decree that would prevent passports from being given to children of foreigners born in America. 

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on Trump's decree. According to experts, a significant portion of the decisions Trump has made could be blocked by the judiciary in the coming weeks. 

News Source: 12punto