In the first hours after his inauguration, Trump offered sweeping pardons to Jan. 6 defendants, declared a national emergency at the southern border, and moved to ax diversity programs that employ hundreds of federal workers.
The flurry of changes had been expected for weeks, with Trump telegraphing in interviews the sort of steps he would take on Day One.
“No one should be surprised by these actions,” Democratic strategist Christopher Hahn told the Washington Examiner. “Trump campaigned on this and he’s doing what he said.”
Still, the sheer volume of executive orders is offering an early indication of how Democrats are recalibrating now that Trump is in office.
Part of their strategy has been to mount legal challenges in the courts, in particular over his attempt to end birthright citizenship. Meanwhile, Democrats have been vocal about the sweeping Jan. 6…
