President Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on Jan. 20.
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President Trump promised to do a lot right from the start if elected, and he certainly did that.
During his first week in office, Trump signed dozens of executive orders affecting everything from immigration, climate change and oil exploration to health and medical research, as well as eliminating federal diversity programs, directives defining gender and much, much more.
Some of the executive actions will have immediate impacts, and others — like his attempt at getting rid of birthright citizenship for people born in the U.S. to parents without permanent legal status — will be challenged in the courts.
Trump’s actions include memorandums, proclamations and executive orders. All can be consequential, but some have more weight than others. Orders are publicly tracked in the Federal Register and cannot be easily overturned by Congress, though they can be blocked or challenged.
