With a flurry of activity, President Trump started his time in office with the signing of ten executive orders brought straight to the Capitol. He also pardoned many of the January 6th rioters that had been criminally charged.
On the second day,he prepared to announce a $500 billion dollar deal to develop AI infrastructure. Stargate, the name of the proposed entity, would develop AI in the US. The partnership is to be between OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle. In terms of first steps, they are focusing on the large electricity generation needed to run the AI.
Trump has been a massive proponent, calling it “a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential.”
To get off the ground, this joint venture would require $100 million, then build up to $500 million in investment.
Elon Musk called out CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, on his social media platform X, claiming that “they don’t actually have the money. SoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority.”
Altman responded on the same platform, writing “wrong as you surely know,” with an invite for Musk to come see the construction started in Texas.
Furthermore, Trump’s executive order to ban birthright citizenship is, for now, on hold. 22 states and migrant rights groups sued to stop it. The order would have ruled that children of people who are not citizens do not receive automatic citizenship, despite previous interpretations of the 14th amendment. A federal judge blocked the executive order temporarily, by ruling in the case brought by Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and Illinois. The judge, John C. Coughenour, ruled that the 14th amendment protected birthright citizenship.
Trump also pardoned the founder of Silk Road, a black market website for drugs.
Trump ordered that all federal DEI staff be put on paid leave, with plans to fire them.
Trump’s nominee for the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, got pushed through the door by the Republican party, despite mounting allegations, on a tiebreaker vote in the Senate. He is facing claims from his sister in law that he was abusive towards his second wife. These claims also allege repeated drunkenness. Despite this, he was officially voted into his office Monday, beginning his first day at the Pentagon.
Trump signed an executive order to declassify events relating to the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., President John F. Kennedy, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Trump, on Thursday, commented that, “Everything would be revealed.”
As Trump’s return to office begins, we can expect more and more executive orders, testing the limits of traditional norms and established rules. Trump aims to break what was custom with his own way of operating, and we will likely see that in the coming days.
