Donald John Trump has been the President of the United States for the second time since Monday. On the first day of his second term, he signed numerous orders and reversed many of his predecessor’s policies. This is just a first step. So far, the large catalog of cybersecurity measures that Joe Biden ordered for US federal agencies last week remains unaffected.
However, Trump is canceling the security measures agreed upon with the AI industry. Biden codified this agreement in his Executive Order 14110 in October 2023 (Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence). According to this, companies should subject AI systems that could pose a threat to national security, the economy, or public health to safety tests before they are marketed. Federal agencies should mark their content with watermarks to make it easier to distinguish them from AI-generated deep fakes. An IT security program was supposed to protect critical infrastructure, while the use of AI for developing chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons was prohibited. All of this is being canceled, as well as special work visas for AI experts.
Trump is also withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the OECD tax agreement for global minimum taxes and fair distribution of tax revenues. Instead, he orders protectionist measures against all countries that could tax US companies extraterritorially or disproportionately. This particularly affects the various controversial digital taxes.
All international environmental and climate agreements, as well as all related commitments, are being canceled. A US initiative for international climate protection is also being stopped, which means that export promotions for US environmental technology are being discontinued. Another now-deleted order had urged US federal agencies to take environmental protection measures, from waste reduction to efficient water use to the procurement of electric vehicles and building renovations. This also eliminates the stated goal of making the power supply CO₂-neutral by 2035 and the entire economy by 2050.
Trump explicitly orders the halt of all environmental regulations that would have led to higher fuel prices, higher food prices, or higher acquisition costs for household appliances. Symbolically, Trump’s order “Putting People Over Fish” is mentioned, which rolls back measures to protect fish stocks. Trump also believes that combustion vehicles have become more expensive due to regulations on the distribution of electric vehicles, which he would like to change. Accordingly, he removes Biden’s Executive Order 14037 from the summer of 2021, which aimed for the US to lead the world market in electric vehicles. Based on this, federal agencies had ordered new emission and efficiency standards for new vehicles.
Among the advisory councils of the White House that Trump immediately closed is the one for science and technology. It fits that the new incumbent is repealing Executive Order 14030, which assessed the financial risks of climate change. It will no longer be assessed what is in store for federal agencies, insurance companies, the financial industry, and the pension system.
Offshore wind power is no longer in favor under Trump, and he halts all licensing until further notice and revokes certain licenses. Fishing is to take precedence over wind power in the future. Conversely, the Republican orders the end of restrictions on the promotion of fossil energy sources and minerals. He puts development aid on hold for 90 days, after which it should only flow if it is in the interest of the USA.
The new president is also not pleased with two major legislative packages passed by both parties, the law for investment in infrastructure and jobs, and the law for investment in infrastructure and combating inflation. Trump cannot repeal these, but he can reverse Biden’s executive orders.
A council called USTOC, which coordinated the fight against transnational organized crime between various agencies, is also being dissolved. The focus was on international drug trafficking and its financial flows. Incidentally, Trump is canceling the plan to phase out private prisons.
Among the other executive orders by Biden that Trump has rescinded are those aimed at improving healthcare and lowering drug prices, increasing civil rights, boosting voter turnout, combating discrimination, or addressing the causes of migration. US sanctions against individuals allegedly responsible for ethnic crimes in the West Bank are also no longer in place.