President Trump makes history

President Donald Trump was inaugurated into the presidential office on Jan. 20. In the month after being sworn into office, Trump has signed 65 Executive Orders. Defined by the American Bar Association, an Executive Order is “a signed, written, and published directive from the President of the United States that manages operations of the federal government” (“What is An Executive Order?”). Executive Orders are numbered consecutively, and Trump has signed orders 14147 through 14211. A number of these orders have been regarding social issues in the United States. Some of the most significant concern diversity programs, membership in the World Health Organization, and establishing national gender norms.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, were within federal organizations. These addressed the need for diverse groups of people to receive jobs and education. DEI initiatives within the government were initially implemented on former President Joe Biden’s first day in office. Many argue that the DEI programs did not promote diversity in the workforce much at all. An article from the Wall Street Journal explains that most power positions are still held by white men (Pacheco). On the contrary, Forbes published information that “seventy percent of companies have supplier-diversity programs” (Kratz). With the elimination of DEI programs within the federal government, major companies and corporations, along with universities, eliminated their DEI efforts. Trump believes that by eliminating DEI programming, he is eliminating discriminatory practices (Fischer). Lots of Americans see that this has the potential to lower diversity rates and raise poverty rates. But, a lot of citizens argue that ending the programming is what gives equal opportunity to all Americans. Local universities such as Mizzou, Missouri State, and University of Arkansas have eliminated their DEI programs before, or alongside the Executive Order. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) consists of 194 member states aiming to hold the responsibility for the world’s health. One of the main goals of WHO is to provide universal health care for the entire globe. They also help relief matters in health crises and aim to achieve good health for the world’s people. WHO is an agency under the United Nations (UN). The United States has not yet pulled out of the UN. According to the Federal Register, the United States pulled out of WHO due to the way the organization handled the COVID-19 Crisis beginning in 2020. The Federal Register states that the US also pulled out of WHO because of “its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states” (Federal Register). Another large factor in pulling out of WHO is that the United States was paying large amounts of money to the organization, while other countries seemingly didn’t have similarly sized dues. Those who disagree with the withdrawal of the United States from WHO argue that because the US supported a lot of the funds keeping WHO afloat, the organization will have to make large budget cuts. Due to this, they won’t be able to help as many people and countries make it through health emergencies. For those who believe that this signing was a good decision, they believe that it will improve the United States economy and the national debt.

Gender Ideology is the idea that there is a vast spectrum of gender that are not necessarily related to one’s sex. On Jan. 20, President Trump’s first day in office, he signed an Executive Order to limit the federal government to only recognize two genders, male and female, as a country. This EO also states that the federal government will “defend women’s rights and protect freedom of conscience by using clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male” (Federal Register). This means that legally, the United States will only acknowledge biologically born females as females, and biologically born males as males. The order also states that sexes “are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality” (Federal Register). Those who are against this Executive Order argue that it is the right of the people to decide who they want to identify as, stating that “gender is a cultural construction” (“Do we Need”). Those for this signing typically argue that it is traditional to only have two genders, and it is too confusing for children growing up to have too many genders. This Executive Order requires all establishments to follow these orders, only acknowledging two genders.