After President Trump’s First Blitz of Executive Orders
After President Trump’s first blitz of executive orders heralded seismic changes in domestic and international policy, the second day of his administration was marked by notes of defiance, including multiple lawsuits and a personal appeal from the pulpit at the National Cathedral.
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s Appeal
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, addressing Mr. Trump directly during an interfaith service on Tuesday morning, asked him to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” specifically naming L.G.B.T.Q. people, immigrants, children and people fleeing war zones.
Afterward, Mr. Trump appeared unmoved by the service, telling reporters, “Not too exciting, was it?”
Legal Pushback
By then, his flurry of executive orders was already receiving pushback.
- Attorneys general from states across the country sued the Trump administration to block an order that refuses to recognize the U.S.-born children of unauthorized or temporary immigrants as citizens, the constitutional principle known as birthright citizenship.
- A union representing about 50,000 career federal workers filed a lawsuit over a change in employee protections that would make it easier to fire them.
- And at least two Republican senators issued rare intraparty criticism of Mr. Trump for his decision to issue blanket clemency for Jan. 6 defendants.
International Reactions
Elsewhere, the leaders of Mexico and Canada reacted to Trump policies that would alter their relationship with the United States.
- Panama’s president wrote to the United Nations Security Council about Mr. Trump’s comments about reclaiming the Panama Canal.
- And at a gathering of political and business figures in Switzerland, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said the rest of the world would not alter its course on climate change because of Mr. Trump.
Republican Congress Discussions
The president was meeting this afternoon with leaders of the Republican-controlled Congress, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, to discuss the early priorities of his term, including legislation that would extend expiring tax cuts that Mr. Trump signed into law in 2017.
Republicans' Legislative Focus
Republicans, who hold slim majorities in the House and Senate, are working on the outlines of legislation that would extend the tax cuts, cut federal spending and crack down on immigration.
Here’s what else to know:
- Personal plea: The bishop at Mr. Trump’s inaugural prayer service implored him on the first full day of his presidency to “have mercy” on gay, lesbian and transgender children, as well as undocumented immigrants — a remarkable moment at an event that has not historically been political.
- More Hegseth accusations: An ex-sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth, Mr. Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, told senators that he had been so “abusive” toward his second wife that she once hid from him in a closet and had a safe word to call for help if she needed to get away from him.
- Jan. 6 clemency: Members of the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, including two of the country’s most prominent far-right extremists — Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys and Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers militia — began walking out of prisons and courtrooms, freed from custody and even active trials after being pardoned by Mr. Trump.
- Confirmation hearings: Two other cabinet nominees faced confirmation hearings on Tuesday: Doug Collins, a former House Republican chosen to lead the Veterans Affairs Department and Representative Elise Stefanik, who promised to combat antisemitism and counter Chinese influence if confirmed as the ambassador to the United Nations.
- Confusion and worry: Chicago neighborhoods were fearful of an immigration crackdown, which was leaving many migrants across the southern border in a state of despair.
- Trade policy experts: Trade policy experts were straining to understand the scope of a new federal agency he has called for, the External Revenue Service.
- Automakers’ challenges: Automakers were facing an assault on electric vehicles programs, in which they had invested billions of dollars with the Biden administration’s support.
Europe’s Uncertainty
European business leaders and policymakers have been bracing for Mr. Trump’s return behind the scenes.
That includes the European Commission — the European Union’s executive arm — which formed a never-officially-announced group, sometimes colloquially referred to as a “Trump task force,” that spent much of 2024 working on possible responses to changes in American policy.