The White House
The White House
Special Report

President Trump’s Executive Orders

The inauguration of Donald Trump as our 47th president has become a pivotal moment for our country.

After enduring stifling authoritarianism at home and witnessing it abroad, Americans want a government that protects inalienable rights and honors the rule of law. With God’s help, we hope to begin a new chapter as President Trump works to deliver on his promises: a return to the fundamental liberties and commonsense values that have made this nation flourish.

Thankfully, we are already seeing results. Within his first weeks in office, President Trump has signed numerous executive orders that will help advance Americans’ fundamental freedoms and positively influence Alliance Defending Freedom’s work.

We are on the path to rejecting censorship and reclaiming free speech, rejecting gender ideology and reclaiming reality, rejecting divisive identity politics and reclaiming the unifying dream of equal opportunity, and rejecting a culture of death to reclaim a culture of life.

Learn more about these executive orders below and how they impact ADF’s work.

On This Page

Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government

January 20, 2025 • Full Text

Explanation

The order aims to end the government’s abuse of power in targeting American citizens. It says the United States’ policy will be “to identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the Federal Government related to the weaponization of law enforcement and the weaponization of the Intelligence Community.” The order also directs the U.S. Attorney General and director of national intelligence to review the actions of federal agencies over the previous four years that may constitute examples of weaponizing the government and submit a report to President Trump.

ADF’s Response

Under the Biden-Harris administration, federal officials weaponized the law against American citizens, including colluding with Big Banks to surveil Americans’ private financial data and target them as ‘threats’ based solely on their speech. President Trump’s call to dismantle these tools of repression is something every American—and every other freedom-loving person—should celebrate.

Press Release: ADF supports Trump executive orders restoring free speech, ending weaponization of federal govt

Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship

January 20, 2025 • Full Text

Explanation

The policy of the United States will now be to “secure the right of the American people to engage in constitutionally protected speech” and “ensure that no Federal Government officer, employee, or agent engages in or facilitates any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen.” This order also states that no taxpayer resources will be used to censor Americans’ speech. It instructs the U.S. Attorney General to investigate instances of alleged government censorship from the last four years and recommend any actions that should be taken to address this censorship.

ADF’s Response

We’ve worked with clients whose bank accounts have been shut down on spurious grounds, and even testified before Congress against abuses of the FACE Act and the Treasury Department’s data collection project. President Trump’s orders begin the important work of shining sunlight on these practices and holding the government accountable for crushing free speech under the guise of ferreting out misinformation and disinformation.

Press Release: ADF supports Trump executive orders restoring free speech, ending weaponization of federal govt

Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government

January 20, 2025 • Full Text

Explanation

The order states that “it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female” and specifies that the term “sex” in federal law refers to “an individual’s immutable biological classification as either male or female,” not any self-asserted “gender identity.” The order also says that the Biden-Harris administration misread the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, when the Biden-Harris administration claimed the decision meant that “sex” should be redefined to encompass “gender identity” in federal laws generally, including Title IX.

ADF’s Response

For years, ADF has represented female athletes deprived of fairness, privacy, and safety; students deprived of free speech; parents deprived of decision-making authority for their children; teachers deprived of conscience rights; and schools deprived of funding—all to advance the lie that sex can change. This executive order is a victory for them.

Press Release: ADF supports Trump order ending US promotion of gender ideology

Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service

January 20, 2025 • Full Text

Explanation

President Trump issued an executive order to reform and restore federal merit-based hiring. The order states, “Federal hiring should not be based on impermissible factors, such as one’s commitment to illegal racial discrimination under the guise of ‘equity,’ or one’s commitment to the invented concept of ‘gender identity’ over sex.” It also instructs several federal agencies to develop a “Federal Hiring Plan” to implement this order in hiring practices for federal employees.

ADF’s Response

Our nation’s founding documents declare the truth that all men are created equal. Over the past four years, we’ve seen the federal government pick winners and losers in our society by socially engineering gender ideology and race into many facets of American life. This fact remains: DEI is a proven failure ridden with legal risks, discrimination, and destructive division. We applaud the President for taking action to ensure Americans receive equal treatment under the law.

Press Release: None

Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity

January 21, 2025 • Full Text

Explanation

President Trump issued an order requiring any recipient of a federal contract or grant to certify that it does not practice illegal DEI practices, including divisive trainings and supplier diversity requirements. The order also ends affirmative action audits on private corporations from the federal government, a policy put in place by Lyndon B. Johnson over 50 years ago. Additionally, it requires agencies to recommend some corporations and non-profits for investigation and encourages the administration to find other ways to encourage corporations to stop these practices.

ADF’s Response

At ADF, we’ve seen the harmful effects of DEI on our clients in schools that have demeaned students because of their race and fired teachers simply for speaking the truth. We’ve seen it in corporations that trample freedom of speech in the name of ideology. Our Constitution enshrines equal protection under the law, and President Trump’s order is a major step in the right direction.

Press Release: ADF applauds Trump effort to ditch divisive DEI through federal govt, corporate America

Enforcing the Hyde Amendment

January 24, 2025 • Full Text

Explanation

The Hyde Amendment protects American taxpayers from being forced to fund elective abortions. However, during his term, President Biden signed executive orders that disregarded this long-standing, bipartisan policy. President Trump’s new order revokes President Biden’s orders, stating: “It is the policy of the United States, consistent with the Hyde Amendment, to end the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion.”

ADF’s Response

Every innocent life deserves to be protected. Ensuring that taxpayer dollars don’t pay for abortions has saved lives, and it’s a policy that continues to receive bipartisan support from a majority of Americans. Government-compelled participation in abortion has no place in our country, and we’re pleased to see the Trump administration take these crucial steps to redirect American taxpayer dollars to programs that offer real health care for women and children instead of the scandal-ridden abortion industry.

Press Release: ADF commends Trump pro-life executive order

Reinstating the Mexico City Policy

January 24, 2025 • Full Text

Explanation

The Mexico City Policy prohibits federal funding from going to international non-governmental organizations that perform or promote abortion. However, this policy was rescinded under the Biden-Harris administration . President Trump’s executive order reinstates an expanded version of the Mexico City Policy, ending the use of American taxpayer dollars to subsidize and promote elective abortion internationally.

ADF’s Response

By reinstating an expanded Mexico City Policy, the United States is recommitting to protect life on the world stage, making clear that there is no so-called international ‘human right’ to abortion. This is a massive shift away from the Biden administration’s promotion of abortion internationally, particularly in the developing world. Life is a human right, and how American taxpayer dollars are deployed should reflect that truth. The expanded Mexico City Policy does just that.

Press Release: ADF commends Trump pro-life executive order

Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation

January 28, 2025 • Full Text

Explanation

The order declares that the U.S. “will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another.” The order outlines that the radical WPATH guidelines will no longer guide U.S. policy and that the U.S. will conduct a thorough review of scientific literature; medical institutions that perform these harmful procedures will lose federal education/research grants; the federal government will no longer fund these harmful procedures in federal employee medical insurance; and the DOJ will investigate whether these harmful procedures have violated existing laws, and propose new laws to provide relief for kids and families harmed.

ADF’s Response

President Trump’s order is a victory for children’s health and common sense. It places the U.S. government firmly on the side of evidence-based medicine, and against the reckless experimentation that has irreversibly harmed so many children. American children will be safer today, and healthier tomorrow, thanks to this much-needed change in U.S. policy.

Press Release: ADF applauds Trump executive order protecting children from dangerous medical experiments

Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling

January 29, 2025 • Full Text

Explanation

This executive order instructs various Cabinet members to prepare plans that will eliminate federal funding or support for schools that promote discriminatory or misguided treatment based on gender ideology and critical theory. This includes promoting ideas such as encouraging children to adopting identities as “victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color and other immutable characteristics” or identities that make students question “whether they were born in the wrong body and whether to view their parents and their reality as enemies to be blamed.” This order also seeks to eliminate efforts by schools or their staff to steer students toward “gender transition” efforts. In addition, the order reestablishes the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission to promote “patriotic education” in public schools.

ADF’s Response

Every student deserves to be treated equally under the law, regardless of sex, race or religion. Schools exist to educate, not indoctrinate children. As the U.S. Supreme Court recently wrote, K-12 schools are the ‘nurseries of democracy,’ underscoring the inherent duty of schools to teach students how to engage in civil discourse on difficult or sensitive topics and build common ground, rather than separate based on their differences. President Trump is right to ensure that federal funding of education goes toward teaching our nation’s children to love and respect each other—and our great nation—rather than pit kids against each other, and against the fundamental freedoms that make America exceptional. All students deserve to learn in the best possible environment, free from discriminatory and harmful policies, where they can truly flourish and thrive.

Press Release: ADF commends Trump executive order that teaches children to respect each other, America

Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports

February 5, 2025 • Full Text

Explanation

This executive declares it the policy of the United States to oppose male participation in women’s sports and it orders the Secretary of Education, in coordination with the U.S. Attorney General, to update relevant rules and regulations to protect women’s sports and to prioritize enforcement actions against Title IX-covered schools and institutions to ensure they no longer allow males into women’s sports or locker rooms. In addition, the order asks other government officials to meet with national and international sports governing bodies to promote their policies are consistent with Title IX.

ADF’s Response

For over a decade, Alliance Defending Freedom has been a leader in the effort to defeat the radical gender ideology that is infiltrating our society and creating countless victims, especially children and women. Title IX was written to promote opportunity for women and girls—not to allow males to invade their private spaces and sports, as previous administrations have pushed. Women and girls deserve policies that respect and uphold their dignity, ensure fair and safe competition on the field, and guarantee privacy in the locker room. The changes being made by the Trump administration are welcome and should be commended.

Press Release: ADF applauds Trump executive order protecting women’s sports

Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias

February 6, 2025 • Full Text

Explanation

The executive order establishes a task force in the Department of Justice to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” within the federal government. The task force will “review the activities of all executive departments and agencies … and identify any unlawful anti-Christian policies, practices, or conduct by an agency.” This investigation will create a list of recommendations to be shared with the President.

ADF’s Response

Examples of government anti-Christian bias are all too common, from foster parents barred from providing loving homes to children in need due to their faith, to targeted overregulation of ministries and the weaponization of the FACE Act against pro-life advocates. These actions not only violate constitutional protections but also erode the foundational principle of religious liberty in America. This order is important because it exposes the Biden administration’s deliberate targeting of Christian beliefs through discriminatory policies—beliefs shared by many other religions. No one should be threatened or harassed for publicly expressing or living out their faith. Alliance Defending Freedom will continue to protect every American’s fundamental right to religious freedom and to defend victims of religious persecution around the world.

Press Release: ADF commends Trump executive order protecting religious freedom for all

Is America headed in the right direction? Tell us what you think!
Is America headed in the right direction?
Take the Survey
arrow_right_alt
To top