Trump will be president again Monday. Five actions he can take that could impact California
Donald Trump is fond of saying how he’ll take quick, decisive action on day one. That day is here Monday.
That means on the afternoon when takes the oath as the nation’s 47th president, he’s expected to sign executive orders shaking up how the nation deals with immigration, clean energy, transgender rights and more.
Because of the bitter cold gripping Washington, the inauguration ceremony will be the first in 40 years to be held inside the Capitol instead of its West Front outdoors. President Ronald Reagan’s 1985 inaugural was also moved insider because of weather.
Trump is likely to set a tough tone and vow a new direction with his inaugural address, then have lunch at the Capitol before heading to the White House to sign the orders.
He has said throughout 2024 that he’ll take steps to begin deporting illegal immigrants. He’s insisted he’ll end what he calls electric vehicle mandates. He’s been critical of policies sensitive to transgender people. Higher tariffs--and potentially higher consumer prices--could be coming. So could pardons for many convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
A lot of his actions may not be felt immediately. “I strongly suspect that many, perhaps most of these will be tied up in the courts,” said Thomas Holyoke, professor of political science at California State University, Fresno.
Maybe. Here are five things of special interest to Californians that could unfold Monday:
Deport immigrants
“On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history to get the criminals out,” Trump said at a rally the day before the November election.
While the logistics of doing so could hamstring any massive operation, experts expect some fast action.
“There may be raids in Bakersfield as soon as next week,” said Kevin Johnson, dean of the University of California, Davis Law School. Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar who led the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency during part of the first Trump term, is “an expert at immigration enforcement operations,” Johnson said.
Whether deportations will climb into the millions nationwide, though, is another matter. It’s widely expected that the administration will first seek to deport criminals who are in this country illegally.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Border Patrol arrested 78 people in Kern County, though among those, the number of arrested individuals with a criminal history beyond unlawful entry is unclear.
One of the roadblocks to a mass deportation could come if Trump issues an executive order encouraging states to aid the federal government in enforcing immigration law.
Sacramento has been a sanctuary city, meaning it limits local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration, for 30 years. But no local or state policies can prevent federal raids or deportations.
Local officials have said they want to continue sanctuary policies, though last month California officials were warned by Trump adviser Stephen Miller that if they interfere with federal enforcement they could be criminally liable.
Impose tariffs
Trump vowed shortly after the election to “sign all necessary documents” to impose a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada coming into this country unless they take strong steps to curb illegal immigration and fentanyl shipments. He’s also said he’d impose steep tariffs on Chinese products.
Doing that could boost prices in California and elsewhere, experts said, at a time when the rate of inflation is slowly climbing.
“While there is great uncertainty surrounding the details of these policies, they all point in one direction: the impact they will have on the cost of living. Tariffs will undoubtedly raise the price level for many goods and services,” said economist Clement Bohr in the UCLA Anderson forecast for California’s economy last month.
Sung Won Sohn, president of SS Economics, a Los Angeles-based consulting firm, had a different view.
“Tariff does not mean automatic inflation,” he said. “Most likely, some of the tariff will be absorbed by the manufacturer, the middlemen, or the seller. Historically there is no strong evidence that tariff necessarily leads to higher inflation even though it could.”
The annual rate of inflation reached 2.9% last month, higher than the 2% the Federal Reserve has been seeking for years as a key way to stabilize the economy.
Restrict transgender rights
Trump said last month at an event hosted by the conservative group Turning Point on December 22 that “with the stroke of my pen, on day one, we’re going to end this transgender lunacy.” He has said he would cut off aid to public schools with policies sympathetic to transgender students.
It’s highly unlikely that Trump can restrict such funding immediately. Federal spending is approved by Congress and then signed into law by the president. The current budget funds the government through mid-March.
If Trump tries to ax the money Monday, or for that matter in the near future, his administration could face legal challenges, particularly in California. Efforts to restrict transgender rights in the state have failed in the state legislature and as ballot initiatives.
The state’s courts have struck down attempts to ban transgender children from participating in sports only as their birth gender. And California is expected to okay as much as $50 million to challenge what it considers more extreme Trump initiatives in courts.
Pardon January 6 offenders
Trump will have the ability to pardon those convicted by a federal court.
He said repeatedly during the campaign that he wants to issue pardons to some of those convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots.
Trump has said he will look at each situation on a case by case basis. His attorney general-designate, Pam Bondi, said during her Senate confirmation hearing last week that “I will look at every file.”
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a committee member, scoffed and doubted she would.
At least 24 cases involve California residents. About 1,500 people nationwide have been charged with crimes. About 1,000 have pleaded guilty and 250 have been convicted by a judge or jury, according to PBS.
Curb electric car ‘mandates’
All new cars sold in California must be zero-emissions vehicles by 2035.
The Biden administration four years ago set a national goal to have half of the new cars and trucks sold nationwide by 2030 have zero emissions.
Trump vowed during the campaign “I will end the electric vehicle mandate on day one.”
It’s unclear how effective his order could be. And legal challenges are expected — California Attorney General Rob Bonta said recently he’s prepared to take strong action to maintain California’s vehicle emissions standards
This story was originally published January 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
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