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What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Can Trump Actually Do All That?

What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Slate

News, Daily News, News Commentary, Politics

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 22 January 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On the day he was inaugurated, Donald Trump set about signing executive orders on birthright citizenship, the TikTok ban, and withdrawing from various international bodies, treaties and accords. Has he shown up to test out the awesome powers of the executive branch—or was he just showing off for his fans? Guest: Deborah Pearlstein, Director, Program in Law and Public Policy and Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor in Law and Public Affairs at Princeton. Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:32.7

Could you imagine Biden doing this? I don't think so.

0:45.3

Soon after taking the oath of office, President Donald Trump got to work.

0:52.2

Right after the inauguration, before he even left the Capitol building, Trump grabbed a handful of black sharpies and he started signing.

1:00.2

At first, things seemed relatively normal.

1:03.6

Every president comes in office and has to sign a bunch of executive orders on day one.

1:09.8

Professor Deborah Pearlstein is a constitutional law expert over at Princeton University.

1:15.1

One set are pro-formal orders that you see at the beginning of every administration that really

1:19.6

just explain, here are the people we're going to appoint and put in charge and how we're going

1:24.6

to allocate particular positions of the administration.

1:26.9

The first is 22 cabinet and cabinet level appointments for your signature.

1:36.7

Then, Trump headed over to the Capital One Arena.

1:39.7

And if the first part of his day was more or less typical for an incoming president,

1:44.0

well, the rest of the day was made for reality TV.

1:48.5

He gave a long speech in front of a packed house full of red maga hats.

1:52.9

It was like he was back on the campaign trail.

1:54.9

He complained about windmills.

...

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