| Welcome to the second Trump term. As mostly expected after President Donald Trump took office Monday, he proclaimed a new “golden age” for America after tearing into his predecessor and issued a flurry of executive orders seeking to deliver on his campaign promises related to the border, the economy and social issues. It was a long day, winding down well after 8 p.m. with Trump signing the most controversial executive orders inside the Oval Office while fielding questions from reporters in a freewheeling fashion. Those orders included near-universal clemency for people charged with crimes in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. All told, Trump took over 200 executive actions, according to the White House. Meanwhile, the Senate met Monday evening and delivered Trump two early wins: the passage of the Laken Riley Act — the GOP-led bill to require detention of undocumented immigrants who commit certain crimes — and the unanimous confirmation of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) to be Trump’s secretary of state. The Post’s reporters are hard at work breaking down the day’s events, but in the meantime, here’s what we’re watching for in Trump’s week ahead: More executive orders Trump made much ado of his first executive orders, signing several at a gathering of thousands of his supporters at Capital One Arena and at the White House last night. But there’s more to come. Although Trump’s immediate actions addressed several topics he’s spoken about before — including reversing climate change initiatives and pardoning people Jan. 6 attackers — not everything has been addressed. For instance, Trump suggested he intends to implement 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico next week. As Trump signed the orders, Libertarian Party Chair Angela McArdle watched on a TV at a Washington bar rented out by her party, which embraced Trump after he made promises to appeal to its members, including a promised pardon for Ross Ulbricht, founder of Silk Road, an online market for drugs and other illegal goods. McArdle said she was confident Trump would keep his pledge, pointing to how his aides reached out to her last week to get more information about Ulbricht’s case. “We kind of have to share his attention with a whole lot of other issues and lot of other people,” McArdle told us, later posting on X that she had heard the pardon could happen overnight or this morning. “January 6, hostages in Gaza, a lot of other people getting pardons that we don’t know about.” The resistance As Trump takes aggressive executive action, he is also expected to draw significant pushback — legal or otherwise — on several fronts. Already, Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” was hit with at least three lawsuits shortly after Trump took the oath of office, in part challenging the lack of public disclosure. But it appears Trump’s team has geared up to face legal battles. Asked about challenges to his executive order that would seek to end birthright citizenship — a right guaranteed in the Constitution — Trump told reporters in the Oval Office last night: “We think we have good ground, but you could be right. You’ll find out.” Within three hours of Trump signing the executive order, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups announced they had filed a lawsuit over it. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said in a statement that her office was reviewing the specifics of the executive order, but that “New York is prepared to take any action within our power” to defend birthright citizenship. Confirmations and Hill meetings We’re already seeing the Cabinet confirmation process pick up since Trump’s swearing-in. The Senate voted 99-0 to confirm Rubio as Trump’s secretary of state last night, and more votes are expected this week. Senate committees also swiftly approved other nominees last night, setting them up for Senate votes: John Ratcliffe, Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA; Pete Hegseth, his choice for secretary of defense; and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, tapped to head the Department of Homeland Security. Russ Vought, Trump’s choice for Office of Management and Budget Director, was approved by the Senate Homeland Security Committee last night but faces another committee hearing tomorrow morning. As of last night, it was not clear when the Senate might vote on Ratcliffe, Hegseth and Noem, according to a GOP aide familiar with the scheduling, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. The aide also said Trump will be meeting with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) this afternoon, as the Republican leadership faces the challenges of a slim House majority, differing views on the implementation of Trump’s policy agenda and challenging schedule. A trip to California One of Trump’s first trips outside of Washington will be to see the aftermath of the deadly wildfires in Los Angeles. Trump said at his inauguration-eve rally that he will visit California on Friday. He was previously invited by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who has had to balance leading the largest blue state in the country with preparing to secure aid from a new Republican president who has repeatedly bashed the state. Newsom said in a statement Monday that he “look[ed] forward to President Trump’s visit to Los Angeles and his mobilization of the full weight of the federal government to help our fellow Americans recover and rebuild.” Rep. Brad Sherman (D-California), who represents the area ravaged by the Palisades Fire, told us that he hoped Trump’s visit would include local and state elected officials — many of them Democrats — but that he had not gotten any outreach from the new administration. He objected to Trump’s claim in his inaugural speech that the fires were still burning “without even a token of defense,” calling it offensive to the thousands of firefighters “putting their lives on the line.” Sherman also expressed hope that Trump and GOP lawmakers would set aside other issues to focus on passing a “big appropriation” increasing aid to California homeowners. “This should not be a bunch of Republicans talking about the delta smelt and a bunch of Democrats talking about global warming,” Sherman said. “This should be how we are going to help people rebuild their house.” | 
Meryl Kornfield and 
