President Trump Signs 3 Presidential Memorandums, Pulls US From TPP

President Trump promised a busy Day One for his first Monday.

By
ALEXANDER MALLIN, KATHERINE FAULDERS, JORDYN PHELPS and MEGHAN KENEALLY
January 23, 2017, 4:49 PM ET
4 min read

— -- President Donald Trump signed three presidential memorandums this morning, taking immediate action on at least one main campaign promise.

One presidential memorandum called for the U.S.'s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, fulfilling a promise made on the campaign trail in a move he says will help American businesses.

"Great thing for the American worker, what we just did," Trump said as he signed that presidential memorandum at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office.

The next presidential memorandum he signed was a hiring freeze on all federal workers "except for military," he said.

The final presidential memorandum of the morning was a reaffirmation of an existing law that bans federal funding for foreign nongovernmental organizations that promote or pay for abortions.

Trump previously said that he considers today his first "real" workday after Friday's inauguration, though he did do some business over the weekend. He made a trip to the CIA on Saturday, addressing members of the intelligence community, and then swore in his senior staff on Sunday.

In a video message two weeks after his election, Trump pledged that on "Day One" he would take the following actions:

  • Withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership
  • Cancel "job killing" restrictions on American energy
  • Institute a rule that for every new regulation put in place, two old ones should be eliminated
  • Ask the Department of Defense and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff to develop a plan to protect infrastructure from cyberattacks
  • Direct the Department of Labor to investigate all abuses of visa programs
  • Impose a five-year ban on executive officials' becoming lobbyists after leaving the administration

    • Other White House officials tell ABC News that other executive actions could come related to a declaration of intention to renegotiate NAFTA, to immigration and to repealing the Affordable Care Act.

    Donald Trump Promise Tracker: Where His Pledges Stand
    Trans-Pacific Partnership: An Explainer
    Trump Seems to Soften on Campaign Promises
    Analysis: Trump Promises Big Change, Picks Small Fights

    White House press secretary Sean Spicer will hold his first official press briefing with members of the press corps, after he blasted the media Saturday in his first press room statement, accusing news organizations of falsely reporting the size of crowds at the Jan. 20 inauguration and intentionally framing photographs to "minimize the enormous support" of those in attendance.

    Editor's Note: The White House has since clarified that this morning's actions were technically "presidential memorandums," not "executive orders," as they were previously indicated on the president's public schedule and referred to in this story. This story has been updated accordingly.