Donald Trump cast himself both as a peacemaker and fierce defender of US interests in a mercurial return to the White House on Monday, vowing to seize the Panama Canal but also imploring Russia to make a deal on Ukraine.
In only his first hours back as president, Trump also moved to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord and World Health Organization (WHO), halted Cuba's delisting from a state sponsors of terrorism blacklist and -- symbolically but provocatively -- announced he was rechristening the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America."
Trump, in his inaugural address, repeated his complaint that China was effectively "operating" the Panama Canal through its growing presence around the vital waterway, which the United States handed over at the end of 1999.
"We didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we're taking it back," Trump said after taking the oath inside the US Capitol.
Trump has been raising pressure for weeks over the canal -- through which 40 percent of US container traffic travels -- and has repeatedly refused to rule out military force against Panama, historically friendly to Washington.
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino swiftly denied that any other nation was interfering in the canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, saying his country operated it through a principle of neutrality. "The canal is and will remain Panama's," Mulino said, calling for dialogue to address any issues.
At his inauguration, Trump complained that US merchant and Navy ships were "being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form."
"The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated," he said.
Trump has also not ruled out force to seize Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark where Russia has been increasingly active as ice melts due to climate change.
The Panama Canal was built by the United States mostly with Afro-Caribbean labor and opened in 1914.
Former US president Jimmy Carter, who died last month, negotiated its return in 1977, saying he saw a moral responsibility to respect a less powerful but fully sovereign nation.
- 'Peacemaker and unifier' -
Trump pledged an "America First" policy of prioritizing US interests above all else. He has put a focus on cracking down on undocumented immigration and said he will deploy the military to the border with Mexico.
But Trump also cast himself as a peacemaker and pointed to a Gaza ceasefire deal whose implementation began Sunday -- a deal first proposed by his predecessor Joe Biden but pushed through after unusual coordination between the outgoing and incoming administrations.
"My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That's what I want to be -- a peacemaker and a unifier," he said in his inaugural address.
At an indoor rally where he signed executive orders, Trump welcomed the families of hostages still being held in Gaza, some holding pictures of their loved ones.
Trump had also vowed to end the Ukraine war immediately on taking office, raising expectations he would leverage aid to force Kyiv to make concessions to Russia, which invaded in February 2022.
But in unusually heated remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin, for whom he has previously voiced admiration, Trump pointed to the state of Russia's economy and its heavy battlefield losses.
"He should make a deal. I think he's destroying Russia by not making a deal," Trump told reporters on his return to the Oval Office.
"He can't be thrilled he's not doing so well. I mean, he's grinding it out, but most people thought that war would have been over in about one week, and now you're into three years, right?" Trump said.
Trump said he was preparing to meet Putin. A summit between the two in his first term gained notoriety after Trump appeared to accept the Russian leader's word over that of US intelligence.
"I got along with him great," Trump said Monday. "I would hope he wants to make a deal."
Denmark will 'come along' on selling Greenland
President Donald Trump said he believed Denmark would "come along" on his plans to purchase Greenland, after he refused to rule out military intervention to bring the territory under US control.
"Greenland is a wonderful place, we need it for international security. I'm sure that Denmark will come along," Trump told reporters on his return to the Oval Office.
National emergency on immigration
President Donald Trump announced severe new restrictions on immigration and asylum in the United States hours after taking office Monday, declaring that he will send troops to the US-Mexico border and attempt to end birthright citizenship.
Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and used a careening press conference in the Oval Office to announce the controversial order seeking to revoke the right of US nationality to anyone born in America. "That's a big one," he told reporters.
The move to reverse a right enshrined in the US Constitution will face stiff legal challenges, an inevitability the president acknowledged.
"I think we have good grounds, but you could be right," he said when asked about the pushback.
Another executive order declared a national emergency on the US-Mexico border.
"I'm fine with legal immigration. I like it. We need people, and I'm absolutely fine with it. We want to have it," he said.
"But we have to have legal immigration."
Earlier, in his inaugural speech, he announced he would be sending troops to the US-Mexico border "to repel the disastrous invasion of our country."
"All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came," he said.
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly announced earlier that the administration would end the practice of granting asylum.
- Appointments cancelled -
The first effects of Trump's stance became apparent minutes after his inauguration when an app unveiled under president Joe Biden to help process asylum seekers went offline.
US media reported 30,000 people had appointments scheduled.
Trump's key adviser and noted immigration hardliner Stephen Miller took to social media to announce that the doors were shut. "All illegal aliens seeking entry into the United States should turn back now," he wrote.
"Anyone entering the United States without authorization faces prosecution and expulsion."
Kelly said the administration would also reinstate the "Remain in Mexico" policy that prevailed under Trump's first administration.
Under that rule, people who apply to enter the United States at the Mexican border were not allowed to do so until their application had been decided.
On the US-Mexican border, there was despair.
"Since we are here, please let us in," said Yaime Perez, a 27-year-old Cuban.
"Please, after all the work we have put in to get here, let us enter your country, so that we can better ourselves in life and be somebody," she said.
- Court challenges -
Kelly said Trump would seek to use the death penalty against non-citizens who commit capital crimes including murder. "This is about national security. This is about public safety, and this is about the victims of some of the most violent, abusive criminals we've seen enter our country in our lifetime, and it ends today," she said.
Many of Trump's first-term executive actions were rescinded under Biden, including one using so-called Title 42, implemented during the Covid pandemic preventing almost all entry to the country on public health grounds.
The changes under Biden led to an influx of migrants, with images of thousands of people packing the border area.
Trump frequently invoked dark imagery about how illegal migration was "poisoning the blood" of the nation, words that were seized upon by opponents as reminiscent of Nazi Germany.
Analysts say any effort to alter birthright citizenship will be fraught.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, said the 14th Amendment was "crystal clear" in granting citizenship to anyone born in the United States with the exception of children of foreign diplomats.
"We have had birthright citizenship for centuries, and a president cannot take it away with an executive order," he told AFP. "We expect rapid court challenges."
US quits WHO
President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), a body he has repeatedly criticized over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the White House hours after his inauguration, Trump said the United States was paying far more to the UN body compared to China, adding: "World Health ripped us off."
The United States, the largest donor to the Geneva-based organization, provides substantial financial support that is vital to the WHO's operations.
Its withdrawal is expected to trigger a significant restructuring of the institution and could further disrupt global health initiatives.
This marks the second time Trump has sought to sever ties with the WHO.
During his first term, the United States issued a notice of intent to withdraw, accusing the organization of being overly influenced by China during the pandemic's early stages.
That move was later reversed under former president Joe Biden's administration.
In his new executive order, Trump directed agencies to "pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO" and to "identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by the WHO."
The administration also announced plans to review and rescind Biden's 2024 US Global Health Security Strategy, which was designed to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats, "as soon as practicable."
The timing of the US withdrawal comes amid mounting fears over the pandemic potential of the current bird flu outbreak (H5N1), which has infected dozens and claimed one life in the United States.
Meanwhile, WHO member states have been negotiating the world's first treaty on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response since late 2021 -- negotiations now set to proceed without US participation.
Goodbye to Paris climate agreement
President Trump announced the United States' withdrawal from the Paris climate accord for a second time, a defiant rejection of global efforts to combat planetary warming as catastrophic weather events intensify worldwide.
The Republican leader also declared a "national energy emergency" to expand drilling in the world's top oil and gas producer, said he would scrap vehicle emissions standards that amount to an "electric vehicle mandate," and vowed to halt offshore wind farms, a frequent target of his scorn.
"I'm immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris Climate Accord rip-off," he said to cheering supporters at a Washington sports arena after being sworn in. "The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity."
He also signed an order instructing federal agencies to reject international climate finance commitments made under the previous administration, and issued a formal letter to the United Nations notifying it of Washington's intent to leave the agreement.
Under the accord's rules, the United States will formally exit in one year.
Critics warn the move undermines global cooperation on reducing fossil fuel use and could embolden major polluters like China and India to weaken their commitments, while Argentina, under libertarian President Javier Milei has also said it is "re-evaluating" its participation.
"Withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement is a travesty," said Rachel Cleetus, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, adding the move "shows an administration cruelly indifferent to the harsh climate change impacts that people in the United States and around the world are experiencing."
- Praise and scorn -
Trump's actions drew praise from energy industry leaders and immediate outrage from environmental advocates.
"The US oil and natural gas industry stands ready to work with the new administration to deliver the common sense energy solutions Americans voted for," said Mike Sommers, of the American Petroleum Institute.
But Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, pushed back: "There is no energy emergency. There is a climate emergency."
"The United States is producing more oil and gas than any country in history," Bapnda said, accusing the Trump administration of "further enriching billionaire oil and gas donors at the people's expense."
Analyses predict that Trump's policies will significantly slow the pace of greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
Still, experts remain optimistic that emissions will continue trending downward over the long term.
Trump's actions come despite overwhelming scientific consensus linking fossil fuel combustion to rising global temperatures and increasingly severe climate disasters. Wildfires exacerbated by climate change have recently devastated Los Angeles, leaving widespread destruction in their wake.
25% tariffs on Canada, Mexico
President Trump said he may impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico as early as February 1, while promising punitive measures on other countries as part of new US trade policy.
Trump rekindled his threat against the two major US trading partners hours after taking the oath of office -- accusing them of failing to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking into the United States.
"We're thinking in terms of 25 percent on Mexico and Canada, because they're allowing vast numbers of people -- Canada's a very bad abuser also -- vast numbers of people to come in, and fentanyl to come in," he said in the Oval Office as he signed an array of executive orders.
He added that he was thinking of enacting the tariffs on February 1.
Earlier Monday, Trump vowed to "immediately begin the overhaul" of the US trade system "to protect American workers and families."
"Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens," Trump said in his inaugural address.
Trump had threatened the tariff hikes on Canadian and Mexican imports as president-elect, as well as an additional 10 percent on Chinese goods, if they did not do more about illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl into the country.
On the campaign trail, Trump also floated the idea of added duties on all imports and steeper rates -- 60 percent or more -- on Chinese goods.
Mexico, Canada and China are leading sources for goods imported by the United States, according to official trade data.
Asked about across-the-board tariffs, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he might enact them, but added: "We're not ready for that yet."
Tariffs are paid by US importers to the government on purchases from abroad, and the economic weight falls on importers, foreign suppliers or consumers.
- EU in crosshairs -
Trump on Monday also signed a directive for federal agencies "to address the cost-of-living crisis," calling for actions to lower housing costs and others.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump took aim at trade imbalances with the European Union too, saying it did not import enough American products.
He added he would "straighten that out" by using tariffs or by urging more oil and gas purchases from the bloc.
The EU's economy commissioner said earlier Monday that it stood ready to defend its interests, while Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Ottawa would work to ensure it is ready to respond to any US actions.
In his inaugural address, Trump reiterated his plan also to set up an "External Revenue Service" to collect tariffs, duties and revenues, promising "massive amounts of money" pouring in.
Some analysts have warned that tariff hikes would bring higher consumer prices and weigh on GDP.
But Trump's supporters have pointed to other proposals like tax cuts and deregulation as ways to offset any potential negative impacts.
Scott Bessent, Trump's Treasury secretary nominee, told lawmakers last Thursday that he disagreed the cost of tariffs would be borne domestically.
And Commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick told Trump's supporters in Washington that if firms wanted to avoid duties, they should build factories in America.
Trump also signed a directive to establish a new "Department of Government Efficiency," after naming billionaire ally Elon Musk to lead such an initiative.
The office dubbed DOGE is expected to propose major cuts to federal spending and regulations.
Cuba back on terror list
President Trump promptly reversed Joe Biden's decision to remove Cuba from a blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, announced days earlier as part of a deal to free prisoners.
In a statement issued hours after the inauguration, the White House said Trump had rescinded a long series of executive orders, including the decision on Cuba.
The Biden administration in its final days last week said it would remove Cuba from the list, which severely impedes foreign investment, in return for a promise to release 553 people -- including Cubans jailed in a crackdown on rare mass protests in 2021.
Cuba had gone ahead with releasing prisoners, including opposition leader Daniel Ferrer.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that Trump was acting out of "arrogance and disregard for the truth."
"This is not surprising. His goal is to keep accelerating the cruel economic war against Cuba with a goal of domination," he wrote on X.
Trump himself had made a decision in his final days in office in 2021 to put Cuba back on the list, reversing a reconciliation drive under former president Barack Obama.
The White House did not describe reasons for reversing Biden's order or whether it expected the move to impact freed prisoners. But new Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American staunchly opposed to the communist island's government, told his confirmation hearing last week that he had "zero doubt" that Cuba belonged on the list.
The last Trump administration in 2021 had also cited Cuba's refusal to extradite back to Colombia members of the militant group ELN.
Pardons for 1,500 Capitol rioters
US President Donald Trump granted pardons on Monday to more than 1,500 of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a bid to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Trump, just hours after taking office, also ordered that all pending criminal cases against Capitol riot defendants be dropped.
Among those receiving a pardon was Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for directing a military-style assault on the Capitol.
Stewart Rhodes, the leader of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers, had his 18-year prison sentence commuted to time served. Both Tarrio and Rhodes had been convicted of seditious conspiracy.
Describing the rioters as "hostages," Trump said at a White House signing ceremony that he had granted "full pardons" to more than 1,500 defendants.
"We hope they come out tonight, frankly," he said.
A total of 1,583 people were charged in connection with the assault on Congress by Trump supporters seeking to disrupt certification of Democrat Joe Biden's election victory.
Trump repeatedly pledged during his election campaign to pardon those who took part in the attack, calling them "patriots" and "political prisoners."
Trump, whose first term as president ended under the cloud of the Capitol assault, has repeatedly played down the violence of January 6, even going so far as to describe it as a "day of love."
More than 140 police officers were injured in hours of clashes with rioters wielding flagpoles, baseball bats, hockey sticks and other makeshift weapons along with Tasers and canisters of bear spray.
- 'Outrageous insult' -
The Capitol assault followed a fiery speech by then-president Trump to tens of thousands of his supporters near the White House in which he repeated his false claims that he won the 2020 race.
He then encouraged the crowd to march on Congress.
Former Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned the pardons, calling them "an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol."
"It is shameful that the president has decided to make one of his top priorities the abandonment and betrayal of police officers who put their lives on the line to stop an attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power," Pelosi said.
Trump was charged by special counsel Jack Smith with conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
But the case never made it to trial, and ahead of the inauguration was dropped under the Justice Department's policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.
Trump's move on Monday granted a "full, complete and unconditional pardon" to everyone convicted of involvement in the riot and ordered the immediate release of those still in prison.
He commuted to time served the sentences of nine members of the Oath Keepers, including the founder Rhodes. Five members of the Proud Boys also had their sentences commuted.
- 'Unrelenting attacks' -
Biden, before leaving office on Monday, issued pre-emptive pardons to former Covid advisor Anthony Fauci, retired general Mark Milley and close family members to shield them from "politically motivated prosecutions" by the Trump administration.
Biden gave similar pardons to former Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney and other members of the congressional committee that investigated the Capitol attack.
Just minutes before Trump was sworn in, Biden announced he was issuing pardons to his brother James Biden, James's wife Sara Jones Biden, his sister Valerie Biden Owens, Valerie's husband John Owens, and his brother Francis Biden.
"My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me -- the worst kind of partisan politics," Biden said. "Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end."
Trump decrees end of diversity programs, LGBTQ protections
US President Donald Trump repealed a slew of executive orders promoting diversity programs and LGBTQ equality Monday after using his inauguration speech to signal a definitive break with what he decries as "woke" culture.
On the campaign trail Trump vilified diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the federal government and corporate world, saying they discriminated against white people -- men in particular.
He also demonized any recognition of gender diversity, attacking transgender people -- notably transgender women in sports -- and gender-affirming care for children.
In front of a crowd of supporters in a Washington arena, Trump wiped out 78 executive orders, actions and presidential memoranda issued by his predecessor Joe Biden.
Several of the overturned decrees promoted diversity and equality in the government, workplaces and healthcare, as well as the rights of LGBTQ Americans.
In doing so Trump fulfilled a campaign promise to immediately curtail programs that sought to redress historical inequality but that he has insisted disadvantage white people, particularly men.
He scrapped Biden-era executive orders that prevented "discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation", discrimination for LGBTQ Americans in education, as well as equity programs for Black and Hispanic Americans.
In his inauguration speech at the US Capitol ahead of the stadium signing, Trump also said "as of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female."
The policies will almost certainly face legal challenges.
Outside the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City, a focal point of the struggle for LGBTQ rights, members of the community were defiant.
"These announcements and these policy changes really affect people in a deep level," Angel Bullard, a 22-year-old transgender student from Wyoming, told AFP.
"It's a horrible place to be when you are unaffirmed and alone in this world."
Work from home for federal employees ends
President Trump signed an executive order Monday requiring federal workers return to the office full-time, in one of his first official acts after taking office.
The measure was one of several executive orders Trump signed during a public event at an arena in Washington attended by thousands of his supporters.
"Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements," the White House said in a statement confirming the executive order.
The measure also requires employees "to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary."
"This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law," it added.
The language in the statement underscores the challenges the new Trump administration is likely to face enforcing the executive order, given the strong opposition to ending remote work by unions representing public sector workers.
Work-from-home allowances flourished during the Covid-19 pandemic, when millions of white collar workers moved online as their employers looked to reduce the spread of the virus.
The measures proved popular with employees, who voiced support for the new-found flexibility it afforded them in their personal lives.
Many of President Trump's most ardent supporters, including his billionaire ally and mega-donor Elon Musk, have said work-from-home policies were inefficient, and have called for federal workers to return to the office full-time.