Freshly inaugurated US President Joe Biden yesterday jumped into the deep end of his new job with a slew of orders and changes.
Biden plans to immediately roll back his predecessor Donald Trump’s policies on the controversial border wall, climate change, health and Muslims.
Biden will revoke Trump's emergency declaration that helped fund the construction of a border wall and end a travel ban on some majority-Muslim countries.
Biden was to sign 15 executive actions after he was sworn in as US president yesterday, aides said, undoing policies put in place by Trump and making his first moves on the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.
To address the "crises" of the pandemic, it will become law to wear a mask on federal property and for federal employees, while a new White House office coordinating the response to the Coronavirus would be established.
In addition, the new administration will also be halting the process of withdrawing from the World Health Organisation.
Biden will also begin the process of re-entering the Paris climate accord and issue a sweeping order tackling climate change, including revoking the presidential permit granted to the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Meanwhile, Trump, in his farewell address, touted his legacy and wished luck to the new administration, without acknowledging his successor by name.
Trump maintains that the 3 November election was stolen from him – despite Biden winning 306 Electoral College votes to his 232.
Breaking with tradition, Trump did not attend Biden’s swearing in ceremony, instead flying to Florida.
Trump had pledged to "Make America Great Again", but leaves office with more than 400 000 people dead of the novel Coronavirus – the most in the world.