On Tuesday, supporters involved in the U.S. Capitol attack four years ago are set to be released from prison, following a broad pardon by the newly sworn-in president, indicating a push for assertive use of executive authority.
The controversial pardon on Inauguration Day by the Republican president has raised concerns among legislators who were at risk during the assault on January 6, 2021, by Trump loyalists seeking to impede Congress from validating Joe Biden's 2020 victory.
Among those granted clemency is Stewart Rhodes, the former leader of the Oath Keepers militia, who had his 18-year sentence commuted and was released early Tuesday in Cumberland, Maryland. Rhodes, convicted for scheming to use violence against Congress to halt election certification, was also linked to the storing of firearms in a Virginia hotel for potential transport to Washington.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the president’s actions, stating, “Donald Trump is ushering in a Golden Age for people that break the law and attempt to overthrow the government.”
The assault stemmed from Trump’s refusal to accept defeat, jeopardizing the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in U.S. history. Approximately 140 police officers were attacked, and four individuals lost their lives in the turmoil.
Scheduled for release are Proud Boys leaders, some convicted of seditious conspiracy, following clashes with protesters wearing Proud Boys insignia in Washington during Trump’s inauguration.
After his inauguration ceremony, Trump signed a series of pardons in the U.S. Rotunda, where his supporters had previously rioted. His executive actions included stringent immigration policies, cuts in support for electric vehicles, authorization for Arctic and offshore oil drilling, withdrawal from the World Health Organization, and the rescue of the TikTok app.
Noteworthy impacts of Trump’s policies are already visible, including asylum appointment cancellations along the U.S.-Mexico border and the redirection of cleared refugees back to their departure points.
Despite some successes, contradictions in Trump's directives, like plans to eliminate birthright citizenship, may face legal challenges. The quirky proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America elicited a chuckle from Hillary Clinton during the swearing-in ceremony.
Trump's resumption of power has been profitable, as indicated by the substantial surge of a cryptocurrency he launched and the successful $300 million token sales of World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture linked to him.