Donald Trump’s administration is once more under criticism as many unpopular executive orders were signed.

Donald Trump’s second week as US president reaffirmed that America and the world should expect the unexpected from the new administration in Washington. International and domestic targets came under attack from the president, while his latest actions were met with protests and several policy rollouts were widely criticized. The new regime is so far behaving as many predicted: generating controversy and provoking outrage.

Early in President Trump’s second week in office an executive order that banned immigration to the US from seven Muslim majority countries sowed strife. The presidential decree has revoked at least 100,000 visas so far and triggered protests at major US airports as well as condemnations from nations around the world. The White House argues that the unprecedented immigration restriction is for security reasons, but many have pointed out that no terror attacks on the US have come from citizens of thoseselect banned countries.

Unforeseen international incidents later in the week included President Trump hanging up early during a phone call with Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull after he berated America’s long-time ally over an existing pledge for the US to accept refugees from Australian detention centers. Trump reportedly yelled throughout the phone call and suggested that Australia was trying to export the “next Boston bombers” to the US.

Also, in the first ever counter-terror raid ordered by President Trump a US Special Forces soldier and 10 women and children were killed in Yemen. The risky operation green-lighted by the new president targeted Al Qaeda men and materiel and resulted in injuries to three American soldiers with one dead as well as a multi-million dollar aircraft destroyed because it crashed and could no longer be flown.

On the home front many came under fire from the new regime this week. At a Black History Month event at the White House President Trump diverged from the celebration to blast media network CNN as “fake news”. A day later at the annual National Prayer Breakfast the new president went off topic and insulted actor Arnold Schwarzenegger over poor ratings on the show The Apprentice, once hosted by Trump. Also, President Trump threatened to cut federal funding to University of California, Berkeley after violent protests broke out on campus in reaction to scheduled appearances by extreme right-wing commentators. US media noted that it is unprecedented for a president to publicly bully an American university. 

Personnel changes and policy shifts ordered by President Trump also stirred controversy this week. Trump’s chief strategist and infamous right-wing media personality Steve Bannon was given a seat on the important National Security Council, while the roles of America’s director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were weakened. Prominent officials criticized the National Security Council reshuffle and questioned why Steve Bannon, with no military or intelligence community experience, should wield such influence on a key platform that makes strategic decisions on US foreign affairs.

Many, this week, did not welcome executive orders from Trump that called for a review of Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The law was enacted to more tightly regulate the US financial system and stamp out unscrupulous banking practices to avoid a repeat of the economic meltdown of the late 2000s. However, Trump and the Wall Street alum now in places of power in Washington have signaled they will repeal “burdensome” financial regulations to improve profits and offer “more affordable” banking products to consumers. Deregulation will remove safeguards and re-introduce risks abundant during the last economic collapse.

The Trump administration has made clear in two weeks in power that it will not compromise or negotiate with those it perceives as adversaries or non-allies. The new regime believes it has a mandate to remove or repeal persons or policies that do not fit into its agenda. Individuals, institutions, nations and organizations are all targets for attack. Americans and the international community should expect an era of constant confrontation and perpetual controversy under this president.