Donald Trump makes very worrying change to White House website just hours into his presidency
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Social Media, Politics
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: GREG NASH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Social Media, Politics
Donald Trump has reportedly made a change to the White House website just days after his inauguration.
Since Trump officially became the 47th president of the United States on Monday (20 January), he's already signed off a number of executive orders.
During the day's proceedings, Trump signed off several orders, memorandums and proclamations at Capital One Arena, before heading to the Oval Office where he sat down to sign off even more.
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Some of the orders he's signed off on include withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as changes to birthright citizenship, delaying the TikTok ban and only recognising two genders - male and female.
Trump has also signed pardons for around 1,500 defendants who took part in the US Capitol riots back in January 2021, following Joe Biden's election victory.
An executive order on The White House's website reads: "This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation."
Some people have noticed there's been some changes to the White House website, too, with many claiming that the accessibility page has been removed or deactivated.
One person wrote on X: "@WhiteHouse has removed its Accessibility webpage - a terrible move and a huge loss for Deaf Americans like me who relied on ASL interpretations for equal access. This is a direct attack on accessibility rights for all citizens. Cutting resources like this is a disgrace."
While another said: "The accessibility website is down and I am giving the White House the death glare... creating unnecessary fear and anxiety among the vulnerable people who relies on accessibility."
And a third added: "All accessibility features of the Whitehouse official website have been removed."
Someone else claimed: "Well, the White House accessibility page disappeared within 24 hours of trump taking office... This isn’t just a fluke. It’s the beginning of something much bigger. With Project 2025 already being talked about, it’s clear where this is headed."
Meanwhile, LGBTQ advocacy organisation GLAAD claimed that the Trump administration has removed 'nearly all LGBTQ and HIV focused content and resources'.
They explained: "Mentions of 'lesbian,' 'bisexual,' 'gay,' 'transgender,' 'sexual orientation,' 'gender identity,' and related terms are no longer accessible on WhiteHouse.gov, and the search term 'LGBTQ' now brings up zero results on the site.
"In addition, some LGBTQ-specific pages have been taken down from the Centers for Disease Control, Department of State, and more."
GLAAD’s President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis added: "President Trump claims to be a strong proponent of freedom of speech, yet he is clearly committed to censorship of any information containing or related to LGBTQ Americans and issues that we face.
"This action proves the Trump administration’s goal of making it as difficult as possible for LGBTQ Americans to find federal resources or otherwise see ourselves reflected under his presidency. Sadly for him, our community is more visible than ever; and this pathetic attempt to diminish and remove us will again prove unsuccessful."
When asked about the website's changes, principal White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields told USA Today: "It's day two. We are in the process of developing, editing and tweaking the White House website. As part of this ongoing work, some of the archived content on the website went dormant. We are committed to reloading that content in a short timeline."
Tyla has reached out to Trump's reps for comment.