He will become only the second former U.S. president to return to office after losing a reelection bid. President Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, served as the 22nd and 24th president in the late 1800s.

Trump, a Republican who served as the 45th president, will become the 47th president after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election. She became a replacement candidate for the Democratic Party after President Joe Biden, the 46th president, dropped out of the race on July 21.

Throughout Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, which he began in late 2022, Trump has stated that he plans to begin tackling numerous issues on "day one," ranging from border security to the economy.

He has repeatedly made pledges that would make for a busy first day in office in 2025.

In late 2023, Trump joked with a Fort Dodge, Iowa, audience about his eagerness to begin signing documents on Inauguration Day.

"I may even have a very tiny little desk put on the 20th stair" of the U.S. Capitol, where he could begin signing documents immediately after taking the Oath of Office, Trump said.

It's anyone's guess how many executive orders Trump might sign during his new administration's first day—which is a short one. His second presidential term begins when the day is half over.

Under the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, executive power transfers to the newly elected president every four years at noon on Jan. 20.

New presidents are also likely to sign other documents, such as Trump's proclamation designating his first day in office, Jan. 20, 2017, as a "National Day of Patriotic Devotion." The proclamation's intent was "to strengthen our bonds to each other and to our country—and to renew the duties of Government to the people."

But executive orders are among the most important documents a new president can sign.

These orders, which have been used by almost every U.S. president, carry about the same weight as federal law. And they remain in effect unless Congress overrules them, a court overturns them, or a future president revokes them. These orders also signal what the new president's priorities will be.