Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump announced Wednesday deployment of an extra 1,500 US troops to the Mexican border, as he stepped up a crackdown against illegal immigration and diversity programs in a whirlwind start to his second term.

The 78-year-old Republican – who has pledged a “golden age” for America – halted refugee arrivals and threatened to prosecute local authorities that fail to deport migrants.

As part of his blitz of right-wing measures on returning to office, the billionaire also ordered that US government employees in diversity programs – conceived as ways to combat racism and sexism – be put on paid leave immediately.

Trump held what was reportedly his first phone call with a foreign leader since taking office Monday, talking with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who promised increased trade to the United States, according to the kingdom’s foreign ministry.

And in the latest round of appointments, Trump announced that fast food executive Andrew Puzder – who has previously faced questions over his business and private conduct – will be the new US ambassador to the European Union.

He named his longtime Secret Service bodyguard Sean Curran – who was at his side when an assassin opened fire and grazed his ear during a presidential campaign rally last July – as director of the security agency, which protects the president and other top officials.

But while Trump is steamrolling through Washington, there have been surprise speedbumps.

Close advisor and world’s richest man Elon Musk revealed budding tensions when he bashed an AI investment mega project that Trump himself publicly touted at a televised White House event, flanked by top Silicon Valley tycoons.

And Trump prompted questions when he threatened Russia with sanctions if it doesn’t accept an unspecified Ukraine peace deal – something he previously had claimed he would broker within 24 hours.

His predecessor Joe Biden had left him a “lot of work,” Trump told Fox News’s Sean Hannity in his first television interview since taking office.

As Los Angeles continues to be scorched by wildfires, he also floated the idea of ending federal disaster aid and disbanding FEMA, the government agency that manages disasters.

“I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems,” he told Hannity.

- Migrants and diversity fight -

Trump, who has more than a dozen ex-Fox News employees in his adminstration, discussed his barrage of executive orders and his plans for the first 100 days.

But it was a typically divisive conversation, with Trump – investigated for leading unprecedented efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss – calling Democrats “stupid” and claiming that “the only thing they’re good at, really, is cheating.”

Since reentering the White House, Trump has focused heavily on harsh migration measures.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump was dispatching 1,500 troops to add to the 2,000-plus contingent already at the Mexican border.

He likewise halted arrivals of refugees already cleared to enter the United States as part of the crackdown, according to a State Department memo.

Trump’s other main target has been on anything related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

He ordered related government websites and social media accounts to go offline and federal workers involved to put on paid leave.

Trump also ended what he called “radical” affirmative action in awarding federal contracts, revoking an order crafted to combat racism that dates back to the civil rights era of the 1960s.

One of Trump’s first acts as president on Monday was to pardon more than 1,000 supporters who stormed the US Capitol, attacking police and vandalizing the seat of US democracy, after he lost in 2020.

A row between Trump and the bishop at the National Cathedral, who asked him during her sermon at a service he attended Tuesday to show “mercy” to “scared” migrants and LGBTQ people, simmered on.

Trump called Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde “nasty” and she later told The New York Times that she felt compelled to speak up.

“Was anyone going to say anything about the turn the country’s taking?”