WASHINGTON, Jan 23, 2025 (BSS/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.

A fierce critic of the media, conservative activist L. Brent Bozell, was named to head the agency overseeing public media outlets including Voice of America.

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 White House event, flanked by top Silicon Valley tycoons.

And Trump prompted questions when he threatened Russia with sanctions if it doesn't accept a 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.

- Migrants and diversity fight -

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that an executive order signed Monday would dispatch 1,500 more troops to the border.

There are already more than 2,000 US soldiers at the frontier to support the US border patrol and police stopping migrants from crossing illegally.

The US Justice Department meanwhile threatened to prosecute local and state authorities if they fail to cooperate with Trump's pledge to deport "millions and millions" of undocumented immigrants.

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

Equally prominent on Trump's agenda has been a full-on battle against so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs -- enacted to tackle racism and sexism but which conservatives say discriminate against white people, and white men in particular.

US government workers in diversity offices must be put on paid leave by 5:00 pm (2200 GMT) Wednesday, Leavitt confirmed.

Trump is also ending "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. He likewise targeted "DEI madness" in hiring employees for the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA).

Leavitt told NBC Trump would be "returning America to a merit based society where people are hired based on their skills, not for the color of their skin" -- a reference to conservative complaints that programs aimed at encouraging minority success instead shut out whites.

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