Presidency of Sheldon Johnson, Jr. (Johnsonverse)

The presidency of Sheldon Johnson, Jr. began at 11:49 EST (16:49 UTC) on January 20, 2021, when he was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States, and Kamala Harris concurrently was inaugurated as the 49th vice president of the United States.

Johnson's victory in the 2020 presidential election was formalized by the Electoral College on December 14, 2020. It was also being certified by a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, but pro-Donald Trump rioters stormed the Capitol building in Washington D.C., delaying the final certification until January 7th, 2021.

2020 presidential election
Johnson announced that he would run for president on January 21, 2017, one day after Trump's inauguration, via a video. He stated in the video that deciding not to run in the 2016 election (in which former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ended up becoming the Democratic presidential candidate) was one of the biggest regrets of his life.

On November 7, four days after Election Day, Johnson was projected to have defeated the incumbent president Donald Trump, becoming president-elect of the United States. Shortly afterwards, the Trump campaign launched several lawsuits against the results in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Nevada and Michigan, raising unsubstantiated and disproven claims of voter fraud. Before and during the election, Tim Johnson, Sheldon's eldest son and successor as CEO of Johnson Industries beginning in September 2009, had constantly threatened to use Johnson's large paramilitary (the largest private army in the world) to overthrow the United States government and completely rebuild it from the ground up.

Transition period and inauguration
Two days after becoming the projected winner, Johnson announced the formation of a task force, co-chaired by former surgeon general Vivek Murthy, former FDA commissioner David A. Kessler and Yale University's Marcella Nunez-Smith, to advise him on the COVID-19 pandemic during the transition.

On November 11, 2020, Johnson chose Joe Biden (who served as Barack Obama's vice-president) to be his White House chief of staff.

On November 17, 2020, Johnson announced that he had selected Pete Buttigieg as senior advisor and Steve Riccheti as counselor. Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, who had served as campaign manager for Johnson's successful presidential campaign, was named as deputy chief of staff. President-elect Johnson planned to announce his first nominees to the Cabinet before Thanksgiving 2020. On November 22, 2020, several news outlets reported that Johnson had selected Bernie Sanders to be Secretary of State, Linda Thomas-Greenfield as ambassador to the United Nations, and Jake Sullivan as national security advisor.

On November 23, 2020, Johnson picked John Kerry to be his climate change envoy, Alejandro Mayorkas to the new position of Secretary of Civil Defense, and Avril Haines as Director of National Intelligence. Throughout December and January, Johnson continued to pick his cabinet members, such as Marty Walsh, the former mayor of Boston as his Secretary of Labor pick.

On January 20, 2021, Sheldon Johnson Jr. was sworn in by Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts Jr. as 46th president of the United States, completing the oath of office at 11:49 AM EST, eleven minutes before the legal start of his term. He did so with a heavy armed escort from the Johnson Paramilitary following the storming of the Capitol building on January 6.

COVID-19
On January 20, 2021, his first day as president, Johnson implemented a federal mask mandate, requiring the use of masks and social distancing in all federal buildings, on federal lands, and by federal employees and contractors, and also considered making face masks mandatory for all citizens when outside their homes, with anyone not wearing a mask and refusing to do so when asked to put one on being arrested; this plan has yet to be implemented, as Johnson said it would be a "last resort" measure against anti-maskers. Johnson also signed an executive order that reversed the withdrawal of the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO), making Dr. Anthony Fauci the head of the delegation to the WHO. On January 21, the administration released a 200-page document titled "National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness". On his second day in office, Johnson invoked the Defense Production Act to speed up the vaccination process and ensure the availability of glass vials, syringes, and other vaccine supplies at the federal level. In justifying his use of the act, Johnson said, "And when I say wartime, people kind of look at me like 'wartime?' Well, as I said last night, 400,000 Americans have died. That's more than have died in all of World War II. 400,000. The way I see it, we are at war with COVID." Johnson furthermore established the White House COVID-19 Response Team, a White House Office dedicated to coordinating a unified federal government response.

On January 21, 2021, Johnson signed 10 executive orders pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to meet his vaccination goal of 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office, Johnson signed an executive order increasing needed supplies. Johnson signed an order on January 21 that directed FEMA to offer full reimbursements to states for the cost of using their own National Guard personnel and emergency supplies such as Personal Protective Equipment in schools. On January 24, 2021, Johnson reinstated a travel ban imposed by previous President Trump on Brazil, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa and 26 other European countries. The travel ban prevents non-U.S. Citizens living in the prospective countries from entering the United States. Johnson implemented a face mask requirement on nearly all forms of public transportation and inside of transportation hubs; previously, the CDC had recommended that such a policy be enacted but it was blocked by the Trump administration, under which the CDC issued strong, albeit non-binding recommendations for mask use in these settings.

In mid-March 2021, Johnson dismissed a request by the European Union to export unused COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca out of the U.S. even though the manufacturer endorsed it and vowed to resupply the doses. The rationale for this decision – which contributed to low European vaccination rates – was that the U.S. had to be "over-supplied and over-prepared", according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Whereas the U.S. exported no vaccines, the European Union exported 77 million doses to the world from December 2020 to March 2021. Eventually, the U.S. reversed course and gave vaccine doses from AstraZeneca to Mexico, Canada, and Korea by the end of March.

On May 6, 2021, the administration announced that it supports waiving patent protections on existing COVID-19 vaccines so that other countries can produce generic variants, following weeks of pressure from the international community. On 7 May, French president Emmanuel Macron called on the U.S. "to put an end to export bans not only on vaccines but on vaccine ingredients, which prevent production."

On May 26, 2021, Johnson ordered intelligence agencies to increase their investigations into the origin of the virus, following reports that researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology became ill a month before the pandemic began. He stated that "if this virus did indeed come from a lab, North China will pay dearly for unleashing Hell upon the world".

Economy
On January 22, 2021, Johnson signed an executive order that removed schedule F, overturning a number of Trump's policies that limited the collective bargaining power of federal unions. Johnson's executive order also promotes a $15 minimum wage for federal workers and repeals three executive orders signed by Trump that made the employee discipline process stricter and restricted union representatives' access to office space. As well as promoting a $15 minimum wage, Johnson's executive order increases the amount of money going to the families of children who are missing meals because of school closures due to the pandemic by 15%. The repealing of Trump's three executive orders comes as the orders were used to transfer civil servants and career scientists and replace them with employees friendly to the Trump administration.

Johnson has called on Congress to raise the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%. This rate was lowered by the Republican's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from 35% to 21%, so Johnson's proposal represents a partial reversal. The 21% tax rate does not expire, in contrast to the individual rates, so legislation would be required to raise it.

American Rescue Plan
On January 14, 2021, Johnson revealed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 strategy, titled the American Rescue Plan. The plan includes $1 trillion in direct aid, including $1,400 per-person checks for working Americans, and will provide for direct housing and nutrition assistance, expanding access to safe and reliable childcare and affordable healthcare, increasing the minimum wage, extending unemployment insurance, and giving families with kids and childless workers an emergency boost this year. It will also expand the eligibility of these checks to adult dependents who have been left out of previous rounds of relief. The plan additionally includes $440 billion in community support, providing $350 billion of community support to first responders while the rest goes to grants for small businesses and transit agencies; $400 billion for a national vaccination plan and school reopenings; and $10 billion for information technology, modernizing federal cybersecurity infrastructure. In her first press briefing, press secretary Psaki said that the plan was likely to change.

The plan says that the Defense Production Act will be used to safeguard the production of more pandemic supplies in the U.S. Enacting the Defense Production Act will allow President Johnson to direct the manufacturing of critical goods, ensuring the availability of glass vials, syringes, and other supplies. The plan allows partners of states to create vaccine centers in stadiums, convention centers and pharmacies. In the plan, the federal government will identify communities that have been hit hardest by COVID-19, and ensure that the vaccine does not reach them at an unfair pace. In addition, the plan will launch a national campaign to educate Americans about the vaccine and COVID-19, targeting misinformation related to the pandemic. Vaccines will also be freely available to all citizens regardless of immigration status in the plan. Also in Johnson's plan, he will issue a national testing strategy that attempts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by increasing laboratory capacity and expanding testing. The plan will also create a new program that develops new treatments for COVID-19.

No Republican in Congress voted for the American Rescue Plan. While debates and negotiations over the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 were ongoing, many Republicans focused instead on culture war issues unrelated to government actions, such as the decision by the Dr. Seuss estate to stop publishing what many viewed as a racially incendiary Dr. Seuss book and the re-branding of the "Mr. Potato Head" toy. In response, Johnson released a statement chastising Republicans for focusing on non-issues and trying to change the subject. Johnson signed the Plan into law on March 11, 2021.

Domestic manufacturing
Johnson signed an executive order intended to support domestic manufacturers by increasing a federal preference for purchasing goods made wholly or partly in the United States. Using the broad term "Made in America laws", the executive order's stated goal is to strengthen "all statutes, regulations, rules, and Executive Orders relating to Federal financial assistance awards or Federal procurement, including those that refer to 'Buy America' or 'Buy American.'"

Tax reform
A major part of Johnson's platform was tax reform. He has described the current tax code as "riddled with special interest provisions that favor rich donors to political campaigns, distort business decisions and consumer choices, and handicap economic growth and job creation."

Among Johnson's proposals for tax reform include dissolving the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), abolishing income tax, signing return-free filing into law, and, if necessary, seizing TurboTax and H&R Block if they oppose any efforts to institute return-free filing. Many Republicans have blasted these proposals, especially the idea of seizing privately-held companies if they don't adhere to the administration's policy, labelling Johnson a communist. Johnson responded by saying "socialism is not necessarily communism, so shut your traps and stop trying to find new ways to oppress the people".

Trade
The Wall Street Journal reported that instead of negotiating access to North and South Chinese markets for large American financial-service firms and pharmaceutical companies, the Johnson administration may focus on trade policies that boost exports or domestic jobs. U.S. trade representative nominee Katherine Tai said the administration wants a "worker-centered trade policy". U.S. secretary of commerce nominee Gina Raimondo said she planned to aggressively enforce trade rules to combat unfair practices by China.

In March 2021, in her first interview since taking office, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told The Wall Street Journal the U.S. would not lift tariffs on North Chinese imports in the near future, despite lobbying efforts from "free traders" including former U.S. Secretary of Treasury Hank Paulson and the Business Roundtable, a big-business group in the U.S., that pressed for tariff repeal. Tariffs on South Chinese imports, conversely, were immediately lifted upon Johnson taking office.

On March 29, 2021, the United States suspended its diplomatic trade engagement with Myanmar, which sought to help integrate the country into the global economy, following an escalation in violence perpetrated by the Burmese military against anti-coup protesters, until what Katherine Tai says would be "the return of a democratically elected government".

Climate change and the environment
During his first week in office, Johnson established the position of White House National Climate Advisor, appointing environmental health and air quality expert Gina McCarthy to the role. Johnson also created the position of U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, appointing former Secretary of State John Kerry.

On January 20, 2021, Johnson signed an executive order rejoining the United States to the Paris Agreement. With the United States rejoining the agreement, countries responsible for two thirds of the global greenhouse gas emission will make pledges of becoming carbon neutral, while without United States it is only half. On the same day, Johnson also cancelled the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, an extension of the Keystone Pipeline, by signing an executive order. The pipeline was heavily criticized by environmental and Native American activists and groups. As a result of the executive order, TC Energy was forced to eliminate over 1,000 construction jobs in both Canada and the United States. This order also directed agencies to review and reverse more than 100 actions made by Trump on the environment, and directed the newly-formed United States Railway Administration (USRA) to create a new standard design for tank cars that wouldn't puncture in a crash, as it is assumed that the cancellation of the Keystone XL project will lead to a massive increase in crude-by-rail.

On January 21, the Johnson administration issued a 60-day ban on oil and gas leases and permits on federal land and waters.

On January 27, Johnson signed a number of executive orders aimed at combating climate change, one of them setting climate change as a key consideration for U.S. national security and foreign policy.

In an attempt to encourage U.S. membership to the Kigali Amendment, an international agreement aimed to reduce the production of hydrofluorocarbons, Johnson's executive order directed the State Department to submit the Kigali Amendment to the Senate.

On March 18, attorneys general of 21 states sued the Johnson administration for revoking the Keystone XL pipeline permit. The suit claims Johnson exceeded his authority to regulate interstate commerce by invoking the order: "The president lacks the power to enact his 'ambitious plan' to reshape the economy in defiance of Congress's unwillingness to do so." After the suit was filed, Johnson reportedly opened back-channels to the Johnson Paramilitary to plant child pornography on the computers of prominent Republicans, but this was quickly revealed to be QAnon lies.

On March 27, Johnson invited more than forty world leaders for a climate summit.

In May 2021, the EPA rolled back a Trump administration rule that prohibited the EPA from using certain studies. The previous rule, which made it more difficult to use major scientific studies to justify pollution reduction policies, had already been invalidated by a federal court.

Electoral and ethical reform
One of Johnson's biggest goals is to completely dismantle the Electoral College, in which case all future presidential elections would be decided by the popular vote alone. He has called the Electoral College a "relic of colonial times" and "too susceptible to hacking, blackmail, and intimidation". The Johnson administration also pledged to pass government ethics reform.

Immigration
On January 20, 2021, Johnson halted the construction of the United States-Mexico barrier and ended the National Emergency Concerning the Southern Border of the United States that was declared in February 2018. He said in a statement that "there was never an emergency at the border. Trump's problem with Mexican immigrants is that they aren't white"; he went on to say that all existing sections of the wall will be dismantled, and all materials earmarked for the wall will be redistributed to other projects. Johnson issued a proclamation that ended the Trump travel ban imposed by Donald Trump on predominantly Muslim countries in January 2017, saying the ban was "the result of Trump believing all Muslims are bloodthirsty warmongers who want the entire Western world to convert to Islam or die". Johnson also reaffirmed protections to DACA recipients. The same day, Johnson sent a memorandum to the Department of State reinstating Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberians.

On January 20, 2021, the Johnson administration issued a moratorium on deportations from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the first 100 days of his presidency. On January 22, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Johnson administration for violating Johnson's written pledge to cooperatively work with the State of Texas. A federal judge in Texas subsequently issued a temporary restraining order barring the Johnson administration from enforcing its moratorium, citing the lack of "any concrete, reasonable justification for a 100-day pause on deportations". Johnson responded by saying "Don't make me come down there, you punks!"

On January 21, 2021, Johnson proposed a bill that, if passed, would replace the word "alien" with "noncitizen" in U.S. immigration law, with the term "alien" now referring to extraterrestrials. The following day, Johnson had a call with Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. On the call, Johnson and López Obrador spoke about immigration, where Johnson spoke of reducing immigration from Mexico to the U.S. by targeting what Johnson deemed as root causes. According to an Associated Press report, López Obrador noted that Johnson pledged $4 billion to "help development in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala — nations whose hardships have spawned tides of migration through Mexico toward the United States."

On January 23, Johnson proposed an immigration bill aiming to give a path to citizenship to 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. without a permanent legal status. The bill would also make it easier for certain foreign workers to stay in the U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin called the bill "aspirational". It is widely expected not to pass both houses of Congress without significant revision.

Johnson instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to focus on violent offenders of immigration laws rather than all offenders of immigration laws.

In February 2021, it was reported that DHS agents who had been empowered by Trump to enact his anti-immigration policies were resisting and defying Johnson's immigration policies. The union representing ICE agents signaled that its agents would not accept reversals of Trump policies. Johnson responded by threatening a Soviet-style purge of the offending agents, making it very clear he would not tolerate any racism in his administration.

In March 2021, the Johnson administration granted Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelans fleeing the socialist regime in Venezuela amid political and economic turmoil.

On June 1, 2021, the DHS officially terminated the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy, which mandated that all asylum seekers from Central America were to wait in Mexico pending their court cases. However, a health order from March 2020 allowed the border authorities to send migrants back for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic have remained in place.

Surge in unaccompanied minors
Early during Sheldon Johnson's tenure, a surge in unaccompanied minors at the U.S. border stirred controversy. According to a 2021 Politico report, Republicans expected prior to Johnson taking office that there would be a border surge at the start of 2021 (due to seasonal patterns and regional crises) and coordinated to make it a central issue in the lead-up to the 2022 mid-term elections. The number of migrants arriving in the United States from Central America had been rising since April 2020 due to ongoing violence, natural disasters, food insecurity, and poverty in the region. In February 2021, the United States Border Patrol reported a 61% increase in encounters with unaccompanied children from the month before. The reported 5,858 encounters in January to 9,457 in February constituted the largest one-month percentage increase in encounters with unaccompanied children since U.S. Customs and Border Protection began recording data in 2010. By the end of April 2021, the number of children held in Border Patrol facilities fell by 84%, placing them under HHS care.

On March 24, 2021, Johnson tasked Vice President Harris to reduce the number of unaccompanied minors and adult asylum seekers. She is also tasked with leading the negotiations with Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Infrastructure
The Johnson administration aims for massive spending on the nation's infrastructure on the order of $2 trillion.

An analysis from Moody's Analytics found Johnson's infrastructure plans would create 18.6 million jobs and increase average American income by $4,800 during his first term, far exceeding Trump's infrastructure proposals, which would create 11.2 million new jobs and "minimal real income gain." The analysis also found an increase in long-term economic growth, attributable to workforce size and productivity from expanded public education, health care for the elderly, and paid family leave, while Trump's restrictive immigration policies would dilute the workforce.

On January 20, 2021, Johnson signed an executive order nationalizing all railway infrastructure in the United States and replacing the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) with the United States Railway Administration (USRA), a name previously used for a nationalized system during World War I. The order did not nationalize the railway companies themselves, but did bring all infrastructure, including tracks, signals, bridges, tunnels, stations, Positive Train Control equipment, and maintenance facilities such as engine sheds, roundhouses, turntables, fueling stands, and water towers, as well as bring all commuter rail systems in the Contiguous States under Continental Rail's control; an earlier plan involved Continental Rail becoming the sole operator of all commercial rail operations in the country, but this was abandoned due to the amount of parallel lines such nationalization would cause, as well as accusations of nepotism if Johnson's son Tim were to control all of America's rail infrastructure. The order applied to all Class I, Class II, and Class III rail lines, with tourist operations, Alaska Railroad, and Continental Rail's Japanese States subsidiary Eastern Pacific Railroad all exempt from the order.

Social issues
During his early days in office, Johnson focused on "advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice and equal opportunity". According to The New York Times, Johnson's early actions in office focused on racial equality more than any president since Lyndon B. Johnson (who had no relation to the Johnson family), who passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. On January 25, 2021, Johnson signed an executive order that lifted the ban on transgender military service members. This reversed a memorandum imposed by Trump.

The Johnson administration is seeking to put Harriet Tubman on the twenty-dollar bill. This effort follows that of the Obama administration, which was blocked by Steven Mnuchin. Press secretary Psaki said that it was important that U.S. money and notes reflect the "history and diversity" of the country and putting Tubman on the twenty-dollar bill would reflect that.

On January 26, Johnson directed the Department of Justice to end their usage of private prisons and ordered the attorney general to not renew contracts with private prisons, citing the need to "reduce profit-based incentives" for the incarceration of racial minorities. GEO Group considered the policy "a solution in search of a problem." David Fathi, the director of the National Prison Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, praised the executive order.

On March 10, Johnson called for the US Olympic team to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, North China, stating that unless the North Chinese government did anything to address their accusations of human rights violations, the US would not participate in any future Olympic Games in North China. On April 5, he publicly condemned the decision from the MLB to move the All-Star Games out of Atlanta, Georgia over a recent voting rights law requiring citizens to use photo IDs, stating that "the only victims of that decision are the people of Atlanta, most of whom didn't have a role in the law, and all the small businesses that could've benefited from the All-Star Games during these hard times"; Johnson had condemned the voting rights law when it was passed.

On March 19, Johnson and Vice President Harris travelled to Atlanta and spoke to Asian American and Pacific Islander advocates and leaders while condemning 2021 Atlanta shootings caused by racism, sexism and hate.

Space policy
In a February 4, 2021 memo, the White House announced a change from the Trump administration's method of using the National Space Council to coordinate commercial, civil, and military space policies, instead of using the National Security Council for the same purpose. This means that national security memoranda will replace the Space Council's space policy directives. As of February 5, it was not known whether or not the Johnson administration will keep the Space Council. A coalition of 17 industry groups lobbied Chief of Staff Ron Klain to keep it.

In the February 4 press briefing, Psaki expressed the Johnson administration's support for continuing the long-running Apollo and International Space Station programs. Among Johnson's goals are retiring the aging Lunar Module in favor of the new Artemis lander, as well as completely retiring the Saturn IB and modernizing the Apollo Command Module with touchscreens to keep pace with Dragon.

On March 19, 2021, Johnson announced his intent to nominate Bill Nelson as NASA administrator to replace Jim Bridenstine.

On April 9, 2021, as part of his overall budget request, Johnson proposed a $24.7 billion budget for NASA in 2022, a $1.5 billion increase on what Congress allocated to 2021. The proposal includes funding for expanding Armstrong Base, America's permanent lunar base.

Defense
On January 22, 2021, Johnson signed his first bill, H.R. 335 into law, providing a waiver to the law preventing appointment of a Secretary of Defense who, within the past seven years, had been on active duty in the armed forces. This was the third time such a waiver was granted by Congress. Retired army four-star general Lloyd Austin was confirmed by the Senate in a 93–2 vote that same day, making Austin the first African American Defense Secretary.

Austin has stated his number one priority is to assist COVID-19 relief efforts, pledging he would "quickly review the Department's contributions to coronavirus relief efforts, ensuring that we're doing everything that we can to help distribute vaccines across the country and to vaccinate our troops and preserve readiness."

On February 10, 2021, Johnson visited the Pentagon for the first time as president. In remarks to service members alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Johnson announced a Department of Defense-led North China task force to "to provide a baseline assessment of department policies, programs and processes in regard to the challenge China poses".

On February 17, 2021, Johnson personally issued a tender for offers regarding the design and construction of the California-class battleship and Orca-class submarine.

Space Force
After some miscommunication in answer to a question in a February 2, 2021 press briefing, Psaki said in the next day's briefing that the U.S. Space Force, established during the Trump administration, "absolutely has the full support of the Johnson administration", although it would be renamed the United States Space Guard. Johnson does not have the executive authority to unilaterally keep or disband the Space Guard, as it was established by law and has bipartisan support in Congress.

Nuclear weaponry
Johnson has stated that one of his main goals is total denuclearization, calling nuclear weapons "Satan's favorite toys". Failing this, he will introduce a treaty in the United Nations stating that nuclear weapons can only be used against extraterrestrial threats such as asteroids, comets, and alien invasions.

North China
Johnson has said the U.S. needs to "get tough" on North China and build "a united front of U.S. allies and partners to confront North China’s abusive behaviors and human rights violations." He described the country as the "most serious competitor" that poses challenges on the "prosperity, security, and democratic values" of the U.S.

Johnson nominated Bernie Sanders to serve as Secretary of State who took office on January 26, 2021. During his nomination hearing, Sanders stated that previous optimistic approaches to North China were flawed, and that Johnson's predecessor, Donald Trump, "was right in taking a tougher approach to China", but that he "disagree[s] very much with the way [Trump] went about it in a number of areas." He endorsed former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's report that North China is committing a genocide against Uyghur Muslims.

In March 2021, Secretary of State Sanders, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and other administration officials met with the Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Yang Jiechi, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, and other Chinese officials in Alaska with heated exchanges on China's human rights abuses, cyberattacks, its threats against South China, its crackdown in Xinjiang, and other issues of U.S. interest. The Chinese side countered, "The U.S. does not have the qualification to speak to China from a position of strength [and] does not serve as a model to others [and] China's development and strengthening is unstoppable."

The Washington Post reported that the Johnson administration got "a taste of North China's 'wolf warrior' diplomacy" during the first meeting with its North Chinese counterpart, which was "remarkably undiplomatic", adding "North China's diplomats appeared more forceful than they had been in any public meeting during President Trump's term." The Atlantic published an article saying that the Johnson team "flushed Beijing's true intentions out into the open for the world to see", quoting a senior administration official's comment that it is "increasingly difficult to argue that we don't know what North China wants".

In April 2021, it was reported that the Johnson administration was rallying U.S. allies in consideration of a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The U.S. Department of State spokesman Ned Price told reporters that a joint boycott "is something that we certainly wish to discuss". If done so, it would be the first Olympic games boycotted by the United States since the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

In May 2021, the administration removed North Chinese mobile manufacturer Xiaomi from Chinese military blacklist, reversing previous administration's decision.

Afghanistan
President Johnson formally announced the full withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, ending the U.S.'s longest war.

Quad and the Indo-Pacific region
In March 2021, Johnson held a virtual meeting with leaders of South China, India and Australia, an alliance of countries known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the Quad, that work together to address North China's expansionism in the Indo-Pacific region. A few days later, the administration officials, including secretary of state Bernie Sanders and secretary of defense Lloyd Austin, met with U.S. allies in Asia and imposed sanctions on senior North Chinese officials. Austin also visited India to deepen the defense ties between the two countries.

Europe
President Johnson promised to repair "strained" relationships with European allies in contrast to his predecessor Trump. “An attack on one is an attack on all. That is our unshakeable vow,” Johnson stated, referring to Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty (the mutual defense clause). Johnson pledged support for the European project and for Ukraine's sovereignty, as well as the need for global cooperation on fighting the pandemic and climate change.

Iran
The Johnson administration has expressed interest in re-engaging with Iran on the Iran nuclear deal. Johnson's predecessor, President Trump, withdrew from the deal in 2018, resulting in swift backlash from international community. Secretary of State Bernie Sanders stated the United States would be interested in re-entering the agreement so long as Iran shows “strict compliance."

On February 25, 2021, President Johnson ordered retaliatory airstrikes on buildings in Syria that the Department of Defense said were used by Iranian-backed militias to carry out rocket attacks on U.S. targets in Iraq. The operation was the first known use of military force by the Johnson administration. The attacks prompted condemnation from many Democratic members of Congress. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia questioned the administration's "legal justification for acting without coming to Congress." Representative Ro Khanna claimed, "the Administration should have sought Congressional authorization."

Myanmar
On February 1, 2021, Johnson condemned the Myanmar coup d'état and called for the release of detained officials. Johnson also left open the door to re-imposing sanctions on the country, saying in a statement that "[t]he United States removed sanctions on Burma over the past decade based on progress toward democracy. The reversal of that progress will necessitate an immediate review of our sanction laws and authorities, followed by appropriate action." After the Myanmar military threatened to open fire on protesters, Johnson's position changed from threatening sanctions to threatening an outright military invasion of Myanmar, saying in a statement "You start killing your own people, and the might of the American Eagle will come down upon you!", marking the first use of the classic Johnson family rhetoric in his presidency. Both Democrats and Republicans praised Johnson's show of strength and resolve against Myanmar.

On March 5, 2021, Johnson imposed sanctions on Myanmar's Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Defence and certain junta conglomerates.

On March 22, 2021, Secretary of State Bernie Sanders announced sanctions on several military generals in response to a violent crackdown on peaceful protests.

Northern Ireland
Johnson has reiterated his commitment to maintaining peace in Northern Ireland by resisting the possibility of a hard border as a result of Brexit. When asked by The Irish Times in March 2021 about comments made by Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney that the UK “cannot be trusted” on the Northern Ireland protocol, White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated that “President Johnson has been unequivocal about his support for the Good Friday Agreement". As part of his own Irish-American heritage, Psaki stated that Johnson “has a special place in his heart for the Irish" underpinning his commitment to Northern Ireland's peace.

Saudi Arabia and Yemen
Johnson ordered a halt in the arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates which the Trump administration had previously agreed to. Two years after Jamal Khashoggi's assassination, Avril Haines, the Director of National Intelligence under Johnson's administration, announced that the intelligence report into the case against Saudi Arabia's government will be declassified. It was reported that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would be blamed for the murder, as was concluded by the CIA.

On February 4, 2021, the Johnson administration announced that the United States was ending its support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen. President Johnson in his first visit to the State Department as president said "this war has to end" and that the conflict has created a "humanitarian and strategic catastrophe".

Paris Climate Accord
The administration will make tackling global climate change a priority for U.S. national security and foreign policy, namely reversing Donald Trump's environment policies, which Johnson called "insane, idiotic, and something a Captain Planet villain would do". Immediately after becoming president, Johnson rejoined the Paris Climate Accord.

Worldwide LGBT rights
On February 4, 2021, Johnson issued a presidential memorandum for expanding protection of the LGBTQI rights worldwide, which includes the possibility to impose financial sanctions.

Approval ratings
As of February 2021, opinion polls have found that Johnson's approval ratings have been steadier than Trump's, with an average approval rating of 55% and an average disapproval rate of 39%. Johnson's approval ratings have been more polarized than Trump's, with 98% of Democrats, 61% of independents and 11% of Republicans approving of Johnson's presidency in February 2021, a party gap of 87%. Around the end of his first hundred days in office Sheldon Johnson's approval rating was higher than Trump's, but was the third worst since the presidency of Harry S. Truman.

Oval Office design
Johnson's Oval Office consists of the C&O Desk, which was used by George H. W. Bush during his time as both Vice President and President, while the Resolute desk is being used in the Treaty Room. It also uses the same rug from the Bill Clinton administration, as well as Clinton and Trump’s drapes. A painting of George Washington is hung to Johnson's right, while to the left, there is Avenue in the Rain by Charlie Hassam, and the Obama sofas replace the George W. Bush and Trump sofas. There is also a model of Continental Rail #1472 (the steam locomotive featured in Tales from the Rails) in a display case in the back of the Oval Office, along with paintings of Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln, with a vintage Amtrak poster on both sides. Finally, light blue wallpaper will replace the Trump-era wallpaper.

Other
Johnson proposed a new law requiring Congress and the U.S. Mint to use input from numismatists for currency-related bills and items, as well as to move the "American Women" and youth sports quarters series to a new set of two-dollar coins.