Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election will likely lead to significant shifts in United States (U.S.) trade policy, stance on the war in Ukraine, climate policies, electric vehicles, taxes, and illegal immigration.
The former and newly elected Republican president pledged to pursue a different policy from the current Democratic administration. Although some of his proposals will require Congressional approval, here is an overview of the changes he has announced for his second four-year term.
Higher tariffs
Trump proposed tariffs of 10 percent or more on all goods imported to the U.S., stating that this would eliminate the trade deficit. However, critics argue it would lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers and create global economic instability.
He also stated he should have the authority to impose reciprocal tariffs on countries that levy duties on U.S. imports. He has threatened 200 percent tariffs on certain imported cars, with a particular determination to prevent vehicles from Mexico from entering the country.
He suggested that allies like the European Union (EU) might also face higher tariffs on their goods.
However, Trump’s policy especially targets China. He proposes phasing out imports of Chinese goods like electronics, steel, and pharmaceuticals over four years. He also intends to ban Chinese companies from owning U.S. real estate and infrastructure in the energy and technology sectors.
He has stated that “tariff” is his favorite word and views it as a revenue generator that would help fill government coffers.
Mass deportations
The newly elected president has promised to reinstate his first-term policy focused on curbing illegal border crossings and to introduce further extensive restrictions.
He has pledged to limit asylum access at the U.S.-Mexico border and launch the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, which will likely face legal challenges and resistance from Democrats in Congress.
Trump said he would deploy the National Guard and, if necessary, federal military forces to meet this goal, and did not rule out setting up detention camps to process individuals before deportation.
Trump has stated he will seek to eliminate birthright citizenship for children of immigrants, contradicting the longstanding interpretation of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
He also hints at revoking protected legal status for certain communities, such as Haitians or Venezuelans.
He says he will reinstate the so-called “travel ban,” which restricts entry to the U.S. from countries with a majority Muslim population – a move that sparked numerous legal battles during his first term.
End of green policies
The elected Republican president has promised to increase fossil fuel production in the U.S. by streamlining the permitting process for drilling on federal lands and encouraging new pipelines. He stated he would reauthorize drilling in the protected Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
However, whether the oil industry would take such steps and ramp up production when oil and gas prices are relatively low remains to be seen.
He said he would once again withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, the global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and would support increased nuclear energy production. He would also reverse Democratic President Joe Biden’s regulations on electric vehicles and other policies aimed at reducing automobile emissions.
Trump claims that the U.S. needs to foster energy production to remain competitive in developing energy-intensive artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
Ending diversity programs
He pledged to require U.S. colleges to “defend U.S. traditions and Western civilization” and said he would eliminate diversity programs. Instead, he intends to instruct the Justice Department to file civil rights lawsuits against schools that engage in racial discrimination.
In kindergartens and schools, Trump would support programs that allow parents to use public funds for private or religious schooling.
Trump also wants to eliminate the federal Department of Education, leaving control over schooling to individual states.
No federal abortion ban
During his first presidential term, Trump appointed three U.S. Supreme Court justices who were part of the majority that overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion established in 1973. He is expected to continue appointing federal judges who favor abortion restrictions.
At the same time, he has said a federal abortion ban is unnecessary and that the issue should be resolved at the state level, not federally. He claims that the six-week ban favored by some Republicans is too strict and that any law should include exceptions for rape, incest, and the mother’s health.
The Republican suggests he will not seek to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to challenge the government’s regulation of it.
He supports policies that promote in vitro fertilization (IVF), birth control, and prenatal care.
Ending wars
Trump is critical of U.S. support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and has previously said he could end the war within 24 hours if elected, though he has not clarified how. He suggested Ukraine might need to give up some territory to reach a peace deal, a notion Ukraine has consistently rejected.
He also stated that under his presidency, the U.S. would fundamentally reassess “NATO’s purpose and NATO’s mission.” He has supported Israel in its fight against Hamas in Gaza but has called on it to halt its offensive.
Trump is expected to continue arming Israel, a policy also pursued by the Biden administration. Simultaneously, he will likely advocate for the historic normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, an effort he pursued during his 2017–2021 presidency, and which Biden has also supported.
The former and newly elected president has also said he will “stop the suffering and destruction in Lebanon” without specifying how he plans to achieve this.
He has proposed building an “iron dome,” a massive missile defense shield similar to Israel’s, over the entire continental U.S.
Trump has also proposed deploying the armed forces to Mexico to combat drug cartels and using the U.S. Navy to blockade that country to stop the smuggling of the increasingly prevalent and dangerous drug fentanyl.
Investigating enemies, aiding allies
Trump has occasionally promised to use federal law enforcement agencies to investigate his political opponents, including election officials, lawyers, and party donors.
He also said he would consider appointing a special prosecutor to investigate Biden, although he has not specified the grounds for such an investigation.
He has announced he may consider dismissing federal prosecutors who do not follow his directives, which would mark a departure from the longstanding U.S. policy of an independent federal law enforcement apparatus.
Trump has said he will consider pardoning all those convicted of crimes related to the January 6th, 2021, Capitol attack following his loss in the previous presidential election.
In addition to criminal investigations, he has proposed using government regulatory powers to penalize those he sees as dissenters, such as television networks.
Tax cuts
Alongside his trade and energy policies, Trump has pledged to cut federal regulations that he claims hinder job creation. He has promised to retain the broad tax cuts he signed into law in 2017, and his economic team is discussing another round of tax cuts for individuals and businesses beyond those enacted in his first term.
Donald Trump has promised to lower the corporate tax rate from 21% to 15% for companies that manufacture their products in the U.S.
He has said he will seek legislation to eliminate taxes on tips and overtime pay to help waitstaff and other service workers. He has also pledged not to tax or cut social benefits.
Trump also said he would pressure the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, although he would not require it.
Most, if not all, of his tax proposals would require Congressional approval. Budget analysts have warned that a series of tax cuts would increase the federal debt.
Cleaning up federal bureaucracy
Trump would aim to decimate the “deep state,” career federal officials he claims secretly pursue their own goals. He would accomplish this through an executive order reclassifying thousands of workers to make them easier to dismiss, which would likely face court challenges.
He would establish an independent government efficiency commission led by supporter billionaire Elon Musk to root out waste in the federal government. He has not detailed how the body would operate. The government already has oversight bodies such as the Office of Management and Budget and inspectors general in federal agencies.
Trump would also target federal whistleblowers, who are typically protected by law, and establish an independent body to “monitor” U.S. intelligence agencies.
