Trump has made promises to businessmen who supported his campaign, including oil extraction, cryptocurrencies, space exploration and artificial intelligence. He has labeled political rivals as “domestic enemies” and said that members of Congress who investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol should be jailed.
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to forcibly remove undocumented immigrants from the United States, reshape the federal government and impose steep tariffs that could raise prices. He has told Americans he will raise their wages, lower their electricity bills and reduce gas prices. Trump has made promises to businessmen who supported his campaign, including oil extraction, cryptocurrencies, space exploration and artificial intelligence. He has labeled political rivals as “enemies within” and said that members of Congress who investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol should be imprisoned. Trump has also suggested sweeping parts of the federal administration and dismantling environmental regulations. In total, there are 31 major campaign promises that Trump has made for his second term. Here are some of the most important steps he has said he will take as president.
PROTECTION
– Isolationist policies. Trump favors what he has called an “America First” approach to foreign and trade policy, which includes blocking imports, building an “Iron Dome”-like air defense system over the United States, and ensuring that the U.S. military does not get involved in foreign wars. However, he has deviated from isolationism in recent weeks, saying the United States should buy Greenland and threatening to take back the Panama Canal.
– End the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Trump has said he would quickly end the conflict in Ukraine — possibly under terms that would require Kiev to hand over large swaths of its territory to Russia — and has threatened severe consequences if the militant group Hamas does not release hostages taken during the October 2023 attacks on Israel before he takes office. Israel and Hamas reached a deal on the hostages and a ceasefire on Wednesday after more than 15 months of violence in Gaza.
– Against diversity initiatives in the military. Trump and his entourage have vowed to overturn what they describe as “WOKE” policies affecting the U.S. military, criticizing efforts for diversity training and to allow transgender soldiers to serve. His pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has also said that women should not be allowed to serve in combat roles, even if they can meet the admission standards.
– Attacks on drug cartels in Mexico. Trump has proposed using military assets to “declare war” on the cartels. He has suggested he would carry out attacks if Mexico does not “resolve the problem very quickly.” Using armed forces in Mexico without its consent could violate international law.
DEMOCRACY
– Revenge on political enemies. Trump has indicated that he will seek revenge on those he considers his enemies, and some have begun preparing for that possibility. Trump has appointed Kash Patel, who created a list of Trump opponents, to lead the FBI. He has also said he will sue newspapers and media outlets and supports any indictments against prosecutors who have accused him of crimes. Trump has also suggested using the National Guard or the military against American citizens, saying the United States is under threat from “the enemy within,” including “crazy left-wing radicals.”
– Reshaping the federal government. The new administration and its allies have plans for massive job cuts in the federal government and to reduce hundreds of billions of dollars in federal spending, using a non-governmental body led by tech billionaire Elon Musk and pharmaceutical founder Vivek Ramaswamy, which is likely to face legal challenges. Also on the table are: closing some departments and moving others out of Washington, a mandate for returning to the office, weakening the power of federal employee unions, and converting thousands of career civil servants into employees who can be fired and replaced with political loyalists.
– Changing voting requirements. Trump wants to require identification and proof of citizenship to vote. He also wants the election to be conducted exclusively by same-day voting, eliminating mail-in voting, early voting and electronic voting kiosks — although he occasionally promoted mail-in voting during the campaign. He has often vowed to “secure” American elections, using the phrase to raise doubts about the country’s electoral systems, which he has told supporters were rigged since he lost the 2020 election. He has not expressed doubts about the election results since his victory.
– Pardoning the January 6 Accused. Trump has promised to pardon at least some of the people accused of crimes during the January 6, 2021, attack on Capitol Hill. He has portrayed those and other legitimate court cases, including those against him, as political persecution by Democrats, which he has also vowed to stop.
THE ECONOMY
– Imposing tariffs on goods from other countries. Trump has proposed tariffs of at least 10% on all imports and 60% on all goods from China. In November, he said he would impose tariffs of 25% on Mexican and Canadian goods and 10% on Chinese imports on his first day in office. Trump argues that high tariffs will boost domestic production, but economists say they will raise prices and could have major global consequences.
– End inflation. Lowering prices was one of Trump’s key campaign promises. He has also promised to cut Americans’ energy bills in half and lower gas prices — often citing a price of $1.87 per gallon, which would be impossible to achieve without negative consequences, according to energy economists.
– Tax cuts. During the campaign, Trump promised to cut taxes by more than $7 trillion over the next 10 years. The centerpiece of these changes would be an extension of the tax law he passed during his first term, part of which is set to expire in 2025. This would significantly increase the national debt and could risk fueling inflation.
– Eliminating taxes on tips and overtime. These changes could help some workers, but economists say that not taxing tips would not help most low-income Americans. Both measures would cost the government billions of dollars and could prompt employers to make changes to the way they report hours worked, which could hurt workers.
– Cryptocurrency promotion. Cryptocurrency companies and investors supported Trump’s campaign, and he promised to make the United States “the crypto capital of the planet.” He has promised to adopt proposals drafted by industry experts, and the Republican platform says it will keep crypto transactions “free from government surveillance and control.”
immigration
– Mass deportations. Trump has said he will launch “the largest deportation operation in American domestic history,” and a 2024 Republican platform calls for targeting millions of undocumented immigrants. Trump has also promised to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — last used during World War II to deport Japanese immigrants and others — to quickly remove people the administration considers a threat. The new border “czar,” Tom Homan, has declined to specify how many people would be affected. Presidential administrations have been deporting immigrants for decades, including those who have just crossed the border and people with criminal records. Trump will also target ordinary undocumented immigrants who have come to work, a move that sparked backlash during his first term. During his first term, Trump deported fewer immigrants than President Barack Obama, but focused his 2024 campaign on promises to curb immigration.
– Reinstating the ‘Remain in Mexico’ program. The president-elect has said he will quickly reinstate a program that required tens of thousands of immigrants seeking asylum in the United States to wait for hearings in Mexico, which led to thousands of asylum seekers setting up camps along the border during his first term. Officials say the program has discouraged illegal immigration and fraudulent asylum claims, but some say Trump’s protocols will be less effective than the current policy of the Biden administration, which has implemented even stricter restrictions on asylum.
– Re-imposing the travel ban. This policy, implemented during Trump’s first administration, restricted travel for people from several Muslim-majority countries and others to the United States. The ban separated thousands of families before being rescinded by Biden, whose administration viewed the measure as anti-Muslim. Trump claims the measure strengthened national security, although experts say there is little evidence to support this claim.
– Ending birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. Trump argues that ending birthright citizenship, which many lawyers consider guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, would discourage people from coming to the U.S. to give birth or to stay illegally. He promised to sign an executive order directing federal agencies to deny citizenship if at least one parent is not a citizen or permanent resident. Removing this right would most likely require amending the Constitution, which is a difficult process, and executive efforts would face legal challenges.
– Cutting federal funding for cities that don’t cooperate with deportations. Trump’s advisers are considering ways to withhold funding for cities that refuse to participate in deportations. Local authorities are not cooperating for a variety of reasons. Some say they don’t have the money or staff to stop immigrants, and many point out that helping enforce immigration laws makes people in their communities afraid, call the police or serve as witnesses. Trump has long wanted to punish these “sanctuary cities,” but his efforts in his first term were largely unsuccessful.
– Imposing the death penalty for immigrants who kill American citizens. Trump promised this to crowds during the campaign, including in October in Aurora, Colorado, where he fueled false claims that a Venezuelan gang had taken control of an apartment complex there.
– Completion of the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Trump promised to build the wall and did not complete it during his first term. The remaining construction could be completed quickly and at low cost.
educatIon
– Eliminating the Department of Education. Trump, vowing to fulfill a long-held conservative goal, has proposed dismantling the department — whose staff he has claimed “hate our kids” — and transferring some of its functions to other federal agencies. The department enforces civil rights laws, administers key funding programs for low-income and disabled children, and oversees the federal student loan program. Experts from both parties say passing legislation to close the department would require a supermajority in the Senate, which is unlikely.
– Cutting federal funding to punish schools. Trump has promised to cut federal funding for schools that promote what Republicans call “critical race theory” or “radical gender ideology.” That could include schools that support transgender students or that teach about racism in the United States. Trump has also suggested cutting funding and revoking accreditation for universities that, according to the administration, tolerate what they label as “anti-Semitic propaganda.” He has promised to fire government accreditors and hire replacements who would require schools to promote conservative values in order to receive funding.
– Targeting transgender policies. Trump has campaigned on the promise of removing what he called “transgender madness from our schools,” a rhetoric he has used more often as a political tool than a political platform. He has promised to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports at schools, and his administration is expected to argue that school policies that allow transgender students access to bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams violate a law that prohibits gender discrimination in schools that receive federal funds. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would codify that interpretation, banning transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports from elementary school through college. If the measure becomes law, schools that allow transgender girls or women to compete could lose federal funding.
– Funding school vouchers. Trump has promised to support school choice programs, which provide taxpayer funds to parents to pay for private schools. His allies are trying to include a federal tax credit that would support state voucher programs in a tax package expected to pass Congress this year.
eNviroNmeNt
– Repealing environmental regulations. Trump has promised to dismantle dozens of rules and policies designed to curb air pollution, combat climate change, protect endangered species and achieve other environmental goals. He has also vowed to rescind federal policies aimed at accelerating the country’s transition to electric vehicles.
– Expanding oil and gas production. While oil and gas producers donated millions to his campaign, Trump made the slogan “drill, drill, drill” a key motto. He aims to expand oil and gas drilling on federal lands and waters, resume approving new exports of liquefied natural gas, and lift regulations on oil, natural gas, and coal production. Environmental experts say his plans jeopardize the United States’ achievements in the fight against climate change.
– Withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. During his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from the pact, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a critical threshold. Biden re-entered the country into the agreement, while Trump has vowed to withdraw again.
GLOBAL HEALTH
– Lowering health care and prescription drug costs. Trump said he had “concepts of a plan” to replace the Affordable Care Act during a debate against Vice President Kamala Harris in September. He said he would seek to repeal the 2010 law if the party could come up with a plan that costs less and provides better care. “But until then, I would manage it as best I can manage it,” he said. Trump has not provided specific details on plans to lower prescription drug costs and during his campaign has backed away from an effort, revealed in his first administration, to tie government payments for drugs to the lowest prices paid abroad.
– Preserving Social Security and Medicare. Trump has vowed not to cut either of these programs, although he has promised that his administration will cut what he describes as “unnecessary spending” within the agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid. He is also considering significant changes to Medicaid, a program for low-income adults, children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with disabilities.
– Leaving abortion laws in the hands of state legislatures. Trump’s campaign has said he will not sign a national abortion ban. He has also made repeated and vague promises to “protect women” during his campaign.
– Making in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment free. Trump has promised to ensure that the costs of in vitro fertilization for Americans are covered by the government or health insurance.
