Donald Trump just won the presidency. Here’s a brief overview of what is expected to be top of mind for Trump when he is set to be inaugurated on Jan. 20.
NBC News projects that Republicans will control the Senate, giving Trump a clear path in the upper chamber to enact policies and fill key slots in his administration. But the race for the House is still extremely close; Republicans are hoping for a trifecta to control Washington, but a Democratic win could provide a check on Trump’s agenda.
Immigration
Trump has said repeatedly that on Day 1, he will “seal” the southern border, and launch what he calls “the largest deportation program in American history,” invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — last used during World War II — to help make that happen. Deporting the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States would cost the U.S. billions of dollars and require staffing increases to the tune of tens of thousands of people.
As NBC News has reported, his team is also considering withholding federal police grants from local law enforcement agencies that decline to take part in the deportations.
On the topic of immigration, Trump said he will end “catch and release,” restore “Remain in Mexico” and bring back Title 42, a restriction from his first administration that turns away migrants who arrived illegally and does not allow them to seek asylum, in the name of public health.
Trump said he will also send Congress a bill to ban sanctuary cities. He also intends to ask Congress for funding to hire 10,000 new border agents and approval for a 10% raise for existing agents, as well as a $10,000 retention and signing bonus.
Trump said he will also ensure federally funded benefits are being used by American citizens — and no one else. He’s also promised, within 24 hours of taking office, to shut down the Department of Homeland Security’s CBP One app, which provides potential immigrants appointment scheduling, remote interview access and the ability to fill out necessary forms.
Trump has announced his intention to seize the assets of criminal gangs and drug cartels in the United States and use those assets to provide compensation for victims of violent crime. He also called for the death penalty for any migrant who comes into the U.S. and kills U.S. citizens or law enforcement officers.
Trump has also promised not only to bring back his controversial travel ban targeting certain Muslim-majority countries — and struck down by courts — but to expand the ban to include refugees from the Gaza Strip and institute certain “ideological screenings” for all immigrants.
Abortion
On reproductive rights, a central issue in this election, Trump has said he would veto a federal abortion ban but allow each individual state to restrict the procedure as it wishes. In his first term, Trump managed to get three of his conservative nominees confirmed to the Supreme Court; all three of them voted with the majority to overturn Roe v. Wade.
In comments that were widely criticized by Democrats, Trump said he would “protect” women, “whether the women like it or not.”
Economy
On the economy, Trump said he will “end inflation” and plans to pass what he calls “historic” tax cuts for workers and small businesses. He said this will include no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security benefits and a tax credit for family caregivers who take care of a parent or loved one.
Trump said he will work with tech mogul Elon Musk to eliminate “every single” federal regulation that he says raises prices and kills American jobs. And on the topic of regulations, Trump has promised to end 10 federal regulations for every new one created.
One thing Trump said he will keep in place: the Affordable Care Act, the incredibly popular health insurance marketplace.
He has said he will sign an executive order directing every Cabinet secretary and agency head to target inflation as a key priority.
“We will target everything, from car affordability to housing affordability, to insurance costs, to supply chain issues,” Trump said at a rally in North Carolina in August. “I will instruct my Cabinet that I expect results within the first 100 days or much sooner than that.”
Trump has also promised that under his administration, there will be no tax on the first $10,000 of costs associated with education for parents of children who are homeschooled.
Trump has promised American companies will get “the lowest taxes, the lowest energy costs, the lowest regulatory burdens, and free access to the single best and biggest market on the planet.”
To that point, he wants to lower the corporate tax rate to 15%, from where it is now at 21%, and he has said he will impose a 10%-20% tariff on all imported goods, as well as a tariff of between 100% and 200% on all businesses from countries that don’t want to use U.S. dollars as their reserve currency. This prioritization of “America First” is one that extends to every part of Trump’s platform.
In September, Trump called for reinstating the state and local tax deduction, commonly known as SALT. In 2017, Trump signed the legislation that capped the previously unlimited federal deduction at $10,000 per filer. The policy hit people in blue states the hardest. Even though Trump signed that measure, he has pledged to undo it.
Environment
For cars made in the United States, Trump said he will make interest on car loans fully tax-deductible. He said he will terminate an electric vehicle rule published by President Joe Biden’s administration in March that makes EVs more available and affordable over the next several years, and makes it more difficult for gas-powered cars to keep up with an increasingly stringent Environmental Protection Agency’s standard. Trump also wants to, once again, withdraw from the Paris Agreement, a major international climate treaty.
Without providing a plan as to how he’ll make this happen, Trump has said he will cut consumer energy prices in half within 12 months of taking office.
“We were energy independent four years ago,” Trump frequently reminded his supporters at rallies, promoting the use of fracking and drilling for oil on Day 1. He’s also hoping to lower housing costs by building on the “periphery of cities and suburban areas,” where land is cheaper, canceling what he calls Biden’s “anti-suburban housing regulation.”
Foreign policy
On foreign policy, Trump said he will end Russia’s war in Ukraine within a day.
“First, I’ll meet with Putin, I’ll meet with Zelenskyy. They both have weaknesses and they both have strengths,” Trump said in a CNN town hall about the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine in 2023. “And within 24 hours that war will be settled. It will be over. It will be absolutely over.”
Trump also plans to stop “the chaos” in the Middle East and prevent “World War III.”
It’s unclear how he’ll go about accomplishing these items. Trump has also expressed interest in building a missile defense shield over the United States, similar to Israel’s Iron Dome.
Culture wars
Trump leaned heavily into anti-transgender rhetoric during his campaign, promising to enact restrictive policies during his administration.
“On Day 1, I will sign a new executive order to cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content onto the shoulders of our children,” Trump has said. “And I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate.”
Trump said he wants to “get rid” of the Education Department as it currently exists and allow each state to individually “handle education,” as he put it.
“We’ll have one person plus a secretary, and all the person has to do is, ‘Are you teaching English? Are you teaching arithmetic? What are you doing? Reading, writing and arithmetic, and are you not teaching woke?’ Not teaching woke is a very big factor, but we’ll have a very small staff,” Trump said of his plans.
Trump also plans, as he called it, to “keep men out of women’s sports,” and ban gender-affirming care for minors.
Retaliation
In May, Trump became the first former president in history to be convicted of a crime after a New York jury found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records. He continues to face legal jeopardy in federal and state cases, although they will likely be dismissed or delayed now that he has won the election.
Trump made his belief that he is the victim of political persecution a centerpiece of his campaign, and he frequently promised “retribution“ for his enemies.
In fact, since he entered the 2024 race, Trump has called for the criminal prosecution of at least 16 rival politicians and 15 law enforcement, military and intelligence officials — according to an NBC News review of his public comments — as well as workers at two federal public health agencies, two billionaires and tech giant Google.
Trump said he believes the sitting and former members of Congress who were part of the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — including Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. — should be prosecuted for what he calls “their lies” and “treason.”
He also plans to appoint a special prosecutor to “go after” Biden and his family. Special counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, is also expected to be relieved of his investigatory duties.
“I would fire him within two seconds,” Trump said of Smith during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
Trump increasingly whitewashed the Jan. 6 riot, going from calling it a “heinous attack” in the immediate aftermath to a “day of love” by the end of his campaign. He has said he wants to pardon many of the prisoners who were arrested, charged and found guilty of crimes related to their actions that day.
Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in jailing journalists if they don’t disclose sources who leaked information to them. He also wants anyone who desecrates an American flag to face a one-year jail sentence.
