Alexea Norman
President Donald Trump has hit the ground running since taking office. Here’s what to expect from his second presidential term.
Trump campaigned with a clear policy agenda: end illegal immigration, improve the US economy, roll back environmental regulations, and put “America first”.
Not even a week into his second term, the President issued an unprecedented number of executive orders and directives. These initial reforms indicate what we can expect over the next four years.
Immigration Policy
Trump has declared mass immigration into the US a national emergency. Immigration has always been a top priority for Trump, and this term is no different.
“repel, repatriate and remove”
During the coming months, he aims to cut illegal immigration by reinforcing the US-Mexico border. Trump has issued an executive order banning the entry of “aliens” through the border. This includes requiring officials to “immediately repel, repatriate and remove” those individuals.
Construction will also resume on the US-Mexico border wall. The military has been ordered to “seal the borders” to combat drugs and people smuggling.
Another action he has taken is to reimplement the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy from his first term.
The policy entails ending ‘catch and release’ for migrants awaiting hearings, suspending the US refugee resettlement program, and reinstating the federal death penalty for capital crimes committed by migrants.
“Judge John Coughenour immediately challenged this in federal court”
Trump also attempted to end birthright citizenship for those in the country illegally or temporarily. US District Court Judge John Coughenour immediately challenged this in federal court, issuing a restraining order blocking its enforcement. Nonetheless, Trump has vowed to bring this order into action.
Climate & Energy
One of Trump’s first actions was to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. His conservative stance on climate change will inevitably impact policy throughout this term.
Additionally, terminating Biden’s Green New Deal is the first step towards Trump’s plans to end the leasing of wind farms and, what he calls, the “electric vehicle mandate”.
Declaring a national energy emergency, Trump has promised to increase drilling for fossil fuels. His first target was Alaska, for which he issued an executive order to “unleash its extraordinary resource potential”.
Government Reform
President Trump is intent on tightening the reins on the federal government.
So far, he has signed directives to create an advisory committee for cutting government costs, freezing federal hiring, and ending work-from-home for all federal employees.
“The US will only recognise two genders”
The President has also issued an executive order shutting down all federal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programmes. Further DEI reforms could impact the private sector.
Changes are also expected in policies which will affect LGBTQIA+ rights following Trump’s declaration that the US will only recognise “two genders, male and female”.
Government communications, civil rights protections, and federal funding for such policies are now at risk.
The Economy
Trump aims to reinvigorate the US economy by harnessing “the full power of American innovation”.
The ‘President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology’ has been established to achieve this outcome. It is a council of no more than 24 people, tasked with advising Trump on issues of science and technology which impact policy decisions.
“The Administration has taken an aggressive approach”
Putting America at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency also appears to be high on the President’s priority list.
His directive, ‘Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence, ’ revokes existing AI policies, which are viewed as barriers to innovation.
He has also issued an executive order to regulate and promote the crypto industry, putting the support of the federal government behind the expansion of crypto in the US.
Foreign Policy: Putting America First
The Trump Administration has dubbed its foreign policy strategy as “America-First“.
Trump has begun his term by not only withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO) but also pausing foreign aid and threatening tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
Experts expect Trump will harden the US’s approach to Ukraine and China and resume efforts to reform or withdraw the US from NATO.
The Administration has taken an aggressive approach to refocusing on domestic issues. Changes towards isolationist policies are expected in the coming years.
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Featured image courtesy of Jon Tyson on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes have been made to this image.
