Donald Trump has won the 2024 U.S. election against Democrat Kamala Harris. So, what can we expect from a second Trump term?
In January, he will be inaugurated as the next President.
He is now one of two Presidents in U.S. history to win a second nonconsecutive term.
Last Presidency
Trump first became President after winning the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton.
His administration oversaw a period of economic growth and falling unemployment before the pandemic hit.
Trump built about 400 miles of a wall, along the U.S-Mexico border (which is about 2,000 miles long) to prevent immigration. The large majority of that replaced an existing fence.
In 2019, Trump was accused of attempting to arrange foreign interference to improve his chances of re-election, which led to an effort to impeach him (remove him from office).
Another effort to impeach him came in 2021 for the “incitement of insurrection” on 6 January. Both were unsuccessful.
An inquiry into the Trump administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic found there was an “inability to mount a timely and effective response”.
Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden.
Immigration
On the issue of immigration, Trump promised mass deportations to “stop illegal immigrants” arriving in the U.S.
He said he would continue with his promise to build a wall along the U.S-Mexico border.
Economy
During his 2024 re-election campaign, Trump outlined plans to “end inflation” (rising prices).
He said he would cut taxes for families with young children and remove taxes on tips for hospitality workers.
As part of a plan to reduce energy bills, Trump pledged to overturn federal environmental laws to allow for expanded oil, gas, and coal drilling.
He also promised to introduce tax cuts for companies that make their products in the U.S.
Several initiatives aimed to “prioritise domestic production,” include increased taxes on goods imported to America, known as tariffs.
This would include doubling existing tariffs from 10 to 20%.
Chinese imports would face higher tariffs of at least 60%.
Abortion
The 2022 Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade ended national abortion protections. The ruling gave individual states the power to determine their own abortion laws.
Trump said the states should continue to decide their abortion laws. He added he would not sign a national abortion ban.
During the presidential debate in September, Trump said he believed abortions should be accessible in circumstances that include “rape, incest, and life of the mother”.
Lawsuits
Trump’s election win could influence some of the four ongoing criminal proceedings against him. Two of these are state-based trials and the others are federal cases.
U.S. presidents have the power to pardon a person – including themselves – of federal crimes.
However, these powers cannot be used to intervene in state prosecutions.
This means Trump could pardon himself for the two federal crimes he’s facing (which no President has done before).
One of these cases relates to Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The other concerns White House documents found at his Florida home. The case has been dropped but is subject to appeal.
The future of two other cases brought against Trump is less clear, as they were both raised by state prosecutors.
In one of those cases, Trump was found guilty earlier this year of falsifying documents to cover up hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. He is due to be sentenced in the coming weeks.
In the other case, he’s accused of election interference in the state of Georgia.
Supreme Court
The legal matters against Trump are further complicated by a decision handed down by America’s top court – the Supreme Court – earlier this year.
In July, the court found that presidents are immune from criminal wrongdoing when carrying out their official duties.
Individuals who are granted immunity cannot be prosecuted for certain criminal offences.
Trump was still President when he allegedly tried to overturn the Georgia election results when he lost to Biden in 2020.
JD Vance
40-year-old Ohio Senator JD Vance will become the next U.S. Vice President.
He campaigned to boost domestic jobs and U.S. economic prosperity.
He wrote a bestselling memoir called “Hillbilly Elegy”, which was published in 2016. The book reflects on his upbringing in an industrial working-class area of Ohio.
Over recent years, Vance has become a strong Trump supporter after previously criticising him.
Remarks
In his victory speech, Trump said: “We’re going to help our country heal”. He promised to deliver a “golden age of America”.
He thanked supporters who had gathered at a convention centre in Palm Beach, Florida.
“Every single day, I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body.”
Trump is the second President to return to power after losing an election. At 78, he is the oldest person to win a U.S. presidential election (Joe Biden was 77 when he won in 2020).
