2024 US election: Donald Trump’s campaign promises before he becomes president again

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Trump’s campaign was far from rich in political detail, and the president-elect is notoriously unpredictable.

But with those warnings firmly in mind, this is what he said he would do when he is sworn in again as president.

Donald Trump speaks during a press conference
Donald Trump made a series of campaign promises before winning another presidential term. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Introduce large trade tariffs

One of Trump’s main economic policies is his promise to impose tariffs of 10 to 20 percent on all goods imported into the United States.

He also promised 60 percent tariffs on Chinese goods and touted tariffs targeting Mexico as well.

If tariffs are imposed, they are likely to trigger retaliation, potentially triggering significant trade wars between some of the world’s leading economies.

Mark made in China.
Huge tariffs are set to be applied to Chinese goods, potentially sparking a trade war between the world’s two largest economies. (Andrew De La Rue)

Sticking to the economic theme, Trump promised “the biggest tax cut in history,” building on the policies he enacted in 2017.

He also talked about cutting the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 15 percent for companies that make their goods in the U.S., as well as eliminating taxes on overtime, tips and welfare benefits — the latter of which generate billions in revenue.

Trump did not say how he would replace the lost revenue for the budget.

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Start mass deportations

Immigration was a major issue in the election. In February, Trump promised “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”

This includes using the Alien Enemy Act to remove known or suspected gang members and some other criminals from the country.

Trump has promised mass deportations in his second term. (AP)

Give RFK a role in his administration

Former Democratic candidate-turned-independent candidate-turned-Trump supporter Robert F Kennedy Jr appears poised for a seat in the next administration.

“Bobby, stay away from liquid gold. Other than that, have fun, Bobby,” Trump said in his victory speech.

He previously said that RFK would have a “big role in the administration”.

Kennedy claimed before the election that Trump had promised to give him “control of public health agencies.”

He is a well-known anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who has called for the removal of fluoride from drinking water. Trump has not ruled out banning vaccines in a second term.

RFK JR
Robert F Kennedy Jr looms as a significant player in the next Trump administration. (AP)

Radically reshape the civil service

Trump has said he wants the power to fire government employees he thinks are disloyal.

In late 2020, he issued an executive order that gave him the power to fire so-called “rogue bureaucrats” and vowed to reverse that decision after it was revoked under Joe Biden.

Critics said the executive order politicized the civil service and stripped workers of their due process rights.

Trump also vowed to roll back a Biden executive order that promoted fair hiring practices at federal agencies and touted an efficiency commission, led by Elon Musk, to cut government spending.

Musk claimed he could cut $2 trillion – almost a third of the vast US budget.

Elon Musk jumps on stage as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa.
Elon Musk claims that he can reduce the consumption of the American economy by 2 trillion dollars. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump has promised to boost domestic energy production, remove restrictions on US natural gas exports and “drill, baby, drill.”

“We have more liquid gold, oil and gas than any country in the world,” he said in his victory speech.

“More than Saudi Arabia, more than Russia.”

He also flagged the rollback of some of Biden’s climate policies and said he would ”make sure it ends on day one” when it comes to wind farms, arguing that the turbines are killing birds and whales.

A woman stands next to a banner reading "Trump Climate Disaster" as a small group of protesters hold a protest against the new Trump presidency
Trump is expected to roll back Biden-era climate policies. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

As for Ukraine, the Middle East and foreign policy, we are not too sure

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he can end the war between Russia and Ukraine “in 24 hours”.

It’s unclear what that actually looks like, although experts speculate that under such a quick fix, Ukraine would be forced to surrender the country to Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

He struck a similar tone regarding the conflict in the Middle East, saying that Israel must “finish its war. You have to finish it, you have to finish it.”

He again offered few concrete details about his approach to that conflict, simply saying in his victory speech that “I will not start a war. I will stop wars.”

Trump says he can end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a day, but no one is sure exactly what that looks like. (AP)

Trump’s stance on NATO, a key Western military alliance, is more of a known quantity. 

He repeatedly attacked member states that failed to meet military spending targets, saying he would not defend them and instead encouraged Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” against them.

Trump promised to “thoroughly review the purpose and mission of NATO.”

Donald Trump speaks at the Palm Beach County Convention Center as he declared victory in the US election.

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The same applies to abortion

Trump’s stance on abortion has been fairly low-key throughout the campaign, from bragging about appointing Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade to declaring that “my administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights.”

In the end, he seemed to conclude that this was a matter for individual states to decide.

A small group of protesters hold a protest against the new Trump presidency outside the US Embassy (US Embassy) on November 6, 2024 in London, England.
Trump has been shifting his stance on abortion during the campaign and said he would not stand in the way of state bans. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Although many Republicans have supported a blanket ban on abortion, Trump has said he will not sign a national ban into law, in some cases saying he will veto it if Congress passes it.

However, he has signaled that he is prepared to block access to abortion pills such as mifepristone.

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