On November 5, 2024, former U.S. President, businessman, and reality TV star Donald Trump shocked the United States of America, and the rest of the world, when he defeated incumbent Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for the nation’s highest office as the 47th President of the United States for a second, non-consecutive term, in a massive victory of 312 electoral votes and claiming the popular vote. Under Trump’s leadership, the Republican Party swept control of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and Governorships. Given the consequences of Donald Trump’s first administration, it seems he now has complete and unchecked control over the entire nation, and it expands to the world given America’s dominance as the most powerful nation in the world in terms of economy and military.
Since winning, Trump has wasted no time laying out his plans for America for the next four years. He has appointed several of his loyal allies to important positions within the United States government, and he has been associated with two political platforms that will determine the future of America during his 2nd term: Project 2025 and Agenda 47. What are these political platforms? What will happen with his criminal and civil cases? Who are Trump’s new allies? Which allies from his first term are returning? And what are Trump’s ultimate goals that will define his legacy?
Vice President: J.D Vance
First, let’s dive into Trump’s new allies. His most notable ally is his new Vice President pick, junior Ohio senator J.D. Vance, who will become the 50th Vice President of the United States. Unlike Mike Pence, Trump’s Vice President from his first term, J.D. Vance has shown more loyalty and agrees with Trump on a lot more issues than his previous one. Vance has been characterized as a strong national Republican conservative and right-wing Populist. He has several political positions similar to Trump’s. Despite initially being a strong opponent of Trump’s initial campaign in 2016, once describing him as the “Adolf Hitler of America,” he has since become a loyal supporter. He is strongly opposed to abortion, same-sex marriage, gun control, and American military aid to Ukraine. He is an effective communicator and tends to be more civil on a personal and professional level than Trump.
Director of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard
Before, Tulsi Gabbard had served as Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and US Army Reserve Officer who campaigned with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders during the 2020 election season. She learned more toward Republican values in recent years, becoming a strong ally of Trump.
Defense Secretary: Pete Hegseth
A former Fox News host, Pete Hesgeth previously led two advocacy groups for military veterans. He hasn’t held political office before, having unsuccessfully run for a seat in the Senate for the state of Minnesota. “Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” Trump wrote in a statement. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – our military will be great again, and America will never back down.”
Secretary of State: Mario Rubio
The US secretary of state is the president’s main adviser on foreign affairs and acts as America’s top diplomat when representing the country overseas. Trump announced his pick as Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Rubio, 53, takes an opposing view of China. He opposed Trump in the 2016 Republican primary but has since become allies with him. He is a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and vice-chairman of the chamber’s intelligence panel. He has long been courting the job of the nation’s top diplomat. He will be the first Latino secretary of state in US history.
Attorney General: Pam Bondi
Pam Bondi achieved a lot throughout her career as an attorney. She was the first woman to be elected to the position as the Attorney General of the state of Florida, a position she held from 2011 to 2019. She became one of Donald Trump’s defense lawyers during his first administration, and primarily, worked for him during his impeachment trials. Trump nominated her following Matt Goetz’s decision to withdraw.
National Security Adviser: Mike Waltz
Florida congressman Michael Waltz has been selected by President-elect Donald Trump as the next national security adviser. In a statement on Tuesday announcing Waltz’s appointment, Trump said the congressman is a “nationally recognized leader in national security,” noting that he is the first Green Beret – or member of the US Army Special Forces – to be elected to Congress and had previously served in the US Army for 27 years.
Border Czar: Tom Homan
This is a critical job because it includes responsibility for Trump’s mass deportations of millions of undocumented migrants, which was a central campaign pledge. Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, calling Homan a “stalwart” on border control.
The former police officer was acting director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Trump’s first term and he has advocated a zero-tolerance stance on the issue. Trump strongly believes this man will put an end to illegal immigration in the United States, but only time will tell.
Department of Government Efficiency: Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has been tapped to lead what Trump has termed a Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) alongside Indian businessman and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
The department – known as “DOGE” in a nod to a cryptocurrency promoted by Musk – will serve in an advisory capacity to “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies,” Trump said in a statement.
Chief of Staff: Susie Wiles
Susie Wiles and campaign co-chair Chris LaCivita were the masterminds behind Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris. In his victory speech, Trump called her “the ice maiden” – a reference to her composure – and said she liked to stay in the background. Wiles was the first appointment in Trump’s top team. Wiles will be the first woman appointed to this cabinet role.
United Nations Ambassador: Elise Stefanik
New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has been tapped to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik has made national headlines with her sharp questioning in congressional committees, first at Trump’s 2019 impeachment hearings and again this year quizzing college leaders about anti-semitism on campus.”Elise is an incredibly strong, tough and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement to the New York Post.
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (son of the late Attorney Robert F. Kennedy, and the nephew of the late U.S. President John Kennedy) is a well-respected environmental lawyer who has been working in politics for a long time. He is a strong anti-vaccine activist. Since the Democratic nomination was held by Joe Biden (and later Kamala Harris) during the 2024 election season, Robert F. Kennedy ran as an independent candidate and had strong polling. However, he eventually suspended his campaign, and in a shocking move for his family and the public, chose to endorse Trump. In return, Trump promised to offer him a strong role in healthcare, and advisory personnel during his second administration. Trump has now officially appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Project 2025
A controversial aspect of Donald Trump and JD Vance’s campaign during the 2024 election season was the Project 2025 agenda. It’s a list of political policies, initiatives, and goals Trump wished to set into motion if he won the election. Even though Trump denied all association, it was drafted by a number of his important allies, officials, and other political figures that worked for him during his first administration. Now that he has won, it can be assumed that the goals and policies of Project 2025 will be moving forward once he is inaugurated. It will address a number of issues that plagued the minds of voters during the election. Here is a list:
Sweeping changes to the policies that affect the American economy include imposing tax cuts, strong tariffs on foreign nations such as Mexico, Canada, and China, and ending the inflation crisis. The plan proposes that the Trump administration take full control of the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Commission, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission. Project 2025 wishes to have the Department of Education terminated. They wish to cut funding for the National Institutes of Health. In terms of climate change, they wish to cut and end all funding towards climate change and environmental research and instead favor fossil fuels for production.
One of the biggest initiatives of Project 2025 is to institute major tax cuts, similar to the tax cuts Trump instituted during his first administration. They wish to also cut Medicare and Medicaid, two major government healthcare policies that have been around for decades that many people depend on.
Speaking of healthcare, Project 2025 has been aimed strongly towards opposing abortion, and aimed to reject it as healthcare. They wish to eliminate contraception, and they wish to prosecute individuals who send and receive contraceptives and abortion pills and move on to create a national federal abortion ban. It seeks to make pornography completely illegal and to prosecute and imprison those who produce it. They also wish to remove legal protection against discrimination of sexual orientation and gender identity and to terminate all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. One of the major aspects of Project 2025 is to conduct the arrest, detention, and mass deportation of millions of illegal immigrants in the United States who have been coming through during the Biden administration. It also proposes the promotion of capital punishment.
In conclusion, Project 2025 has been seen as an approach to strongly reshape America towards a strongly conservative and authoritarian nation.
Agenda 47
The political platform that Donald Trump has been more comfortable associating himself with is his Agenda 47 list. It holds many similarities to Project 2025 and plans to strongly reshape the American government and its policies. In terms of the American economy, its primary focus is ending the inflation crisis, making America affordable again, and restructuring American manufacturing. It’s focused on maintaining energy independence, making the United States the primary dominant energy producer globally, and eliminating all of the regulations on energy production. It hopes to modernize and strengthen the United States military.
Like in Project 2025, it calls for abolishing the Department of Education. For healthcare, the second Trump administration wishes to lower drug prices by negotiating prices with pharmaceutical companies and creating more domestic manufacturing of essential drugs.
For the illegal immigration crisis, Agenda 47 calls for completing the unfinished border wall Trump began ordering the construction of during his first term and conducting the largest mass deportation operation in American history.
Agenda 47 also targets LGBTQ and gender-affirming care, strongly opposing it, and restructuring the modern American family. In foreign policy, Agenda 47 wishes to propose severe restrictions on foreign ownership of U.S. assets, particularly with China. These initiatives represent a comprehensive agenda characterized by significant shifts that could reshape many aspects of American policy, focusing on conservative principles and governance.
In addition to his Project 2025 and Agenda 47 agendas, Trump has also sought the possibility of expanding United States territory. In several statements unlike anything a president-elect has ever said before, Trump has hinted at expanding United States territory by acquiring Canada, Mexico, Greenland, and the Panama Canal, although this is unlikely, essentially aiming to create some form of a United States empire.
Americans and the entire world will have to brace themselves for the next four years. Donald Trump has become the 47th President of the United States, has won complete control of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and is now in a position where his power and authority can no longer be challenged. He has already gotten his 2020 election interference case dismissed, and his Florida federal classified documents case has been thrown out, and is on track on getting his New York hush money case terminated as well, as Trump and his lawyers claim “it’s a disruption to the essential transition into his second presidency”.
Whether Americans like it or not, America will be going through massive changes beginning on Day 1 of Donald Trump’s second term. Americans will have to find out what will happen next. Many Americans voted for Trump because they wanted strong change in the government and the country they believed that Kamala Harris wouldn’t provide. Will Trump’s goals during his second term solve the issues caused by the Biden administration, or will the United States of America transform into a strongly conservative and authoritarian nation?