People are preparing for his inauguration on January 20, and so is his staff, which is rushing to implement its main campaign commitments.
From his Mar-a-Lago estate, between rounds of golf and lavish banquets, Donald Trump is unleashing announcements to fill top jobs in his second administration.
What is the White House planning?
Behind the scenes, top aides and future White House officials are plotting their first political moves to bring sweeping change to the US. There is a fierce determination in his camp to implement the president-elect’s vision more quickly and efficiently than during his first term.
Trump’s top allies have been holding talks with key lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and his emissaries are holding talks with counterparts around the world. But according to the Financial Times his top priorities are going to be the following.
Taxes and budget
Once he sets foot in the Oval Office, Trump will have to begin negotiations on a multitrillion-dollar fiscal policy package to extend the sweeping tax cuts he enacted in 2017, which expire next year.
With Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, Trump will be in a good position to get what he wants, but it may take a lot of talking.
In addition to extending individual tax cuts, Trump has called for eliminating income taxes on gratuities, overtime and state pensions, and for additional corporate tax cuts for companies that manufacture in the US.
He has also promised to repeal the clean energy tax credits enacted by President Joe Biden, a move that some Republicans disagree with.
Whether Trump will combine his tax relief with Musk’s proposed government spending cuts and “government efficiency department” is unknown.
International Trade
Trump fired the opening shots of the trade wars that are likely to dominate 2025, signaling a very aggressive use of tariffs against US allies and rivals that could shake the global economy.
Citing lax border enforcement policies, he has threatened Canada and Mexico with 25% levies on their imports and warned of additional 10% tariffs on Chinese goods.
Trump has also threatened the BRICS countries with 100% tariffs if they move away from the dollar, which he could do early next year.
Trump and his aides have not said whether or how quickly they would implement his planned blanket levies of up to 20 percent on all imports, but believe they could implement them through executive orders or legislation.
On borders and immigration
The centerpiece of Trump’s 2024 White House campaign was his promise to unleash a broad crackdown on undocumented immigrants through mass deportations, the creation of detention facilities and possibly the use of the military.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, 11.7 million undocumented immigrants were in the U.S. in 2023, and deporting them would cause widespread disruption and hurt the U.S. workforce.
Top Trump aides and officials, including Vice President-elect Vance, have said they do not plan to arrest every undocumented immigrant immediately, but would start by removing 1 million people first, prioritizing deporting violent criminals.
While Trump has said he will prioritize deporting undocumented criminals, he has not ruled out broader prosecutions.
The deep state
Trump has promised revenge against his political opponents, as well as a crackdown on federal employees in what he describes as the “deep state.
Several controversial appointments, such as Russell Vought as budget director, Cash Patel for the FBI, and Tulsi Gabbard as director of National Intelligence, are fully in line with these goals. But how quickly they are implemented will depend on whether, or how quickly, the nominees are approved by the Senate.
Musk will also push Trump to pursue what the president-elect’s inner circle sees as a purge of the federal bureaucracy. Once in office he will have to weigh how aggressively to purge civil servants, while attorney general nominee Pam Boddy will have to decide whether to prosecute former Biden officials who clashed with Trump.
For foreign policy
Trump campaigned as a peacemaker who could resolve the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and he will be pressed by voters to quickly deliver on that pledge.
Trump gave his blessing to the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Lebanon and sent Steve Witkoff to try to broker a cease-fire agreement in Gaza.
He also sought to pressure Hamas, warning that he would “make their lives hell” if they did not release the remaining Israeli hostages by his January 20 inauguration.
Trump also appointed retired general Keith Kellogg to try to broker a settlement between Russia and Ukraine, something he pledged on the campaign trail to do within 24 hours of taking office.
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