One could say that the hour of truth has now arrived, not only for the United States and Donald Trump but also for the entire world. The American people have elected a president who will be sworn in on January 20, 2025, and attention now turns to what promises – many as they were – the 47th president of the United States will fulfill.
His rhetoric throughout the election campaign was used as a lever by Kamala Harris’s team and the media that supported her, aiming to “sound the alarm” – and perhaps even frighten citizens – that Trump would come to upend everything.
What is Project 2025?
Donald Trump attempted to distance himself from the so-called Project 2025, a conservative plan aimed at restructuring the U.S. federal system.
Even though the elected president has not officially adopted this plan, CNN reveals that at least 140 people connected to Project 2025 worked in the Trump administration.
The rhetoric and campaign promises of the elected president, however, show similarities with some core aspects of the controversial Project 2025. For example, in one of his “Agenda47” videos, Trump promises to prepare an executive order to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants. It is noted that the 14th Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship, so legal battles are expected if this comes to pass.
Trump, however, has made a series of promises that the American people now expect to see if he will fulfill.
- Mass deportation of 11 million illegal immigrants
- Closing the southern border and abolishing birthright citizenship
- Tariffs on foreign products from all countries, with a special focus on China
- Extensive tax cuts to benefit corporations, tipped workers, seniors receiving Social Security, property owners in the Northeast, and many others
- Trillions of dollars in public spending cuts with the help of Elon Musk
- Reform of the country’s healthcare and food systems with the help of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- Reversal of regulations aimed at combating climate change
- Creation of a new missile defense system with the help of former NFL player Herschel Walker
Let us examine a few of these in more detail.
Deportation of millions of illegal immigrants
Trump’s most aggressive promise is the deportation of millions of illegal immigrants. It is expected that Trump will sign a series of executive orders to restart anti-immigration policies that had been halted by Joe Biden’s administration – an administration that, however, saw record numbers of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. during its term.
It remains unclear how exactly Trump will close American borders and whether this will involve the use of the U.S. military, the National Guard, or local police forces. Trump advisor Stephen Miller told Fox News that deportations would begin immediately upon Trump’s assumption of office on January 20, 2025. “They will begin on Inauguration Day, the moment he takes office,” he said.
However, it is not clear how exactly the deportations will be carried out. Republican Congressman Carlos Giménez of Florida, speaking with CNN’s Pamela Brown on Thursday, said he expects every illegal immigrant to be given the chance to attend a hearing before deportation, which would require hiring a large number of additional public officials if deportations are to be conducted on a massive scale. The current process is time-consuming.
“I agree, it will be a very, very big mission,” said Giménez. “And my hope and expectation is that we will simply follow the law.”
It remains unclear what will happen to so-called Dreamers, individuals who arrived in the U.S. as children and have spent most of their lives there. Some of them are protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which Trump attempted unsuccessfully to terminate during his first term.
Plans for “aggressive” dismissal of government employees
Toward the end of his first term, Trump intended to reclassify a large portion of the federal government’s workforce to facilitate the dismissal of federal employees. This plan, known as “Schedule F,” aimed to overturn longstanding protections for nonpartisan public servants to save large sums for public funds.
The Biden administration has taken steps to prevent this, but Trump has promised to begin immediately to reinstate it to “remove corrupt bureaucrats.” He also claims he will “clear out all the corrupt actors” in national security and intelligence services and will “promptly” relocate federal agencies outside the nation’s capital.
John McEntee, who was the director of the White House Personnel Office during Trump’s first term created a list of Trump loyalists fit for administrative positions. According to CNN reports on Trump’s transition, he remains close to him. McEntee recently stated that he did not participate in Project 2025’s policy proposals, although he agrees with “most of them.” Instead, he said he is more interested in “staffing the presidency with good people… I think he deserves it.”
Removing powers from Congress
Trump will not have the 60 votes needed to pass major legislative initiatives quickly through Congress without bipartisan support in the Senate.
One of his major plans to challenge current government regulations, which has not received much attention, is his promise to strip Congress of some of its authority over public spending.
In one of his Agenda47 videos, Trump stated that he would attempt to revive the principle of “impoundment,” which allows the president to reject Congress’s spending orders and use taxpayer money differently.
Congress limited presidents in this regard with a law after the Nixon administration, but Trump claims he will challenge this restriction and seek more power for the presidency.
What about Trump’s cabinet?
Trump likes to connect himself and his programs with well-known names. Elon Musk is expected to play a role in improving governmental efficiency, though he likely won’t take a Cabinet position.
Kennedy has said he wants to give citizens more freedom to reject vaccines for their children and change dietary standards to “make America healthy again.” Trump mentioned him personally in his victory speech, though it is still unclear whether he will become a Cabinet member or have another coordinating or supervisory role.
Under President Joe Biden, there are 26 Cabinet positions. Announcements for top positions are expected in the coming days.
Aside from the elected Vice President, J.D. Vance, the first significant news about Trump’s staff came Thursday night when he announced that his campaign director, Susie Wiles, would assume the position of White House Chief of Staff. She will be the first woman to hold this position. Trump had cycled through four such top aides in his previous term. The longest-serving of them, retired General John Kelly, had warned against Trump’s election.
While Trump can simply hire a Chief of Staff, most Cabinet posts, such as Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Homeland Security, require Senate confirmation. With a Republican majority in the Senate, confirmation for critical positions will be easier, although every nominee will undergo a hearing before the final vote.
Disappointed by the difficulty of confirming his Cabinet members during his first term, Trump often appointed people as “acting” Cabinet members, though these positions are only temporary.
Trump’s eldest son, Donald Jr., told Fox News that Trump would value loyalty and seek “people who don’t believe they know better than the duly elected President of the United States.”
