US President-elect Trump has set the stage for a fiery “first day” in the Oval Office with promises to pardon January 6 Capitol riot prisoners, seal the US southern border and roll back protections for transgender students. . To ensure quick implementation of his radical changes, the incoming President has nominated individuals who are not only loyal to him, but also share his views on how to implement the Republican agenda.
We take a look at some of Donald Trump’s most notable pledges and his Cabinet picks tasked with delivering on those promises.
1- Mass deportation of undocumented immigrants: One of Trump’s biggest campaign pledges was the largest mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in American history. He also promised to complete construction of the wall on the border with Mexico that was started during his first term as US President.
To follow through on his immigration promises, Trump has chosen border hardliner Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary and Tom Homan as his border czar.
A four-term congresswoman who became governor of South Dakota in 2018, Noem is a vocal critic of President Joe Biden’s border policies. She was the first governor to send members of her state’s National Guard to Texas to help with border enforcement.
Homan, on the other hand, is a former police officer who was the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump’s first term. He was an early supporter of separating children crossing the border without documentation from their parents or caregivers, which became one of Trump’s more controversial immigration policies during his first presidential term.
2- Steps on Economy, Taxes and Tariffs: Trump’s campaign promised to “end inflation” by imposing new tariffs of at least 10 percent on most foreign goods. He also promised sweeping tax cuts.
To ensure implementation of his economic agenda, Trump nominated Howard Lutnick as Secretary of Commerce and Scott Besant as Secretary of the Treasury.
Lutnick was co-chair of Trump’s transition team and has supported the president-elect’s economic plans, including sweeping tariffs. He has also advocated regulation of cryptocurrencies and eliminating income tax.
Meanwhile, Besant is a Wall Street financier who once worked for liberal billionaire George Soros. He supports Trump’s call for new tariffs on imports, and like Lutnick, he has suggested that the US government view tariffs primarily as a negotiating tool, not as a permanent source of US revenue. In.
3- Cutting costs and eliminating bureaucracy: Donald Trump has promised to restructure federal agencies and ‘eliminate’ bureaucracy by announcing a new entity called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He chose billionaire executive Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the unit.
Although it is not a federal department, Trump said DOGE will “provide advice and guidance” from outside the executive branch and will work closely with the White House Office of Management and Budget to propose cuts.
As part of his new role, Musk has suggested a potential $2tn cut in spending and vowed to send “shockwaves” through the government. Ramaswami has also supported the idea of dramatically shrinking the size of the federal government, streamlining agencies, and cutting costs.
4- End climate regulations: Trump has promised to cut regulations, particularly in a way that will help the American car industry. He pledged on his first day to increase U.S. fossil fuel production in favor of renewable energy sources like wind power.
Much of this work will be overseen by North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Trump’s new energy czar and pick for Interior secretary, along with Chris Wright, a Colorado-based natural gas fracking CEO and Trump’s pick for Energy secretary.
Both are staunch fossil fuel supporters, but each has also worked with clean energy.
5-Foreign policy changes with the end of Russia-Ukraine war and China tariffs: During his election campaign, Trump criticized the billions of dollars spent by the US administration to support Ukraine in its war with Russia. He promised to end the conflict “within 24 hours” through negotiations. He also promised to impose a 60 percent tariff on all goods coming from China.
To oversee his foreign policy and national security, Trump has selected Marco Rubio and Secretary of State, Michael Waltz, as national security adviser and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.
Rubio, who has represented Florida since 2011, sits on the Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations committees and is known for his tough stances on Iran and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as China.
Like Rubio, Waltz has also spoken strongly on China. As chairman of a House subcommittee, he argued that the United States should prepare more for conflict in the Pacific.
Gabbard, a military veteran who served with a medical unit in Iraq, has regularly opposed US foreign policy. A former Democrat, he blamed NATO for the Russia–Ukraine war and repeated the Kremlin’s claim that Ukraine had US-funded biolabs. As Trump’s spy, his role will be crucial to US-backed wars.
6-Affordable Care Act Repeal: Donald Trump aimed to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and proposed its replacement with a system that would lower premiums and expand health savings accounts.
Trump chose longtime lawyer and anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head Health and Human Services. Despite having no medical qualifications, he will have broad authority over US federal health agencies – including those overseeing the approval of vaccines whose use he wants to review.
