What Can America Expect From Trump 2.0

THE 45TH AND 47TH commander-in-chief will face fewer limits on his ambition when he is sworn in again in January.

- David Smith

Donald Trump returns as the head of a Republican party remade in his image over the past decade and as the architect of a right-leaning judiciary that helped eliminate his legal perils. Second time around, he has allies across Washington ready to enforce his will.

Kurt Bardella, a Democratic strategist and former Republican congressional aide, said: "What we're going to have is an imperial presidency. This is going to be probably the most powerful presidency in terms of centralising power and wielding power that we've had probably since FDR [Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was president from 1933 until his death in 1945]."

Trump won big in last week's presidential election against Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-president. He looks set to become the first Republican in 20 years to win the national popular vote. He improved on his 2020 performance in every state except two (Washington and Utah) and made gains in nearly every demographic. A third of voters of colour supported him. Whereas Joe Biden won Latino men by 23 percentage points in 2020, Trump won them by 10 points in 2024.

Emboldened by this mandate, Trump, who said he would be a "dictator", but only on "day one", is promising a second act more sweeping and transformational than the first. He is backed by a Republican party that regained control of the Senate, might retain the House of Representatives and is more acquiescent than ever. The opposition Democratic party is demoralised and lacks an obvious leader.

Trump, who arrived in Washington as a political neophyte eight years ago, is less likely this time to be surrounded by establishment figures and steady hands curbing his darkest impulses. His allies have spent several months pre-screening candidates for his administration, aiming to ensure key posts will be filled by dependable foot soldiers.