How Trump has already changed the world

Donald Trump is just hours away from being sworn in as the 47th president, but the global impact of his second term is already being felt.

From Jerusalem to kyiv to London to Ottawa, his electoral victory and the anticipation of a new Trump agenda have changed the calculations of world leaders – with far-reaching consequences.

As the transfer of power in Washington approaches, our correspondents have dissected these changes in the regions where they occurred.

By International Editor Jeremy Bowen

Donald Trump made an impact on the Middle East before he even sat in the Oval Office to begin his second term as president.

He ended the delaying tactics used by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in alliance with his ultra-nationalist coalition partners, to avoid accepting the ceasefire deal that Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden , had put on the negotiating table last May.

American pressure on Hamas and other Palestinian groups is obvious. Under Biden, pressure on Israel was the lever that was never pulled. Trump begins his second term claiming credit, with reasonable justification, for pushing the Gaza ceasefire agreement over the line. He can bask in some glory.

By Laura Kuenssberg, presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Trump and his team are different this time, better prepared, perhaps with a more aggressive agenda, but his joy at leaving the world in uncertainty appears undiminished. It is this uncertainty that accompanies Trump that the British political establishment in Whitehall and Westminster finds so shocking.

How can the UK prepare for what it cannot yet experience?

A small group of senior ministers tried.

There have been a series of secret “mini-cabinet” meetings, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds “trying to plan what might happen,” according to a single source.

One insider told me there hasn’t been much preparation for several specific scenarios because “you’d go crazy” trying to guess Trump’s next steps. But another source says various documents have been prepared for presentation to the Cabinet as a whole.

I’m told the emphasis has been on “looking for opportunities” rather than panicking about whether Trump might follow through on some of his more outlandish statements, like annexing Canada.

By Orla Guerin, Senior International Correspondent

David, 24, enlisted in Ukraine’s war against Russia last September, as Moscow’s troops approached his hometown. He now spends his time handling explosives, although he would rather be at university learning languages.

“No one knows how long the war will last,” he says, “maybe not even the politicians.”

“I would like this to end soon so that civilians don’t suffer and people don’t die anymore. But given the current situation on the front lines, it won’t be soon.”

He believes that if the guns fall silent, it will only be a pause, before Moscow comes back for more.

The winds get stronger and a vampire drone crashes. It is out of service at the moment. The unit packs up and leaves, as quickly as it arrived. They will resume action at nightfall, resuming duels in the sky.

But on the ground, the Russians continue to make progress, and the Trump presidency will push for an agreement. And there is another hard truth here: If this happens, it is unlikely to be on Ukraine’s terms.

By Jessica Murphy, Canada Digital Editor

The political instability in Ottawa comes as Canada faces a number of challenges, including Trump’s promise to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.

Until recently, Justin Trudeau seemed determined to cling to his position as prime minister, citing his desire to take on Pierre Poilievre – his ideological opposite – in the polls.

But the shock resignation of Trudeau’s top aide, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, in mid-December – when she spoke of her failure to take Trump’s threats seriously – proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Members of Trudeau’s own party began publicly expressing that they no longer supported his leadership.

And with that, the last domino fell. Trudeau announced his resignation as prime minister earlier this month.

By Suranjana Tewari, business journalist, Singapore

China’s economy rebounded in the last three months of last year, enabling the government to achieve its 5% growth target in 2024, Beijing announced on Friday.

But it is one of the slowest growth rates in decades, as the world’s second-largest economy struggles to extricate itself from a prolonged housing crisis, high local government debt and youth unemployment .

The head of the country’s statistics bureau said China’s economic achievements in 2024 were “hard-won”, after the government launched a series of stimulus measures late last year.

Beijing has rarely missed its growth targets in the past.

Experts had widely predicted this growth rate. The World Bank said lower borrowing costs and higher exports would help China achieve annual growth of 4.9%.

Investors are bracing themselves, however: the threat of tariffs imposed by President-elect Donald Trump on $500 billion (£409 billion) of Chinese goods looms.

But that’s not all that’s stopping China from meeting its growth targets next year.