In January 2025, Donald Trump could be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
Despite his ongoing legal troubles, numerous national polls show the former president either tied or leading President Joe Biden,
A second term for Biden could mean either the same thing or a wave of new progressive policies if Democrats take control of both houses of Congress.
In contrast, another Trump term would likely result in a dramatic turnaround not only from the previous four years, but even from Trump’s first term.
This becomes clear after reviewing the former president’s campaign proposals, reading his April interview with TIME, reviewing New York Times reporting, and perusing the proposals made by the conservative Heritage Foundation’s 2025 Project.
Some of these proposals could depend on Republicans taking control of the House and Senate, a likely possibility – although not guaranteed – if Trump wins the presidency.
While not exhaustive, here is some of what to expect in a second Trump administration.
Radically reshape the federal bureaucracy
Perhaps the most unorthodox — and for some frightening — aspect of Trump’s plan for a second term involves restructuring the executive branch in a way that would significantly increase presidential power.
That means exercising more direct control over the hundreds of thousands of officials who make up federal agencies — many of whom are apolitical and often remain in office in presidential administrations.
Trump pledged to reinstate “Schedule F,” a classification for civil servants that was created — but never used — in October 2020. Biden then rescinded it after taking office. This classification was designed to circumvent the typical professional protections afforded to career civil servants.
Trump’s plans also include placing independent agencies — such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission — under direct control of the president, in a departure from decades of precedent. It could also include the Federal Reserve, the nation’s central banking system, although that is less clear.
Finally, he pledged to reinstate “impoundment,” whereby the executive branch refuses to spend money provided by Congress. It’s been illegal since 1974, but Trump vows to challenge it.
One of the hallmarks of Trump’s first term was that he was significantly constrained, both by his advisers and by aspects of the federal bureaucracy. Taken together, these proposals show how this could change.
A troubled position on abortion
In April, Trump said he believed abortion should be decided at the state level, apparently rejecting the idea of adopting restrictions on the procedure nationally.
“The states are going to say it. It doesn’t matter if I’m comfortable or not,” Trump told TIME. “It doesn’t matter at all, because the states will make those decisions.”
But that doesn’t fully address the complexity of the issue — and it’s unclear how far other Republicans can go.
In an interview with TIME in April, Trump refused to say whether he would veto abortion restrictions passed by a Republican-controlled Congress, insisting that there “will never be that chance because that’s not going to happen.”
He also refused to give his position on whether mifepristone – a drug that enabled about 63% of abortions in the United States in 2023 – should remain legal.
Some of his allies have called for enforcement of a 19th-century law called the Comstock Act, which could be used to ban sending the pill through the mail, a move that would affect women in various states.
The potential for mass expulsions and the end of some birthright citizenship
Trump is expected to take a much tougher approach to illegal immigration and border security if elected – including pledging to carry out a mass deportation operation that could include the use of the Guard national.
That could include new detention camps, according to Stephen Miller, the architect of much of Trump’s immigration policy.
Miller told the New York Times that a second Trump administration would build “vast detention facilities that would function as transit centers” on “open land in Texas, near the border.”
Trump also pledged to end so-called “birthright citizenship” for children of people who entered the country illegally and are not citizens. But that could be tricky.
Trump adviser Stephen Miller at CPAC in March last year. Alex Wong/Getty Images
The U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to citizenship through the 14th Amendment, which states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.” .
Trump has pledged to sign an executive order making clear that these children are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States – a decision likely to be challenged in court.
Retaliation against political opponents
Trump has vowed to appoint a special prosecutor to prosecute the Biden family, arguing that it is only fair given that he has faced criminal charges in various jurisdictions over his “hush money” payments, his mishandling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
It’s part of a broader effort by Trump and his allies to curb the independence of the Justice Department, the nation’s top law enforcement agency. Since the Nixon era, there have been strict standards aimed at keeping the department at arm’s length from the president, but some argue that shouldn’t be the case — and that the current standards are just window dressing anyway.
Forgiveness to the rioters of January 6
Trump also promised to issue pardons to those convicted by the federal government for the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
He has described jailed or imprisoned rioters as “hostages” and “political prisoners,” and his campaign rallies have sometimes begun with a version of the national anthem sung by the Jan. 6 defendants.
In a recent interview with TIME, he said he would not forgive those who were “mean and evil,” but claimed many rioters were “brought in” by Capitol Police.
Tariffs on all imported products
If re-elected, the former president has proposed numerous protectionist policies, including universal 10% tariffs on all imported goods.
“I call it a circle around the country,” Trump told TIME.
Experts have warned that such a policy would only increase costs for consumers, without boosting domestic manufacturing and employment.
He also pledged to work with Congress to pass a bill establishing “reciprocal” tariffs on goods from other countries: for example, if China were to impose 100% tariffs on products from the United States, the United States would adopt 100% tariffs on products from the United States. In return, products made in China.
Less willingness to protect allies abroad
Trump’s position on the current wars is somewhat murky: he is not as opposed to aid to Ukraine as his party, and he has been far more willing to criticize Israel’s war in Gaza .
“I think Israel has done one thing very poorly: public relations,” Trump told TIME, blaming Israel in part for the lack of progress on a two-state solution.
But if there is one consistent throughline in the former president’s foreign policy thinking, it is suspicion of long-standing agreements intended to prop up the world order.
Perhaps the most significant change desired by Trump is a “reassessment” of the purpose of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an alliance between the United States and Europe that dates back to the Cold War. Trump has long argued that the United States spends too much to defend the continent.
Trump also argued that much of the existing foreign policy establishment in Washington, D.C. needed to be overhauled, ridiculing officials at the State Department and Pentagon as “warmongers” and members of “the ‘Deep State’.
Tax policy
As president, Trump and the Republican-led Congress in 2017 passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a significant overhaul of the tax code that included personal and corporate tax cuts. inheritances and a significant reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.
Much of these cuts, except for the corporate tax cut, are set to expire in 2025. According to Bloomberg, Trump wants to extend these cuts into a second term.
More vaguely, Trump also proposed taxing private university endowments to fund a new federally run university called the American Academy.
Social Security and Medicare
It remains unclear whether Trump would seek to cut Social Security and Medicare in a second term – he has consistently said various contradictory things on the subject.
In March, Trump said in a CNBC interview that there were “a lot of things you can do in terms of cutting welfare,” apparently suggesting he would continue cuts to welfare programs. His campaign later walked back those remarks, saying he simply wanted to “get rid of waste and fraud.”
Democrats have been quick to point out the possibility of Republican cuts to programs, which primarily benefit older Americans, while Republicans have often insisted they do not want to make changes to those programs.
During the final year of Trump’s presidency, the White House released a budget for fiscal year 2021 that included some cuts to Social Security benefits, although the document was never adopted.
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