Whether you love him or hate him, he’s back. Declared “Person of the Year” by Time Magazine, Donald Trump has detailed various plans for his upcoming term in the Oval Office that he plans to kickstart on his first day back—plans that will impact the lives of all that reside in the United States. He will be continuing with and expanding upon many of the policies from his first term, such as his immigration stance. This term, Trump aims to carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants and reinforce the United States’ border, largely with the help of the National Guard. Furthermore, in order to prevent the breaking up of families in his deportation effort, he wants to end birthright citizenship—a principle that is ingrained in the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment. However, even with a majority Republican Senate and House of Representatives, amending or changing the Constitution is extraordinarily difficult, as it necessitates both Congressional and State ratification. 

Additionally, continuing with the precedent set during his first term, Trump will be working to reduce taxes. Expanding upon his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, he has guaranteed that he will increase the standard deduction and lower income tax rates for most Americans over the next four years; however, some believe that the greater percentage of tax breaks for the richest members of society is unfair to the middle and lower economic classes. The President-elect also assured that he would be ending taxes on tips, which many in the service-industry rely on, but the employees benefiting from this tax break would receive decreased Social Security payments upon their retirement. In a polarizing decision, Trump has claimed he will work to reduce the corporate tax rate to 15%, which he hopes will incentivize American companies to produce their products domestically and for Americans to invest in such companies. This decision was especially controversial because many people prefer individual income tax cuts in comparison to cuts to the corporate tax rate. Trump has also suggested putting an end to federal income tax as a whole and using money earned from tariffs instead. 

In terms of international trade, Trump plans to encourage domestic industry by adding tariffs to goods imported from outside of the United States at a rate that may range from 10% to 20%. Trump has also vowed to reinstate a previous executive order that mandates the Food and Drug Administration to purchase “essential medication” from only American companies. A focus on domestic industry and increased tariffs are sure to increase the price of imported goods for Americans, whose imports in 2022 added up to $3.2 trillion. 

Moreover, President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to  control education with the threat of pulling federal funding, especially “for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.” With the looming financial threat, many schools will likely conform to his demands. 

At the moment, the GOP is not calling for a federal abortion ban and believes that overturning Roe v. Wade was sufficient in stopping abortion in the United States. However, Trump has not specifically stated whether he would veto or sign a national abortion ban. 

Regardless of what Trump enacts during the next 4 years, every single American will be impacted in some way. 

Information retrieved from CNN, PBS, BBC, The Washington Post, United States Trade Representative, and Brookings.