It's official - Donald Trump is now the 47th president of the United States.
During his inauguration ceremony earlier today (20 Jan), the 78-year-old Republican leader was sworn into the White House and Oval Office once again, and became the second man ever to serve two non-consecutive terms as US president following Joe Biden's 2020 stint.
His previous victory against Democratic representative Kamala Harris was preceded by several policy promises, many of which left opposers fearing for the future of their country.
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And now, with the festivities over and Trump's term just beginning, both critics and fans have been researching exactly what the convicted felon once vowed he'd bring to the position this time around, and which controversial moves he's likely to make first.
Abortion ban
American women and individuals that can conceive have feared that federal restrictions on abortions could be put into place in the coming weeks, after Trump described the 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade as a 'beautiful thing to watch'.
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The now-defunct policy - ruled by the US supreme court - previously protected the rights of this group to undergo a termination procedure, and preceded a dozen states banning abortions outright.
On top of his haunting remark, Trump also once suggested he might veto any anti-abortion ban that lands on his desk, with many now worrying that Project 2025 - a 900-page right-wing policy 'wish list' - could be where the real fear lies.
Project 2025 proposes using the 1873 Comstock Act, which bans the mailing of abortion-related materials.
In short, this stops people from shipping abortion pills which is extremely significant given that such medication accounts for around two-thirds of abortions in the US.
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If the Comstock Act is enacted to its fullest extent, Americans could see not only a ban on abortion pills but also on the equipment that clinics need to carry out the procedure.
Trump could also potentially use such legislation to roll out a nation-wide 'de facto' abortion ban in the coming weeks.
Immigration
Throughout the duration of his 2016, 2020, and 2024 campaigns, Trump ceaselessly vowed to expand his most controversial immigration policies - including the ban on travel for refugees and travellers, particularly those coming from Muslim countries.
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"We will seal our border and bring back the travel ban," he previously said. "Remember the famous travel ban? We didn’t take people from certain areas of the world. We're not taking them from infested countries."
Additionally, Trump's stated he will embark on the 'largest deportation programme in history', claiming he will deport 'maybe as many as 20 million' people.
According to reports released earlier today, the Trump administration announced plans to declare a 'national emergency' at the US-Mexico border, and direct the defence department to 'seal the border'.
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These form part of a raft of executive actions aimed at restoring 'common sense immigration policy'.
He'll also order that a 450 mile wall is build along the US's border with Mexico, and will reinstate the 'Remain in Mexico' policy, that requires migrants wait for their asylum proceedings in Mexican territory.
Trump also has plans to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would give him the power to use the US Army to control the border.
Trump's 'America first' policies in his first term as president led to Nato members saying that never before had the US been seen as the 'unpredictable ally'.
His 'unpredictability' could mean even more instability in regards to foreign policy - specifically the Russia-Ukraine war and the humanitarian crisis which has seen Israel being accused of genocide against Palestine.
Gun control
The US, which has some of the highest rates of gun violence in the world when compared to other developed countries, sees an average of one death every 11 minutes with 48,204 people dying by firearms in 2022 alone.
President Biden oversaw the passage of the first major federal gun-safety law in almost three decades - but there's fears that such policies could be overturned now that Trump is officially in power.
Trump's previously dubbed himself 'the best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House' - hence why many are worried he'll do away with Harris' White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which was created in 2023, as well as nominating a gun industry-friendly leader as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Climate crisis
Trump has infamously called the climate crisis an 'expensive hoax' and 'one of the great scams of all time' - despite the fact that the average global temperature has risen by 2° F since 1850, and the rate of warming has increased since 1982 with 2023 being the warmest year on record, at 2.43° F above the pre-industrial average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports.
During his first run as president, Trump withdrew the US from the 'Paris Agreement', which 'implements the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change', according to Columbia Law School.
He's also hinted opening up the US's oil industry in a move he says could 'make American affordable again', famously spouting 'drill, baby, drill'.
Economy
Trump has claimed he will 'end inflation' but has not actually shared how this could be achieved.
As we know, he has stated that he will 'make American affordable again' through opening up the oil industry - which will have a detrimental impact on the environment - and he's claimed he will lower interest rates, despite the POTUS not setting them or controlling them.
He's also vowed he will up taxes on imports while cutting taxes worth trillions of dollars, all while deporting immigrants which he's yet to share any details on how this would be funded during his presidency.
A report from the American Immigration Council concluded that flights to remove the millions of people in question would cost $968 billion (roughly £751 billion).
LGBTQ+ rights
Trump has said he will order all federal agencies to end programmes that 'promote … gender transition at any age' as well as pledging to slash funding from hospitals providing gender-affirming care.
He's also vowed to push for a federal law stating the government doesn’t legally recognise trans people and rescind federal LGBTQ+ non-discrimination policies, like housing, healthcare and employment.
He has also called for new credentialing for teachers to 'promote positive education about the nuclear family, the roles of mothers and fathers', as per The Guardian.
Project 2025 also calls for replacing Biden-Harris previous policies with ones that support 'heterosexual, intact marriage'.
Topics: Donald Trump, News, Politics, US News
Rhianna Benson