Days prior to his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump reportedly explicitly communicated during a two-hour private meeting with Senate Republicans that he would not defer to them in initiating the implementation of his principal policy objectives: reforming the immigration system and significantly altering the nation’s relations with its economic allies and adversaries.
Leveraging his governance expertise and enhanced understanding of power dynamics, Trump has formulated comprehensive proposals for tariffs and border restrictions, which are central to his 2024 campaign.
During the discussion, Trump informed lawmakers that he had already drafted over 100 executive orders and indicated that he might occasionally extend the boundaries of his presidential authority to independently address those matters, as reported by attendees.
Trump’s focus on immigration and trade reforms—the core tenets of his “America First” ideology—propelled him to the president in 2016 and facilitated his unprecedented return to the White House in the most recent election.
It maintained his ardent base of supporters throughout the last four years following his defeat by President Biden in 2020 and criticism from numerous party members about his involvement in the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.
As he regains power, Trump is wagering that he can accelerate his nationalist trade and immigration agenda into a legacy-defining policy record, bolstered by a more robust electoral mandate than he possessed previously.
During his initial presidency, Trump, a political novice, encountered opposition from the establishment faction of the Republican Party both within and beyond the White House. His aides successfully obstructed several initiatives, and the president exhibited increased caution on legal hazards.
Simultaneously, he inaccurately attributes the nation’s most persistent issues, like elevated housing costs and terrorist incidents, to an often permeable southern border. Recently, Trump attributed the New Orleans attack to President Biden’s immigration policies.
The president-elect is expected to terminate legal initiatives designed for asylum-seeking migrants who might otherwise enter unlawfully.
He is anticipated to rescind humanitarian deportation safeguards established by the Biden administration upon their expiration, potentially affecting millions of migrants, including individuals from Haiti, Sudan, and other nations in crisis.
He is additionally intending to revoke a policy memorandum that instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to prioritize the apprehension of severe offenders and dissuaded them from targeting immigrants who have resided in the U.S. unlawfully for an extended period without a criminal record.
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