The second Trump administration becomes a reality at noon Eastern today. In today’s newsletter, my colleagues and I look at seven areas where Donald Trump is likely to make immediate changes to government policy. For each area, we’ll also highlight one big unknown that will start to become clear in coming weeks.
Trump will almost certainly impose strict border rules and begin deporting more undocumented immigrants. The administration may start deportation raids tomorrow, in Chicago.
The unknown: Still, it remains unclear how far Trump will go. Will he focus deportations on distinct groups — such as people who entered the country recently, who already have an order to leave or who have been charged with a crime? Or will he also deport people who have been here for years and built stable lives?
Trump campaigned on a promise to impose tariffs of up to 20 percent on any goods entering the U.S., and he is likely to enact some tariffs quickly. By making foreign goods more expensive, he hopes to help American companies even if the policy raises consumer prices.
The unknown: There is a big difference between a sweeping tariff that applies to all goods and targeted tariffs that focus on specific products (like technology equipment) or countries (like China). Trump’s aides have sent mixed signals about which they will pursue, according to my colleague Ana Swanson, who covers trade.
The Trump administration is full of competing instincts on China policy, notes Edward Wong, a diplomatic correspondent for The Times. Several top advisers, like Marco Rubio, see China as a hostile power trying to weaken the U.S. Others in Trump’s orbit, like Elon Musk, see China primarily as a huge market. Trump himself frequently criticizes China but admires its autocratic president, Xi Jinping.
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