‘MAGA-ism is here to stay’: What will Trump’s presidency look like?
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Donald Trump has claimed a “political victory that [America] has never seen before”, but what will his presidency mean for the United States and the rest of the world?
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In brief…
- Donald Trump has declared an “incredible” political victory in the US election in a speech in West Palm Beach, Florida.
- His presidency could involve more Trump-installed Supreme Court justices, Robert F Kennedy Jr in his cabinet, and axed funding for Ukraine.
- The News Agents say the loss will be far more devastating for the Democrats than Trump’s first win.
Donald Trump: The Sequel
What's the story?
Donald Trump has declared victory in the US presidential election, saying America has given him an "unprecedented mandate” to run the country.
It came soon after he secured a sufficient number of electoral college votes, claiming wins in the swing states of Georgia, North Carolina, and crucially, Pennsylvania.
"America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate. We have taken back control of the Senate. Wow, that's great," he told supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida.
He added: “We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible, and it’s now clear we’ve achieved the most incredible political thing — look what happened, is this crazy?
"But it’s a political victory that our country has never seen before.”
While Harris has yet to concede, Trump seems confident in calling himself the out and out winner.
He said: “We are going to help our country heal, we are going to help our country heal. We have a country that needs help and it needs help very badly.”
But what shape will his presidency take? And what does it mean for the future of America and the rest of the world?
Donald Trump is "on the verge of the greatest comeback in political history."
What clues are there about what a Trump presidency will look like?
Trump has already spoken about installing Robert F Kennedy Jr (RFK Jr) in his government, specifically running the health department. “RFK...is going to help make America healthy again", he told the Florida crowds.
It comes after a penultimate rally in Pennsylvania, in which Trump gave some clues about installing RFK in his government.
He said: “Bobby’s gonna pretty much do what he wants. I want him to do something important for our country. It makes people healthier. We have obesity, we have every problem you can have. Bobby feels very strongly about it,”
Emily Matilis points out that RFK Jr is “a man who doesn't believe in vaccines.”“It's not just COVID. He doesn't believe in any vaccines.”
Trump has also previously stressed that he would stop providing military aid to Ukraine if he secured the top spot in the White House, as well as threatening to leave NATO.
“It's a bad night for Kyiv, and it's good night for Moscow,” says Jon Sopel.
And indeed, Trump said in his speech that his priority is “America first”.
He’s threatened to impose tariffs on all goods from China, as well as slapping tariffs on goods from Europe. “That is going to have a jolt,” Jon says.
As well as RFK, Trump has heaped praise on Elon Musk, the billionaire “Dark Maga” Trump supporter who was seen at rally after rally on the campaign trail.
Now, questions remain over what role he will have to play with Trump in the White House. “A star is born”, Trump said of the X owner after someone yelled out his name from the crowd.
Trump added: "He is an amazing guy... We spent two weeks in Philadelphia and different parts of Pennsylvania campaigning.”
Is this Trump victory even more devastating for the Democrats than 2016?
What’s The News Agents take?
“This is way more devastating for the Democratic Party than the first time around, because the first time around almost felt like a fluke,” says Lewis Goodall.
“For Trump to win, and to win big like this with what [Democrats] will consider their voters - ethnic minority voters - after he's done all the stuff he's done, I don't think they'll even begin to be able to internalise that.”
Lewis adds that Trump, who installed three Supreme court justices in his first presidential term, has more vacancies to fill, and that could have profound impacts on the country.
Ultimately Lewis warns, it is a sign that "MAGA-ism is here to stay".
Jon says: “The significance of this result is that Donald Trump actually is probably the most important president this century that we've had, because he'll have transformed the Republican Party.”
Listen in full on The News Agents.
