Elected 47th President of the United States on Wednesday January 6, Donald Trump will be officially inaugurated on January 20, 2025. Friday November 15, 2024, he promised “a strong army” after revealing, at the start of the week, the names of the first members of his future administration. Donald Trump notably appointed Elon Musk to head a ministry of “Government Effectiveness”.
Gabriel Solans, doctoral student in American civilization at Paris Cité University, specialist in the Republican Party, answers questions from students at Emile Combes college in Bordeaux.
A criminal can be president of the United States
Catherine : “If Donald Trump was going to be tried, why was he allowed to represent himself?”
Indeed, Donald Trump is the target of several legal cases and this did not prevent him from being a candidate in the presidential election and from being elected. He was even tried for one of these cases and found guilty. Donald Trump falsified documents proving that he paid a former pornographic actress to keep quiet and not reveal that she had a relationship with him in 2006. Donald Trump will be fixed on his sentence during a hearing which will take place on November 26. But whatever this sanction is, it will not take effect during his mandate.
If Donald Trump was able to be a presidential candidate it is quite simply because the American Constitution does not prevent a person who has been prosecuted or even convicted from running. According to Article 2, to become President of the United States, one must meet three conditions: be born an American citizen, be over 35 years old and have resided in the country for at least 14 years. What could have prevented Donald Trump from running is if he had been sentenced to ineligibility. That is to say if justice had withdrawn his civil right to be a candidate.
Trump “more divisive” than previous candidates
Eleony: “If Donald Trump had not represented the Republican Party, would there have been such hateful behavior towards the candidate?”
According to American civilization researcher Gabriel Solans, in this campaign, both camps felt targeted by hateful remarks. “Donald Trump behaved contemptuously and quite vindictively towards his opponent. The Republican Party views the Democratic Party as an enemy. On the other hand, we can also try to imagine what is the point of view of a Republican voter in the United States. A large part of the American electorate considers that the Democratic Party and the media, justice in a somewhat generalized way, have been unfair, hateful, contemptuous towards Donald Trump“.
For Gabriel Solans, this political violence would not have been as high if the Republican Party had chosen another candidate because Donald Trump embodies “a new stage in the polarization of the American political system”. “He is much more divisive, more aggressive, tougher than the previous candidates. He changed the standard of American political debate which was already violent. So yes, it would have been more peaceful.”
He made promises on immigration
Ninon: “Why is Donald Trump deciding to close all his borders?
During his campaign, which was very focused on the fight against immigration, Donald Trump promised several things. In particular to finish the construction of the wall with Mexico started during his first mandate between 2017 and 2021. He also promised to massively expel foreigners in an illegal situation. Why does Donald Trump stigmatize foreigners? Because this political strategy was a winner for him. According to several polls, immigration was a determining factor in voters' choice.
But the president-elect could face local challenges. In the United States, states can ask federal judges to freeze the policies of the administration in power. California has already warned: it will oppose Donald Trump's migration policy, which it considers contrary to the American Constitution.
French cognac in its crosshairs
Maxime : “Trump elected, what impact will this have in France?”
In his program, there is an area that explicitly targets France. Donald Trump has promised to impose customs taxes on all products coming from Europe, a tax of at least 10%.“We know that, for example, for cognac, the Americans are the first international customer and that a customs tariff war could be very worrying, pointe Gabriel Solans. In the United States, it is the executive which has had the prerogative of customs barriers since 1974. So it does what it wants. And the Senate, which has prerogatives in foreign policy, never countered Trump during his first term, when he waged his tariff war with China.
Another sector which could suffer the effects of an increase in taxes on imports of European products: the pharmaceutical industry. The United States is the first foreign country, outside Europe, to which France exports its medicines.
End the war with Ukraine “quickly”
Mellie : “I heard that aid to Ukraine is over. Is this true?”
Regarding the war started by Russia in Ukraine, Donald Trump has not been very specific about what he intends to do. According to researcher Gabriel Solans, Donald Trump made decisions this week which still give us clues about his strategy vis-à-vis Ukraine: “He has already named his cabinet, that is to say his government and according to the secretaries [l’équivalent de nos ministres français]we feel rather a pro-Russian leaning. For example, for Tulsi Gabor, who was appointed head of the intelligence community, she is very clearly pro-Russian. His vice-president, JD Vance, has clearly said that he wants an end to aid to Ukraine and a negotiation with Russia. In any case, Trump has decided that he wants to end the war in Ukraine quickly, so that's going to be one of the main foreign policy issues during these four years.”
