Donald Trump: Seven things he says he will do as president

Donald Trump is preparing to return to the White House, after promising action on issues including immigration, the economy and the war in Ukraine.

He is likely to enjoy broad support for his policy agenda in Congress after his Republican Party regains control of the Senate.

In his victory speech, Mr. Trump pledged: “I will govern according to a simple motto: promises made, promises kept. We will keep our promises.”

But in some cases it has given few details about how it might achieve its goals.

Asked in 2023 by Fox News whether he would abuse his power or target political opponents, he said he would not do it, “except on day one.”

“No, no, no, except the first day. We close the border and we drill, we drill, we drill. After that, I am not a dictator.”

During his campaign, Mr. Trump promised the largest mass deportations of undocumented immigrants in U.S. history.

He also pledged to complete the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico, begun during his first presidency.

The number of crossings at the U.S. southern border reached a record high late last year under the Biden-Harris administration before falling in 2024.

Experts told the BBC that deportations on the scale promised by Trump would face huge legal and logistical challenges – and could slow economic growth.

Exit polls showed the economy was a key issue for voters. Mr Trump promised to “end inflation”, which reached historic levels under Joe Biden's presidency before falling again. But a president's power to directly influence prices is limited.

He also promised broad tax cuts, extending his 2017 reform. He proposed exempting tipped income from tax, abolishing the tax on Social Security benefits and reducing the tax on companies.

He proposed new tariffs of at least 10% on most foreign products to reduce the trade deficit. Imports from China could face an additional 60% tariff. Some economists have warned that such measures could lead to higher prices for consumers.

Donald Trump said he would “release” some of those convicted of offenses committed during the riot in Washington DC on January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to thwart the victory of Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

Several deaths have been attributed to this violence, which Mr. Trump has been accused of having encouraged.

He worked to downplay the significance of the riot and portray the hundreds of supporters who were convicted as political prisoners.

He continues to assert that many of them are “wrongly imprisoned,” while acknowledging that “some of them have probably gotten out of control.”

Mr. Trump has promised to fire “within two seconds” of taking office the veteran prosecutor who is leading two criminal investigations against him.

Special prosecutor Jack Smith indicted Mr. Trump for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Mr. Trump denies any wrongdoing and successfully prevented either case from going to trial before the election. He claims Mr Smith subjected him to a “political witch hunt”.

Mr Trump will return to the White House as the first president in history to have a criminal conviction, after being found guilty in New York of falsifying business documents.

Mr Trump criticized the tens of billions of dollars spent by the United States to support Ukraine in its war against Russia and pledged to end the conflict “within 24 hours” through a negotiated agreement.

He didn't say what he thought both sides should give up. Democrats say the move would embolden President Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Trump wants the United States to disengage from foreign conflicts in general. Regarding the war in Gaza, Mr. Trump has positioned himself as a staunch defender of Israel, but he has urged the American ally to end its operation. He also pledged to end violence in Lebanon, without giving further details.

Against the advice of some of his supporters, Donald Trump declared during the presidential debate with Kamala Harris that he would not sign a law banning abortion nationwide.

In 2022, the nation's constitutional right to abortion was struck down by the Supreme Court, which had a majority of conservative justices following Trump's first presidency.

Reproductive rights have become a key campaign issue for Harris, and several states have approved measures to protect or expand abortion rights on Election Day.

Mr. Trump himself has regularly said that states should be free to decide their own abortion laws, but he has struggled to find a consistent message.

During his first presidency, Mr. Trump rolled back hundreds of environmental protections and made America the first country to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

This time around, he again pledged to reduce regulations, particularly to help the U.S. auto industry. He has consistently attacked electric vehicles, promising to roll back Biden's goals encouraging a shift to cleaner cars.

He pledged to increase U.S. fossil fuel production by promising to “drill, drill, drill” from day one, benefiting renewable energy sources such as wind power.

He wants to open areas such as the Arctic to oil drilling, which he says would reduce energy costs, although analysts are skeptical.