Overnight, Republican nominee and former US President Donald Trump secured enough Electoral College votes to claim victory as the 47th President of the United States.
At the time of publishing, Trump had secured 292 electoral votes to his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris‘ 224, a result that shocked political watchers and enthusiasts.
In this special US election episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt and Chris Spyrou take you through what you need to know now that Trump will return to the White House.
Listen to The Briefing’s special US election video here:
The significant issues that loomed around the election were climate, immigration, inflation, reproductive rights and global conflicts.
In a nutshell, this is what the States, and the rest of the world can expect to see over the next four years.
Back in 2016, Trump vowed to build a wall between the US and Mexico, while this time round, he’s promised mass deportation.
He plans to end automatic citizenship for children born to immigrants and revoke existing legal statuses that currently protect immigrants who have come from countries like Haiti and Venezuela.
When it comes to inflation, Trump has promised to cut taxes for businesses and hike tariffs on imported goods.
Looking at global conflicts, experts have warned that he is likely to adopt a blank-cheque approach to Israel – essentially, giving the country whatever it wants.
Trump has said before that he’d let Israel “finish the job” in both Gaza and Lebanon, but it is unknown what that means.
Finally, abortion rights. While it’s not expected that Trump will impose federal restrictions, he said the issue should be resolved at the state level.
His position on the matter is clear, and he said he accepts abortion in only three circumstances: rape, incest, and where the mother’s life is at risk.
Trump will be officially sworn in as the 47th president on January 20, 2025, on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.