In many ways, the reelection of Donald Trump was probably hardly a surprise for many Americans. Although the president endured relentless scrutiny throughout his former term and ensuing loss to President Biden, Trump remained in the public eye and the clear Republican front-runner, even after Jan. 6 and the multitude of charges thrown against him.
Trump ran on a reelection narrative of Making America Great Again…Again. Although slightly redundant, Trump had a solid narrative and reasons as to why he was running again on the promise of unfinished business.
Trump’s initial cabinet was filled with former Regan and Bush-era Republicans who upheld certain standards and principles surrounding the limits of the executive branch. Trump, however, saw these precedents and restrictions as insults to the legacy that he was trying to lead.
Shortly after winning in November, it was clear that Trump had learned from his first go around in the Oval Office. In short order, he employed several loyalists who had made their allegiance clear during the 4-year-interim. As such, the likes of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense and a bid for Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. Moral character and the constitutional restrictions binding the president were a second-level issue when Trump curated his cabinet.
In the early couple of weeks since the 47th president’s inauguration, we’ve already seen the wielding of power and showmanship the president is likely to implement throughout the coming four years. Even those who are harshly critical of Trump cannot doubt his business and crowd-pleasing acumen. On the day of inauguration shortly after being sworn in, the Commander-in-Chief started signing multiple executive orders in front of a group of onlookers and proceeded to throw the pens into the audience like he was Aaron Judge at a Yankees game.
What has followed since has been more executive orders and far more efficient legislation than the previous Trump term. Although it’s difficult to predict the policies of an administration in just two weeks, the president has already started fast on his deportation campaign. Strong-arming Columbia and setting up camps in Guantanamo Bay are just a few of the policies that Trump has been quick to enact. So far, the deportations have been assumed to be criminals without legal citizenship within the country. However, this provision could easily be expanded throughout the coming weeks and months and set a precedent for future presidents in allowing mass deportations and displacements.
It is clear that Trump 2.0 is going to be a machine of efficiency to enact many of the policies the president promised during his first term. With a strong cabinet of like-minded individuals and a headstrong approach to the mass deportation and displacement of migrants, it is clear that Trump is already wielding the full power of the executive branch with the added flair of showmanship that he garnered from his days as a reality TV star.
