On November 5th, 2024, millions of people across the country were on the edges of their seats, waiting for new numbers to come in. No matter who they were hoping would win the election, almost everyone had a personal stake in the outcome, and most citizens had strong opinions on the topic.
On November 6th, millions of people across the country watched as the results came in. And no matter who they voted for, or even if they didn’t vote at all, one question lingered in their minds — what comes next?
Donald Trump, who became the President of the United States of America on January 20th, 2025, has made it clear that his plans differ drastically from the former President, Joe Biden. And due to the fact that Republicans, such as Trump, have a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, most laws that they propose are more likely to be passed.
For a law to be passed, many steps have to be taken. After a law or policy is first proposed by a senator or a House representative, it then has to be approved by the two separate bodies of Congress. Then, both the Senate and the House of Representatives vote on the bill together, and finally, if that gets approved, the president has to sign off. There are also many opportunities for the different branches of government to check each other’s power. However, considering that different political parties tend to vote together, and that the Republicans have the majority in both the House and Senate, conservatives currently have much more power over which laws are passed than liberals do.
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While it is true that the Supreme Court is supposed to have no affiliations with either political party, most of the members have been appointed by Republican officials, and thus tend to vote in a more conservative fashion.
Many people can look at the stylized photos that big newspapers post online, and distance themselves from what is happening, whether it is a subconscious decision or not. This is especially true in a place such as New York, where the largely democratic population would not be directly affected by any lifts on nation-wide bans or laws, such as the overturning of Roe vs. Wade. However, there is a very real possibility that laws passed in the next four years will directly influence everyone in their everyday lives. So what are some of the policies that Republicans are proposing?
One action Trump intends to take during his upcoming presidency is dismantling the federal Department of Education. The Department of Education has many critical functions that help keep schools running, and the eradication of the organization would have huge impacts. Mr. Trump could not abolish the DOE using an executive order, as it is a federal agency. However, he could permanently shut the organization down with enough support from Congress. While this change is unlikely, as last year 60 Republicans joined with Democrats to oppose the elimination of the department, it is possible. Eliminating the Department of Education is a part of Project 2025, which is a list of goals that some Republicans are trying to work towards. If the organization is eradicated, it will affect many important issues such as student loans and more. Many programs that focus on supporting low income or queer students, as well as racial minorities, would no longer be able to function if the Department was abolished.
Another topic that Trump has been vocal about are AI restrictions. Over the past few years, the Biden administration has worked to regulate and limit AI usage. However, Trump has stated that he will take the opposite path and focus on improving AI so that the U.S. can enhance many aspects of the country, specifically those that are military related. This would allow the U.S. to gain an advantage over many other countries, such as China in the race to establish dominance in artificial intelligence.
Trump has also proposed to raise tariffs, a tax on the imports and exports of international goods. Tariffs were previously raised during Trump’s first term in office. However, he now intends to raise tariffs to 25% for products from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% for products from China. The base motivations for this are generally positive. Tariffs are often used to lower taxes, create jobs, and encourage citizens to support domestic industries. However, there is currently no plan to replace these sources of goods from foreign countries, and given that a lot of these foreign commodities are consumer products, it will likely make many American households poorer. Former Vice President Kamala Harris has dismissed Trump’s plan for tariffs as an unrealistic way to save money. With that being said, the Biden-Harris administration kept the tariffs that Donald Trump put in place in his first term as president, all throughout the four years of their being in office.
Trump also has big plans for mass deportation of immigrants in the country. Immigration laws were one of the most controversial topics for voters, and it is a topic that Trump has discussed extensively.
According to the Pew Research Center, there currently are around 11 million illegal immigrants living in the country, and it is the strong belief of many individuals, particularly in the Republican party, that these immigrants should be forced out of the country. Donald Trump received criticism for his actions taken against unauthorized immigrants in his first term, with many people agreeing that his methods were too violent and that he forced families apart. This however, has not deterred him from his plans in 2025.
Realistically, Trump will not be able to deport every single unauthorized immigrant in the country. It would cost far too much, and is just not possible. However, many Republicans have spoken out in support of mass deportation, and it has been a topic that Donald Trump continues to revisit. This action would have huge implications. The majority of unauthorized immigrants have already been in the country for more than a decade, and many work and pay taxes. Almost a million are business owners, and many have children. Deporting them would uproot their entire life.
Another issue deportation will affect is employment rates. The reduced workforce would also decrease the demand for different goods and products. While it may seem counterintuitive, the presence of immigrants actually increases the number of jobs. The Peterson Institute for International Economics has predicted that employment rates will rise about 1.5 to 1.8 percent in 2025, but then drop to 2.7 to 9 percent below average in 2028.
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In fact, this seems to be a common theme across many of Trump’s potential policies, as many students at Bronx Science think. Miriam Golant ’27 said, “I think he is going to divide our country, and I think he already did back during the Coronavirus pandemic.” She went on to add that, “President Trump evicts strong emotions in different people.”
The vast majority of Trump’s speeches and comments elevate people’s opinions, whether they agree or disagree with his policies. Many individuals fall into the latter category.
Despite this, it is hard to argue that future President Trump’s intentions are not sound, at least from the outside. He wants to strengthen our country, decrease inflation, and protect society from any negative outside influences. Will his ends justify the means? We have four years to find out.
On November 6th, millions of people across the country watched as the results came in. And no matter who they voted for, or even if they didn’t vote at all, one question lingered in their minds — what comes next?