Trump’s Plans to Reshape Government and Pardon Jan. 6 Offenders
Donald Trump has made bold promises for his return to the White House in 2025, including a sweeping plan to weaken what he calls the “deep state.” This proposal includes shrinking the influence of career civil servants and possibly replacing federal employees with his appointees. He’s also vowed to pardon individuals convicted for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, calling them “political prisoners.”
Education Overhaul: Cutting Departments, Controlling Curriculum
The Trump administration sets its sights on eliminating the Department of Education, while still using federal power to influence school policies. He has stated that he intends to leverage federal funding to push K-12 schools to abolish teacher tenure, adopt merit pay, and remove diversity programs. In higher education, President Trump aims to introduce a federal accreditation process to limit what he describes as “Marxist ideologies.” From a video posted on the site Rumble from President Trump’s official account titled President Trump’s Plan to Save American Education and Give Power Back to Parents, he stated, “Public schools have been taken over by the radical left maniacs, here’s my plan to save American education.” He went on to add, “we will cut federal funding to any school pushing critical race theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content onto our children.” He has also proposed an “American Academy”—a low-cost, online alternative for college credentials that he promises will be “non-political.” President Trump has also said he wants to add prayer to public schools, allowing students and teachers to practice their religion in school and have mandated prayer time.
Healthcare and Welfare: Changes for Social Security, ACA, and Medicaid
President Trump’s healthcare proposals include repealing the Affordable Care Act. He has picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services to overhaul public health policies, including banning fluoride from water. President Trump has promised to protect Social Security and Medicare. Economists believe that his proposals to exempt tip and overtime wages from taxes could potentially weaken the funding for these programs. Medicaid also faces changes, with President Trump rumored to revive state-level work requirements.
Climate and Energy: Focus on Fossil Fuels, Cutbacks on Clean Energy
President Trump’s stance on energy is a stark reversal of President Biden’s clean energy policies. He has made claims on twitter that are skeptical of climate change like “Im freezing in New York – where the hell is global warming.” He has also made pro climate comments as well, stating, “The United States will join one trillion trees initiative.” He has promised to reinstate fossil fuel incentives, scrapping President Biden’s EV and renewable energy programs. President Trump has said “Drill, baby, drill” many times, which reflects his focus on oil and gas. He has also chosen Lee Zeldin as his head of the Environmental Protection Agency, signaling an aggressive rollback of current environmental regulations.
Foreign Policy: Isolationism, but with an Expanded Military
President Trump’s foreign policy emphasizes reduced U.S. involvement abroad and support for a more isolationist approach. However, he proposes increasing military spending, including plans for new missile defense systems. He’s critical of NATO and has publicly stated multiple times that he wants to leave as other countries are not pulling their weight. President Trump has said that he will be able to end conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars.
Biden’s Final Push: Cementing Policies Before a Transition
With just 10 weeks before President Trump takes office, the White House is racing to distribute funds before President Biden leaves office. These include finalizing agreements between the Commerce Department and manufacturing companies for federal semiconductor subsidies; allocating grants for climate initiatives; and surging available money and weaponry to war-torn Ukraine (CNN). After he left the race in July, he assigned his team to ramp up the implementation of certain legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. White House deputy chief of staff Natalie Quillian said that the administration is “really heads down” on trying to “get this money out the door, get agreements signed, and get these benefits to the American people.”
Building a New Cabinet: Trump’s Key Appointees
President Trump has already named cabinet members aligned with his agenda. Susie Wiles would serve as his chief of staff, with Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff for policy, Tom Homan as “border czar”, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel, House Rep. Elise Stefanik to serve as U.N. Ambassador, Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida to be his national security adviser and Rep. Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General. President Trump also made a new government agency called the Department of Government Efficiency, which will be run by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
The 2024 Stakes: Competing Visions for America’s Future
President Trump’s proposals, if enacted, would drastically reshape the nation’s policies across education, healthcare, climate, and international relations. President Biden is attempting to embed a progressive agenda before the Trump administration takes office. The coming months will reveal how enduring President Biden’s policies may be and set the stage for one of the most ideologically charged presidential transitions in recent history.