Golden age for the United States?

Come January 20, 2025, the mega Inauguration Day when the 47th U.S. President-elect, Donald J. Trump, will be sworn in to the world’s most powerful office, the White House for the second time. This is the day for which over 77 million Americans have been avidly and enthusiastically looking forward to. This is the day for which Trump had made some of the most ambitious promises that any president before him ever made.

Though many of Trump’s critics chuckled, and even sniggered at, but Donald Trump responded that his ‘second term will be a golden age for the United States. In nearly 150 speeches, interviews and press meets, Trump affirmed that he will stand by all and every his promise that he made umpteen times, and endorse on this day, his second regime’s four-year term.

Among perhaps some of his most outstanding promises, the first was ‘I will end the Ukraine-Russia war in 24 hours.’ The second, probably the most egregious one to deport 11 million people living in the United States illegally, deemed to be the largest in American history. This has been a years-old issue that every incoming president has averred, but still remains beyond any practically possible break through. And it continues to be complicated, confusing and cumbersome. For, it’s a widely accepted and pronouncedly admitted that countless American enterprises cannot manage their services in hospitality industries, agricultural and horticultural operations, transportation and travel services and multiple menial vocations. Trump has promised to order national assessment of all educational progress.

Particularly after his bounteous November 5 presidential victory, Trump has aggressively, unabashedly repeated his promise to deport illegal immigrants: “On Inauguration Day, I’ll launch a removal programme for undocumented immigrants: “Operation Aurora”. It will be the largest deportation in American history.’’ Incidentally, a recent US Immigration and Customs Enfacement (ICE) report has stated that America deports one Indian every six hours….A very significant increase in Indian deportation from the US in 2924, rising by 400% since 2021… due mostly to changes in US visa policy.

Trump also promised that he will ‘disempower legacy media companies…reverse some broadcasters’ licenses. Trump has called America’s media as ‘No.1 enemy of the nation.’

President Trump has persistently threatened to raise sweeping new tariffs for many countries, including by 25 % with India, 10% with Canada, and then stop commerce and trade. In case of import of goods, a 60% on all Chinese goods; and ask all American industries to bring back their factories from China.

Trump’s another hard to accomplish promise is to cut US federal budget over $2 trillion a year out of $6.8 trillion; this issue has popped up almost every budget time. In the healthcare sector too, comprehensive changes will be effected, particularly in Obama Affordable care Act; this could not be done in his first term.

Of late, America’s educational system has come under severe criticism: it has been found wanting to meet needs of innumerable fast emerging digital employment positions. With rapid trends in digital technology, robotics, artificial intelligence, climate-change, and other areas, Trump is said to have expressed his optimism that his new work agenda and policy ecosystem—implementation of which is supported by more than 50,000 civil servants, and dozens of young political appointees- will stand in good stead.

Incidentally, the Trump team currently planning transition from the Biden Administration, is what the Trump presidency likely to adopt to achieve his promised schedule of the newly structured programmes. Most of these are directed to meet Trump’s promises publicly made during over the year-long presidential election campaign. These include the nine policy areas under the Trump Presidency --- what Trump is ‘proposing, and what is actually possible’, in the Trump second term:

Immigration and Border Control: With a view to compassionately handling and orderly tackling the illegal issues, the Trump Administration will build detention camps, implement mass deportations; hire more border control staff, funnel military spending for the border security and invoke the US Alien Act to expel suspected drug cartels and criminal gangs. It is believed it may not so simple as it looks.

Tariffs Policies: The Trump Administration will dramatically expand tariffs policies, as he did in first term on steel and aluminum, overall, over $300 billion worth of Chinese goods. It is learned that all this may not be so simple as it looks, though. But in case of trade pacts with Mexico, Trump has already threatened tariffs pressure on immigration, as it was done earlier in 2019. More tariffs proposals planned to be enacted later.

Ukraine and Middle East: Donald Trump has stated that he wants to help end the armed conflict in the Middle East. This months-old war has tremendous loss of life and property in all the countries involved. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is adamant in carrying on the fighting as the Biden Administration is supporting him with money and ammunition. But President-elect Donald Trump has promised that he will do his best to mediate and end the war. However, no concrete mediation proposals have been made or considered.

Trump’s other important promises, according to Associated Press include: Educational reforms include to pressure K-12 school system to abolish tenure and merit pay for school teachers, abolishing teaching of ‘critical race theory in schools (relating to Blacks’ slavery system, now abolished) ‘gender ideologies from school system. In higher education, regularizing endowment systems in higher education which is said to lead manipulation by private universities; online ‘American Academy’ offering college credentials to Americans without tuition charges.

Finally, regulation, federal bureaucracy and presidential power: While addressing one of 123 election rallies, Trump had promised that he will act like a ‘dictator but only for a day one’ of his second presidency; ‘aside from his policy goals.’

However, Trump has praised Russia’s Vladimir Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, and later (recently) Hungary’s authoritarian leader Viktor Orban.

A media outlet has called Trump ‘one of the most respected men.’ They call him ‘a strongman. He’s a tough person. Smart.’