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Former President Donald Trump dances after speaking at a campaign rally on Sept. 29, 2024, in Erie, Pa. (AP)
Updated with additional promises, Oct. 29, 2024.
Former President Donald Trump’s policy agenda for a potential second term resurrects some familiar proposals from his first, but it would go further on many fronts. It would, for example, include a more aggressive deportation policy, greatly expand tariffs and roll back transgender rights.
Since PolitiFact’s founding in 2007, a cornerstone of coverage has been tracking the progress, or lack thereof, of the sitting president’s campaign promises. We tracked 533 promises former President Barack Obama made during his 2008 and 2012 campaigns, broken down into one of three final ratings: Promise Kept, Promise Broken, and Compromise.
When Trump won in 2016, we tracked 102 of his promises. And we are now tracking the progress on 99 promises made by President Joe Biden during his 2020 campaign.
Trump has articulated more than 100 policy proposals since announcing his reelection bid in late 2022. To make our list, Trump himself had to make a promise in speeches, interviews, rallies, or on social media; we did not include proposals backed only by outside groups, such as Project 2025.
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Here, we list more than 100 promises Trump has made for a second term. We compiled promises made by his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, in a separate article.
Did we miss a promise? Email your suggestion to [email protected].
RELATED: Here’s what Kamala Harris is promising voters
A vehicle drives along the U.S. side of the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Nogales, Ariz. (AP)
Immigration
Carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history
During his presidency, Trump promised to — but didn’t — deport all immigrants living in the country illegally. Immigration experts have told PolitiFact that mass deportation efforts would likely fail because of concerns over cost and constitutionality.
Trump hasn’t provided detailed plans for mass deportations or explained where the financial resources required would come from if Congress did not substantially increase appropriations. He has said he would begin by deporting criminals, and use local law enforcement and the National Guard to help. In April, he told Time magazine that building mass deportation camps and using the U.S. military was not out of the question.
During his presidency, Trump built around 450 miles of border barriers along the southern U.S. border, many of which replaced old, dilapidated barriers. Achieving his redoubled promise would require cooperation from Congress, which would need to bless the funding. During his presidency, Trump received some funding from Congress and declared a national emergency that allowed him to redirect Defense Department funding.
But large portions of the U.S. southern border are on privately owned or federally protected land, so barriers can’t be placed there unless the federal government buys the land or seizes it through eminent domain.
Trump failed during his presidency to fulfill his promise to end people’s right to become U.S citizens if they’re born in the U.S., regardless of their parents’ immigration status. Legal experts told us that attempts to end birthright citizenship would prompt a court battle and could require a constitutional amendment.
Restore and expand the travel ban
During his presidency, Trump carried out executive orders to ban citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days. He faced numerous legal challenges. The travel ban’s third and final version restricted U.S. entry to people from the seven countries, plus Chad, North Korea and Venezuela. In June 2018, the Supreme Court upheld this travel ban. On his first day in office, Biden ended the executive order.
Shift parts of federal law enforcement to assist with immigration enforcement
Trump and other presidents, including Biden, have sent troops to border states to support Border Patrol agents amid increased migration. Troops at the border transport these agents, drive and repair surveillance vehicles and clean brush. Under current law, they do not engage with migrants or enforce laws.
During his presidency, Trump paused the refugee resettlement program for 120 days. He considered lowering the cap to zero but instead reduced the cap each year from former President Barack Obama’s limit of 110,000 in fiscal year 2017 to a record low of 15,000 in fiscal year 2021. This time he's proposing suspending it entirely.
Refugees, as defined by U.S. law, are people outside of the U.S. who fled their home countries because of persecution related to race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. They have received refugee protections from the U.S. before they enter the country. Asylum seekers also must meet the refugee definition, but they have to be physically in the U.S. to seek protections. Biden lifted the cap to 125,000 for fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
Terminate the Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One app
Trump wants to end a mobile phone application that migrants use to access Customs and Border Protection services — even though his administration launched the tool in 2020. The Biden administration has expanded its use, allowing immigrants to make appointments at official ports of entry to begin the asylum-seeking process.
Trump hasn’t said what the ideological screening would entail. Federal officials already check applicants’ backgrounds, including monitoring social media. But the focus on antisemitism is new, particularly since the emergence of protests after Hamas attacked Israel Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel responded militarily. Expanded backgrounding could introduce privacy concerns and discourage visa applications, PolitiFact has reported.
Changes in eligibility for permanent resident status, also known as receiving a green card, would require congressional action. Congress has not passed reforms to the immigration system in decades.
Terminate work permits for immigrants in the U.S. illegally
During his presidency, Trump tried to end a program that protects certain people who crossed the border illegally as children from deportation and gives them work permits. The Supreme Court ruled against him ending the program, but its legality is unsettled; the case is expected to again reach the Supreme Court.
Make it illegal to distribute welfare benefits to immigrants in the U.S. illegally
It’s unclear what effect this would have: Most immigrants living illegally in the country are ineligible for benefits from federal programs. A valid Social Security number is needed to receive most federal benefits. Immigrants in the country illegally are not issued Social Security numbers. Trump has separately pledged to make immigrants in the U.S. ineligible for public housing assistance. Noncitizen eligibility for housing programs now vary by program.
Invoke the Alien Enemies Act to deport gang members
This 1798 law was created when the U.S. feared an impending war with France. It allows the president to arrest, detain and deport people without due process under certain circumstances. But legal experts said Trump would likely face legal obstacles if he tried to use it for this purpose.
Designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations
As president in 2019, Trump said he would designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The legal designation is used to identify foreign groups that "engage in premeditated, politically motivated acts of terrorism against noncombatant targets," according to the Wilson Center. However, Trump said he would temporarily hold off on the designation at the request of Mexico’s president. Now that Trump is campaigning again, the promise is back. Some international relations and counterterrorism experts have questioned what tangible impact giving drug cartels the designation would have, adding that it could harm U.S. diplomatic relations with Mexico.
Trump announced on Oct. 29 that he would create a compensation fund from the seized assets of criminal gangs to support victims of "migrant crime" — crime purportedly committed by immigrants who are in the country illegally. "We will be seizing the assets of the criminal gangs and drug cartels, and we will use those assets to create a compensation fund to provide restitution for the victims of migrant crime, and the government will help in the restoration," Trump said. He did not provide additional details.
Revoke the Temporary Protected Status of Haitians in Springfield, Ohio
Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have targeted Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, including the accusation that they are eating their neighbors’ pets, which we have rated Pants on Fire. In an interview, Trump said he would revoke their legal status and "bring them back to their country." That would involve ending their Temporary Protected Status, which protects them from deportation because they are from a country experiencing war, environmental disasters and epidemics.
Economy
Add a tariff of 10% to 20% to all nondomestic goods sold in America
Add a 60% tariff on goods from China
Institute a reciprocal tariff policy
Collectively, these three promises would continue Trump’s efforts, dating to his presidency, to raise tariffs on foreign goods, especially when foreign countries impose tariffs on the U.S. These foreign nation tariffs would be the target of Trump’s reciprocal tariff policy. Independent groups have estimated that Trump’s proposed tariffs would cost a typical family between $2,000 and $4,000 a year and some Senate Republicans have expressed skepticism about the plan.
Adopt a four-year plan to phase out Chinese imports
This pair of promises would expand on policies Trump sought to impose on China during his presidency. The aim would be to counter China’s influence in the international economy and erase advantages China has over U.S. companies.
Provide a "middle class, upper class, lower class, business class, big tax cut."
Trump has not detailed how his new tax cut would work. The tax bill Trump signed in 2017 did lower taxes for all income groups, at least initially, but wealthier taxpayers gained disproportionately.
End taxation on Social Security
Trump wrote on Truth Social, "Seniors should not pay tax on Social Security." He did not provide details, such as offsetting revenues to pay for it. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that doing this would cost $1.6 trillion to $1.8 trillion over a decade.
This would end taxation on the tipped portions of workers. An analysis by Ernie Tedeschi at the Yale Budget Lab found that 2.5% of workers are in tipped jobs, including 5% of workers in the bottom quarter of earners. Trump was the first to propose this; his 2024 presidential race opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, followed suit, although economists have mixed feelings about whether the benefits to workers would outstrip the cost to the government, and about whether companies would take advantage of the new policy to force more workers into tipped jobs.
Besides ending taxation on Social Security and tips, Trump said he would end taxation on pay for overtime work. The Tax Foundation, a center-right think tank, estimated that this would cost anywhere from $227 billion to $1.1 trillion over 10 years, depending on how the new policy was structured.
Reduce taxation for Americans living overseas
Some Americans living abroad pay taxes to both the U.S. and a foreign country, although they can deduct the taxes they paid to the foreign government. Critics suggest that this could incentivize higher-income Americans to move to lower-tax countries overseas and escape U.S. tax liability.
Reduce the corporate tax rate from 21% to 15% "for companies that make their products in America"
Trump’s 2017 tax law previously cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. Harris has proposed raising it to 28%.
Put a temporary cap on credit card interest rates
Trump said "we're going to cap" credit card interest rates "at around 10%. We can't let them make 25% and 30%." When he made the pledge in September 2024, the typical interest rate for credit card accounts that are assessed interest was 22.8%. The typical rate has never been as low as 10%, going back to at least 1994, when researchers began collecting the data on credit card interest rates. Rates briefly went as low as 12% in 2003. Skeptics say banks might counter by tightening standards for who can have cards.
Cut car insurance rates by 50%
It’s unclear how Trump could lower car insurance rates by this much.
Make interest on car loans tax deductible
Trump revealed this proposal in a speech to the Detroit Economic Club, pitching it as a way to boost the automobile industry.
Make it tax deductible to purchase a home generator
Trump made this promise after Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton struck. Trump proposed that it was retroactive to Sept. 1, 2024 and valid through Aug. 31, 2025.
Restore the state and local tax deduction (SALT)
Trump’s 2017 tax law capped the amount taxpayers can deduct state and local tax payments on their federal tax returns at $10,000. This irritated affluent suburbanites in blue states, where state and local taxes tend to be high. Trump promised to reverse his action on the deduction in a Truth Social before a rally on New York’s Long Island, which is home to many such taxpayers. Trump wrote that he would "get SALT back." The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that this could cost the federal government $1.2 trillion over 10 years.
Stop China from buying land in the U.S.
Chinese investors, entities and U.S. corporations with Chinese shareholders collectively owned 383,935 acres of agricultural and nonagricultural land in the United States, as of 2021. It is unclear how many of these acres the Chinese Communist Party controls. An expert told PolitiFact that although the Chinese Communist Party could influence or coerce Chinese people or entities to use farmlands for spying or other purposes, there hasn’t been evidence of such activity.
Trump would hold a "national contest to charter up to 10 new cities on a very small portion of federal land and award these charters to the best ideas and proposals for development." Trump billed this contest to boost U.S. industry and build fast-growing cities from scratch. The plan aims to "reopen the frontier, reignite American imagination, and give hundreds of thousands of young people and other people, all hardworking families, a new shot at home ownership and in fact, the American Dream." He said the land would not infringe on national parks or other "natural treasures."
Create "baby bonuses" for young parents
Trump didn’t specify how his idea would work, but Democrats have previously supported "baby bonus" proposals, so this could be an area for bipartisan cooperation.
Trump has focused his opposition to government bailouts to those for banks, such as Silicon Valley Bank, which collapsed during Biden’s presidency.
Emergency workers clear rubble Sept. 29, 2024, after a Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
Foreign policy and military
End the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours
Trump has been less supportive than the Biden-Harris administration in backing Ukraine against Russia, which launched an invasion in 2022. Trump has not detailed his plan, but even Russian officials have expressed skepticism that this could be achieved.
Target Chinese ownership of U.S. vital infrastructure
Hold China financially responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic
These three promises collectively target China as a national security threat, not just an economic rival. Depending on the details, the goal of toughening the U.S. stance against China might be able to secure bipartisan buy-in.
Construct an Iron Dome-like missile defense system for the U.S.
The U.S. has been a leader in creating the anti-missile technology known as Iron Dome that has protected Israel from airborne attack. But experts say the threats to Israel are different than those facing the United States, making Iron Dome a less obvious solution for the U.S.
Provide record-breaking military funding
Although Trump has touted that he did not launch a war on his watch, this promise expresses support for generous military funding.
Withdraw from the World Health Organization
Trump has criticized the WHO, including for its perceived closeness to China, which he’s said compromised its advice on the coronavirus and its investigations of the pandemic, which emerged in China.
Health and human services
Leave Social Security and Medicare unchanged
Keep the Social Security retirement age unchanged
Trump, during his business and political career, has sometimes said he’d be open to cutting Social Security or Medicare. As president, he proposed budgets that would have cut Social Security’s disability programs (but not retirement benefits) and Medicare (but in ways that experts say would have increased efficiency, not harmed beneficiaries). During the 2024 campaign, Trump has been consistent in his written platforms and in public remarks that he will not cut either program. However, Social Security is at risk of running out of money by the 2030s, which would trigger significant across-the-board cuts.
Either have the government pay for or require insurers to pay for in vitro fertilization treatment
Amid attacks from Democrats that certain anti-abortion laws could also harm reproductive technologies, Trump proposed having the government cover in vitro fertilization costs or requiring insurers to do so. The idea is not universally popular among Republicans, partly because of IVF’s expense, which often runs between $15,000 to $30,000 per IVF cycle.
Give a tax credit for family caregivers who take care of a parent or a loved one
Harris has proposed having Medicare cover in-home health care costs, aiming to help people coping with older relatives who have age-related medical issues. At his Oct. 27 Madison Square Garden rally, Trump countered by saying he’d offer a tax credit to people who are caring for relatives who need home-based aid. Neither candidate released many details about their proposals, but a tax benefit is likely to be more limited than a plan that harnesses Medicare to pay for much or all of in-home health care costs. Few people pay enough in taxes to benefit from a credit as large as they would need to pay up front for in-home health care. KFF, a health care research group, found that full-time care ranges from $62,400 to $68,640.
Greater attention to some of these health and wellness topics might win broad support. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who endorsed Trump after suspending his independent presidential campaign, has repeated the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism and other health problems, and medical professionals would oppose an administration role for him or his allies.
Ban urban camping and arrest violators
Create "tent cities" where the homeless can be moved
The Supreme Court issued a ruling in 2024 that empowers jurisdictions to remove homeless people. Trump’s proposals could push their powers even further.
Veteran homelessness is a persistent challenge; Obama had two promises on this topic and earned a Promise Kept on both, but neither one was as sweeping as ending veteran homelessness entirely, as Trump has pledged. A Veterans Affairs Department census in January 2023 found more than 35,000 veterans experiencing homelessness, up 7.4% compared to 2022 but down by more than half since 2010.
Mannika Hopkins talks with her fourth graders Aug. 14, 2024, on the first day of school at Greenville Elementary in Greenville, Fla. (AP)
Education
Abolish the Education Department
Trump is following the lead of a generation of conservative activists who have called for abolishing the Education Department. At its most extreme, this could end up eliminating federal K-12 funding, which, separating out a pandemic-era bump, typically accounts for about 10% of K-12 budgets nationally, with significant variation by jurisdiction. However, he has not been specific about his vision, and it’s not clear whether Congress would sign off on such a proposal.
Spend more per pupil on education than any other country in the world
This promise might conflict with the one to eliminate the Education Department; it’s not clear whether this money would come from federal coffers or be some kind of federal mandate on states or localities.
Provide universal school choice
Provide $10,000 per child tax-free to homeschoolers
Make sure homeschoolers can access the same experiences that in-school students have
Make school principals a directly elected position
Create a new credentialing body for teachers
Abolish teacher tenure for grades K-12
Trump and other Republicans have criticized teachers’ unions, which play a significant role in public school systems. These sorts of promises would give advantages to other types of education, including private schools and homeschooling, while also undercutting traditional public schools and teachers’ unions.
Won’t give federal dollars to schools that have a vaccine mandate
It’s unclear whether Trump means to pull federal funding for schools that require the COVID-19 vaccine (which isn’t a standard K-12 requirement) or those that require long-standing courses of vaccination for diseases such as polio (which are nearly universal, although many states offer exemptions). The latter, if it is the goal, would hurt public health significantly, experts say.
Enable prayer and other religious activities in public schools
Trump receives strong backing from conservative Christians, who have spent decades advocating for prayer in schools since the Supreme Court limited it in 1962. As president, Trump promoted the issue.
This is part of conservatives’ battle against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Stop funding colleges that engage in "censorship"
This promise aligns with conservatives who see colleges as hostile to right-of-center views. "Colleges have gotten hundreds of billions from hardworking taxpayers, and now we are going to get this anti-American insanity out of our institutions once and for all," Trump said, adding that the fight to remove "radical left" bias could involve the agencies that accredit higher education institutions.
Offer more low-cost postsecondary degree options
Increase funding for schools with job and career counselors
These proposals have the potential to secure bipartisan support. Biden has pledged to make two years of community college or a high-quality training program tuition-free, a promise we rate Stalled.
Create a competition for high school athletes called "the patriot games"
Crime and guns
Fully pardon people convicted of crimes related to the storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021
Trump has been vague about who would qualify for pardons, but he’s been clear about his sympathy for people convicted of crimes and sentenced to prison after storming the U.S. Capitol on his behalf on Jan. 6, 2021, aiming to overturn the 2020 election. Presidents have broad powers to pardon and commute sentences.
Appoint a special prosecutor to "go after" Joe Biden and his family
It’s unclear whether Biden, who ended his reelection bid a month after Trump made this promise, would remain a target if Trump were to win back the White House. If Trump is elected, he could appoint a special counsel.
Seek the death penalty for child rapists and child traffickers
Impose the death penalty for selling drugs
Encourage stop-and-frisk policing
Increase punishments for juvenile offenders
Increasing the use of the death penalty and encouraging stop-and-frisk policing, which some have said rely on racial profiling, are two elements of Trump’s tough-on-crime agenda.
Increase liability protections for police officers
Invest record amounts in American police
Part of Trump’s approach to crime has been to bolster rights for police officers, who he says are hobbled by lawsuits and second-guessing.
Overturn Biden policies affecting gun owners and manufacturers
With one exception — banning bump stocks, which the Supreme Court later invalidated — Trump has reliably supported Second Amendment rights. These policies would continue that approach.
Investigate federal arrests of conservatives and Christians
This is something some Christians and conservatives have argued for, but Trump hasn’t said how he’d do this. The focus singles out Christians when anti-Jewish and anti-Islamic hate crimes are higher, federal data shows.
Commute the sentence of "Silk Road" website operator Ross Ulbricht
Trump made this promise to the Libertarian Party when he was seeking the party’s endorsement. Ulbricht has been in prison since 2013. He was sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years on convictions that included responsibility for six deaths that resulted from drugs sold on his website.
Elections
Require proof of citizenship at the polls
Count all votes on election night
Trump’s promises about elections are all linked to his years of false claims about voting by mail and voter fraud. There is no evidence that voter fraud, including noncitizen voting, is widespread; it happens sporadically but is not enough to change federal election outcomes.
Some of Trump’s election promises conflict with how elections work. Most states require voter ID and already use paper ballots. States set laws that give election officials time to count mail ballots, and some states allow election officials only to start preprocessing mail ballots to get ready to count them on Election Day — meaning it’s likely impossible for them to complete that work on the same day.
LGBTQ+ issues
Sign legislation recognizing only two genders, assigned at birth
Trump’s promise to establish "male and female" as the only genders "recognized by the U.S. government" mirrors several state laws introduced and passed in 2024. Such laws seek to define "gender" narrowly as binary, solely based on biological characteristics and assigned at birth. Laws redefining sex and gender can affect access to accurate identity documents and lead to discrimination, LGBTQ+ advocacy groups say. Most identity documents such as licenses and birth certificates are issued by states, but currently on federal documents, such as passports, U.S. citizens can select male, female or "X" as their gender marker.
Sign legislation banning trans women from participating in women's sports
Several states have passed laws prohibiting transgender girls in middle school and high school from competing on women’s sports teams. Republicans in the House and Senate have proposed federal legislation that would apply similar restrictions to any public school, including institutions of higher education, and the U.S. Olympic teams.
Reinstate the transgender ban in the military
Trump’s 2017 ban on most trans people serving in the military faced legal challenges that delayed its implementation until April 2019. Active transgender members could continue to serve openly only if they had already received a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. Active members who received a diagnosis after the policy’s implementation date would have to serve under the sex assigned to them at birth. And people diagnosed with gender dysphoria or who had already undergone a transition could not enlist. This policy continued until January 2021, when Biden rescinded it by executive order.
Make it a felony for any medical professional to perform surgery on a minor without parental consent
Sign legislation outlawing gender-related surgery for minors
Trump’s promises to regulate gender-affirming surgical care for minors mirror laws in 26 states. Trump’s promises focus on banning or criminalizing a type of surgical procedure that is rarely done on minors, and not without parental consent. It is much more common for minors to receive nonsurgical gender-affirming care.
Promote the nuclear family and traditional gender roles in public schools
Trump hasn’t offered details, but this approach follows a larger trend among Republicans toward removing LGBTQ+-related content from public schools.
End federal programs that "promote the concept of sex and gender transition"
Republicans have attacked federal agencies and various lines of funding as promoting LGBTQ+ or trans-related topics, including foreign aid and earmarks for nonprofits.
Mandate that any child identity changes have parental consent
In every state, parental consent is already required for minors to access gender-affirming medical care. However, state policies vary on whether parents are notified if a child simply identifies as transgender at school without undergoing medical care. Some states prioritize student privacy by advising teachers to not inform parents without the student’s consent. Other states have laws requiring or encouraging schools to notify parents if children express changes in their gender identity.
Bureaucracy
Empower the president to remove "rogue bureaucrats"
Establish a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" to investigate the "deep state"
Require federal employees to pass a civil service test
Trump and his allies see career federal workers as an obstacle to implementing an agenda. As president, Trump issued an executive order that would allow the president to not only install political appointees, as happens whenever a new president enters office, but also career, nonpolitical officials, in the senior tiers of departments and agencies. Biden overturned it.
Cut the federal government's budget every year
Create a "government efficiency commisson" that will "eliminate fraud and improper payments"
Challenge limits on the president’s ability to cut federal spending
Republicans have long pushed to shrink the federal government, and Trump would try to exercise "impoundment," which refers to presidential powers to withhold congressionally appropriated funds from their intended use. This authority is not certain to pass judicial muster, since Congress has worked to limit presidential impoundment authority in the past, including through the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Trump’s future attempts would draw legal challenges.
Revoke federal initiatives on diversity, equity and inclusion
Republicans in state governments and in Congress have targeted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Trump’s proposals would bring that effort to the federal level, but he hasn’t provided details.
Ban any federal department from restricting free speech
Establish an auditing system to make sure agencies aren't spying on citizens
These promises would broaden Trump’s free-speech push beyond colleges to the federal government, while also restraining the federal government from spying on Americans.
Have the federal government take over the management of Washington, D.C.
The District of Columbia’s special status — it lacks state powers and must answer to Congress on certain matters. This has encouraged Republicans to impose their policy preferences on it, even though the city’s population is overwhelmingly Democratic. Trump’s proposal seeks to expand those powers from oversight to direct management.
Ban federal workers from taking jobs at companies they regulated
These proposals could attract some bipartisan support, amid public concerns about influence peddling and data security.
Crack down on government officials who leak
Presidential administrations of both parties have struggled with, and tried to curb, embarrassing information leaks. Trump’s proposal, although short on details, would try to curb unauthorized disclosures.
Cut off federal funding for NPR
This revives a longstanding desire of conservatives, who don’t want federal funds going to support public media; Trump pursued this goal as president but didn’t succeed.
The sun rises over the Alps in France. (AP)
Climate change, energy and transportation
Leave the Paris climate accord (again)
Trump succeeded in pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accords, the Obama-era deal that aimed to reduce worldwide carbon emissions and curb climate change. Biden brought the U.S. back in.
Eliminate "mandates" for electric cars
Although there is no federal electric vehicle mandate, the Biden-Harris administration has set goals, including having electric vehicles comprise half of all new vehicle sales by 2030. The Biden administration has also introduced new regulations on gasoline-powered cars, without banning gasoline-powered cars.
Approve liquefied natural gas terminals in one day
The Biden administration paused progress on building new liquefied natural gas terminals that are not already operating or permitted, which could affect more than a dozen proposed such terminals. Trump, backed by industry groups, would overturn this pause, arguing that the U.S. should capitalize on its energy assets, especially to offer European nations options other than Russia.
Issue an executive order ending offshore wind energy development
Trump has generally favored fossil fuels over renewable energy. This proposal would tilt the scales against offshore wind energy.
Make American energy the cheapest in the world
Lower energy costs within the first year by 50%
Trump has criticized Biden’s handling of energy, notably gasoline prices, which peaked at record highs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. U.S. energy production under Biden has reached new highs.
Fill up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve "immediately"
High gasoline prices have driven Biden to sell off some of the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, leaving the supply at its lowest level in decades.
Modernize and build new electric grid systems
The bipartisan infrastructure law that Biden signed includes support for upgrading electric grids, but Trump has pledged to do more.
Technology
Sign a bill revisiting Section 230 for tech platforms
Let adults opt out of content moderation on social media platforms
Require court orders to take down online content
Require social media platforms to have an appeals process when accounts are banned
Require social media platforms to increase enforcement of child exploitation and terrorism posts
These five promises stem partly from tensions between Trump and social media companies that have sometimes sought to restrict his posts. Section 230 generally protects online service providers and social media companies from being sued over their decisions to take down content. Trump would make them open to lawsuits, and several of his other promises would further empower users over tech companies.
Promote research and development for vertical-takeoff flying cars
This is real technology under development.
Miscellaneous: The outdoors and recreation
Establish a "beautification campaign" to improve the appearance of American cities
Trump has not provided many details, though the Republican Party platform focuses on architecture, saying the party "will promote beauty in public architecture and preserve our natural treasures. We will build cherished symbols of our nation, and restore genuine conservation efforts. Trump has expressed a distaste for modernist architecture and a preference for more classical designs.
Sign an order to construct the National Garden of American Heroes
Two days before leaving office, Trump issued an executive order to construct a statuary park that shows that "America is a land of heroes." The order included dozens of names, including actors Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, athletes Lou Gehrig and Kobe Bryant, and singers Johnny Cash and Ray Charles, along with leaders in politics, science, literature, the military, religion, exploration and business.
Create a "great American state fair"
Trump envisions this as a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, featuring pavilions from all 50 states.
PolitiFact Senior Correspondent Amy Sherman, Staff Writers Grace Abels, Samantha Putterman and Maria Ramirez Uribe and former Staff Writers Ranjan Jindal and Mia Penner contributed to this report.
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