Trump's election trifecta gives him ultimate power to enact his agenda when he takes control

Donald Trump has taken full control of the US government after Republicans took control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, providing him with unwielding power

Donald Trump has taken full control of the US government after Republicans took control of the US House of Representatives and the Senate.

The defeat of the Democrats now provides the president-elect with sweeping powers to enact his legislative agenda when he takes power in January. Republicans have won at least 218 seats in the 435-member House after a victory in Arizona, a call that came more than a week after polls closed across the States.

The party’s dominance continues after it secured 53 seats of the 100 in the Senate. The incoming president has promised to carry out the country’s largest-ever deportation operation, extend tax breaks, punish his political enemies, seize control of the federal government’s most powerful tools and reshape the US economy.

His party’s election victories ensure that Congress will support his agenda, and Democrats will be almost powerless to stop it. The wins come as Trump pushes on with his cabinet announcements that have sent shockwaves through Washington. His allies in the House are already signalling they will seek retribution for the legal troubles Trump faced while out of office.

The incoming president has said he will nominate controversial congressman Matt Gaetz, a fierce loyalist, for attorney general. The Florida representative has previously been investigated over allegations of sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl - a federal probe did not yield criminal charges.

Meanwhile, Jim Jordan, the chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, has said Republican lawmakers are “not taking anything off the table” in their plans to investigate Special counsel Jack Smith. It comes as Smith is winding down two federal investigations into Trump for plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Still, with a few races still uncalled, the Republicans may hold the majority by just a few seats as the new Congress begins.

Trump's decision to pull Republicans from the House for posts in his administration - Gaetz, Mike Waltz and Elise Stefanik so far - could complicate his party’s ability to maintain a majority in the early days of the new Congress. Gaetz submitted his resignation Wednesday, effective immediately.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he hoped the seat could be filled by the time the new Congress convenes on January 3. Replacements for House members require special elections, and Republicans have held the congressional districts held by the three departing members for years.