From immigration to climate change and Ukraine - what will Donald Trump’s key policies be?

Americans and the rest of the world will likely face rippling consequences from the election of Donald Trump, who has mapped a series of controversial policies in the last 100 days

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, Americans and the world face a wave of bold, controversial policies.

The president-elect has vowed to make sweeping changes in areas such as immigration, trade, reproductive rights, environmental policy, and diversity programs. One of his boldest promises is to carry out what he's calling the "largest deportation operation" in US history, targeting undocumented immigrants.

Trump has also raised eyebrows with talk of using military power against an "enemy from within" and has openly threatened to prosecute political opponents all while being a "dictator for a day". Experts warn that if he is serious, his administration could veer into authoritarian territory, stacking government offices with loyalists and driving an administration focused on "revenge" rather than unity.

While Trump and his campaign have worked to distance themselves from 'Project 2025' - a controversial plan drafted by the conservative Heritage Foundation to overhaul the US government - many fear its blueprint could affect the new president's thinking Now that his victory is assured, the question remains: will Trump deliver on these incendiary promises, and at what cost to America's values and stability?

Here, we look at the policies that have sparked the most concern.

Immigration

Back in power and back to doubling down on immigration, Donald Trump made big promises to win the White House. While on the campaign trail, he vowed to shore up the southern border with Mexico but went much further, saying he would create huge detention camps, carry out record-breaking mass deportations, and a plan to hire thousands more border agents.

And that's not all. Trump aims to reroute military funds to bolster border security and plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expel suspected gang members without so much as a court hearing. The president-elect also wants to bring back 'Remain in Mexico', meaning asylum seekers would be kept out of the US while awaiting their day in court.

The much-maligned "Catch-and-release" policy would be out the window, too. When asked about reinstating his infamous zero-tolerance policy - which separated thousands of children from their parents - Trump remained silent. While his ideas are bold, they're also missing the fine print. He hasn't explained how he'd fund his vast plans or solve the long-standing Border Patrol hiring problem.

Legal experts are already warning that Trump's ambitions could face significant roadblocks in court. So, while the rhetoric is fierce, his road to achieving these policies may be as rocky as ever.

America First

Trump has long spoken about a trade tsunami for the US eyeing up massive tariffs and tough tactics on any foreign company wanting to operate in the States. Although often appearing not to grasp how such measures work - as the consumer is left picking up the tab - his aggressive stance about bringing jobs back to the States was a clear vote winner.

While "tariff" might just be his favourite word, he's ready to wield it with vigour. He has promised sweeping trade restrictions, including a colossal 10-20 per cent across-the-board tariff on all £2.33 trillion worth of US imports and an eye-watering 60 per cent levy on goods from China.

These new charges would make his last term's tariffs on steel, aluminium, and Chinese products look like a small change. How he'll push this through, though, remains a mystery. His campaign was light on details, but experts suggest he could use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to take swift action.

While that might spark a legal fight, Congress may struggle to stop him. Of course, other countries won't just sit back. The EU, UK and other trade partners will likely strike back with their own tariffs. And with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement's six-year review coming up in 2026, he might even wield tariffs to squeeze the other North American partner. Trump's tariff tornado could reshape global trade - or lead to a whirlwind of legal and economic blowback.

Health

If the president-elect follows through on his health promises, Americans should prepare for a sizeable shake-up. On women's health, Trump has been doing a delicate dance. After appointing three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, protecting the right to abortion, he has recently been portraying himself as more sympathetic to such a cause.

He has pledged to veto any abortion ban that lands on his desk — but he's not offering to restore any federal abortion protections, either. He vowed that if he was elected, his administration would not only protect access to IVF but would also have either the government or insurance companies cover the cost of the expensive service for American women who need it.

"We are going to be, under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment," he said before adding, "We're going to be mandating that the insurance company pay." Trump also plans to bring vaccine sceptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. into a major health role, letting him "go wild" with health in his administration.

Kennedy, a fierce critic of vaccines, has blamed them for autism - a claim widely debunked - and accused US top medic Anthony Fauci of scheming with tech moguls and drug companies to sell Covid vaccines. Now, Kennedy is on a mission to "make America healthy again" by purging "toxins" from food, promoting alternative medicine, and ending fluoridation of public water.

Environment

An avowed climate change denier, Trump has doubled down on his stance with a bold pledge to ramp up US fossil fuel production once back in the Oval Office. The president-elect wants to speed up permits for drilling on government land and encourage a surge of new natural gas pipelines.

Despite environmental concerns, he's even considering reauthorising oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Yet, with current oil and gas prices relatively low, it remains to be seen whether the industry will leap at this opportunity to expand production.

But Trump's made his priorities clear: he said he would pull the US out of the Paris Climate Accord again, throwing international climate goals to the wind. And while he's open to more nuclear energy, he plans to roll back President Joe Biden's electric vehicle mandates and car emissions rules.

Trump argues that US energy independence is key to competitiveness in high-energy industries, such as the development of artificial intelligence. His approach puts fossil fuels back at the forefront, casting a long shadow over clean energy and climate efforts. With Trump, it seems the "drill, baby, drill" mantra is here to stay.

Weakening diversity

Before being voted back in, Trump made a bold promise to end diversity programs in US education, aiming to make "American tradition and Western civilisation" central to school curriculums. His campaign agenda included a major crackdown on diversity initiatives at universities, with Trump pledging to have the Justice Department investigate schools for "racial discrimination" in their programs.

He plans to give parents more control over education funding in primary and secondary schools, allowing them to put public money toward private or religious schools. And it doesn't stop there — Trump has set his sights on abolishing the federal Department of Education, putting states in complete control of schooling.

With such sweeping changes, Trump's education agenda marks a complete reversal from current federal policies focused on inclusivity and diversity. As he prepares to battle over who controls what's taught in schools, his message is clear: say goodbye to diversity initiatives and hello to a curriculum centred on traditional what he says are American values. Whether this resonates with parents or sparks backlash remains to be seen, but Trump's intentions to reshape education are unmistakable.

A 'Dictator for a Day'? Investigate Foes, Protect Friends

Trump's comeback campaign is packed with promises, including a plan to investigate political adversaries and protect loyalists. He has hinted he would use federal law enforcement to target election officials, attorneys, and even donors who've aligned against him while suggesting using the military against an "enemy from within".

He's even floated appointing a special prosecutor to investigate President Biden, though he's yet to specify the grounds. In a departure from long-standing norms, Trump has suggested he might fire any US attorney who doesn't follow his directives, breaking with America's tradition of independent law enforcement.

He's also hinted at issuing pardons for those convicted in the January 6 Capitol attack - a move sure to ignite further debate. Trump's ambitions don't stop there. He's suggested using regulatory power to punish his critics in the media. With promises like these, Trump's second term could transform the federal government into a powerful tool for targeting critics and protecting allies.

He adds further fuel to the fire, when he recently joked about wanting to be a "dictator for a day". The comment raised eyebrows across the political landscape, and while he insisted it was a joke, his words cast a spotlight on his increasingly aggressive vision of presidential power.