Donald Trump returned to the White House following his successful bid for a second term on Tuesday with renewed promises to achieve the policies he pursued in his first term.
While Trump’s initial presidency saw some of his goals realized, others met obstacles that prevented their full implementation, from immigration reforms to healthcare overhauls.
As he takes office again, his administration faces the question of whether it may now fulfil the promises made in the first administration of 2017-2021.
Here are seven (7) agendas that the new administration may pick up again:
1. Repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA): Trump’s intention to dismantle the ACA was a central campaign promise. He described Obamacare as “a disaster” and pledged a complete overhaul of U.S. healthcare. However, despite a Republican-controlled Congress, the efforts to repeal the ACA fell short, notably when the Senate voted against a “skinny repeal” in 2017. Senator John McCain’s famous thumbs-down vote was a dramatic moment in this legislative battle, emphasizing the internal Republican divide on healthcare policy.
2. The Border Wall: Trump’s vision of a “big, beautiful wall” along the U.S.-Mexico border was another highly visible campaign pledge. He promised, “Mexico will pay for the wall,” a claim that drew both domestic and international scrutiny. While some portions of the wall were constructed, funding challenges and opposition from both Congress and state governments prevented the completion of his ambitious 1,000-mile wall. Trump’s request for $5.7 billion in funding was met with resistance, leading to one of the longest government shutdowns in U.S. history. Eventually, he resorted to reallocating military funds, but even then, the project remained far from the scale he envisioned.
3. Immigration and DACA: Trump targeted the DACA program, which protects undocumented individuals brought to the U.S. as children. He described DACA as “illegal amnesty” and ordered its rescission, sparking fierce legal battles. However, the Supreme Court blocked the termination in 2020, declaring that the administration’s approach was “arbitrary and capricious.” Despite efforts to dismantle the program, DACA remained in place due to legal challenges and public support, leaving many of Trump’s immigration reform efforts unrealized.
4. Prescription Drug Prices: Trump expressed frustration with the high cost of prescription drugs, stating, “Drug companies, frankly, are getting away with murder.” His administration attempted to lower costs through various executive orders aimed at capping drug prices and tying them to international rates. However, these changes faced significant pushback from pharmaceutical companies and struggled to achieve meaningful implementation during his term.
5. Infrastructure Revitalization Plan: Trump proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure package, calling it “the biggest and boldest infrastructure investment in American history.” His proposal aimed to upgrade deteriorating roads, bridges, and transit systems. Despite bipartisan interest, disagreements over funding sources—such as Trump’s suggestion of public-private partnerships—led to stalled negotiations. The plan never fully materialized, with some analysts attributing the lack of progress to partisan gridlock and competing legislative priorities.
6. War against Drug cartels: In his words in a recently released video, Trump said “The drug cartels are waging war on America and it’s now time for America to wage war on the cartels. I did that before and it worked.”
The president-elect also said “Biden’s open border policies are a deadly betrayal of our nation, when I am president of the United States it will be the policy of The United States to take down the cartels…”
7. Congressional Term Limits: Trump advocated for imposing term limits on Congress as a measure to “drain the swamp” and lessen professional politicians’ sway. However, this plan needed a constitutional amendment, which is a difficult procedure that requires broad support in the Senate and House, which it did not receive. Despite his repeated efforts to advance the plan, Trump was unable to overcome institutional opposition in Congress.
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