US
Trump 2.0: On the precipice of power beyond his wildest imagination
They call it ‘Agenda 47’ – an eyebrow-raising blueprint for the 47th presidency.
It could be entitled ‘Back to the Future’.
Donald Trump’s base yearn for “the golden era”, an America they believe has been lost.
He’s on a mission to find it for them.
The New York tycoon stands on the precipice of power beyond his wildest imagination.
Young men, black men, Latino men have bought into Trump 2.0.
US election latest – Trump declares victory
The pollsters predicted a tight race. In the end, he’s won by something resembling a landslide – with Republicans also flipping the Senate.
If they retain the House Of Representatives too, it will be an unchecked power – Mr Trump holding the keys to the White House and Congress.
Thousands of words could be written about Project 2025 – the conservative Heritage Foundation’s plan for the radical reform of federal government.
Mr Trump with his wife Melania as the night unfolds. Pic: AP
But the pledge to ‘Make America Great Again’ again goes deeper and it is a campaign that has recruited the most unlikely of poster boys.
Elon Musk – the billionaire tech mogul and the world’s richest man – is on board and could soon take charge of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Donald Trump appears on stage in Florida
Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is estranged from the rest of his political dynasty, suspended his own run for the White House to back Mr Trump.
“RFK” is renowned for questioning the safety of drinking water and vaccines.
Elon Musk could be set to take charge of a government department under Mr Trump’s presidency. Pic: Reuters
The president-elect has not ruled out giving him responsibility for health.
In election campaign speeches, Mr Trump has laid out his plans to invest in flying cars and build “freedom cities” – free from government regulations.
On immigration, he promised the biggest mass deportation of illegal migrants in US history, to finish building the wall and enforce strict border control.
Mr Trump has vowed to relocate rough sleepers from city centres to tented camps until their “problems can be identified”.
But it’s the culture war mongering that will cause the most alarm – no constitutional right to abortion; teachers required to “embrace patriotic values”.
Mr Trump has an isolationist policy and seeks to detangle America from global conflicts, not least in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Read more:
Republicans gain control of Senate
America’s night of historic firsts
He has pledged to cut “hundreds of billions” of dollars in international aid, end the war in Ukraine, and potentially withdraw America from NATO.
He had already made history – the first president to become a convicted felon. Only one other has won two non-consecutive terms.
The unconventional, unfiltered 45th president of the United States will be the 47th president and the rest of the world holds its breath.