As Donald Trump inches closer to being named the Republican nominee for November’s presidential election, the focus ahead of Super Tuesday has turned to what a second term would look like if he beats Joe Biden and takes office in January 2025.
The 45th President of the United States – who has so far refused to take part in any primary debates – has announced he'd like to be a dictator "for one day” if he finds himself back in the Oval Office.
His comments have alarmed political rivals and the US media, further fuelled by insiders hinting at his plans for another term.
A ‘secret database’
Claims from Trump’s camp, published in The New York Times, suggest loyalists are putting together a database of 20,000 possible federal employees who would ‘ideologically align’ with the 77-year-old, offering no pushback to even his most extreme policy proposals.
Military force in Mexico
These proposals include using the US military both against the American people and on foreign soil in a sovereign nation.
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Trump has said he would deploy the US military to Mexico to fight the drug cartels in an attempt to end the trafficking of drugs across the border – a move that would be in direct violation of international law unless Mexico explicitly agreed to it.
He has also hinted that the military could be deployed to ‘quell violence’ in blue cities and states — Democrat-voting hotspots like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and others.
Trump has labelled these cities ‘crime dens', saying he wouldn't hesitate to send in the troops: "You just have to be asked by the governor or the mayor to come in — the next time, I'm not waiting," he said at a campaign rally in Iowa in November.
‘Coast to coast’ abortion bans
Trump is cautious of publicly committing to an abortion ban but has continually taken credit for the overturning of 'Roe v Wade,' having appointed three of the justices who voted on the ruling – which ultimately triggered strict bans in 13 states.
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Reports in the NYT suggest he has since spoken privately of a federal 16-week abortion ban with some exceptions, but allies close to his campaign are said to be pushing for far stricter measures.
Anti-abortion groups are reportedly working with former Trump administration officials on ‘coast to coast’ abortion bans. When Trump was asked by an audience member at a Fox News Town Hall in January if he would "protect all life without compromise", he answered that it was "more important to win elections."
Reigniting culture wars
A common theme of Trump's speeches is culture war rhetoric, which has proven extremely popular with his base.
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An education plan presented by Trump in January 2023 involved banning federal funding for "critical race theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content onto our children", adding: "If we have pink-haired communists teaching our kids, we have a major problem."
Pouring fuel onto the transgender debate, the Republican hopeful has also vowed to "keep ‘men’ from entering women's sports", often to standing ovations from his crowds — though it's not clear how he plans to enforce this in practice.
Trump on NATO
At a rally in South Carolina on February 10, Trump said he wouldn't protect NATO allies 'unless they paid'. Relaying a conversation he said he had with a 'president of a big country', Trump recalled telling the unnamed leader that the US "would not protect them" if Russia attacked.
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He added: "In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills."
There are no 'bills' for members of NATO but rather a guideline that a member country spends a minimum of 2 per cent of the gross domestic product on defense.
A U-turn on greenhouse gasses?
During his first term, Joe Biden pushed for the federal government fleet of vehicles to switch to electric and signed the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which earmarked $370billion (£293million) to reduce greenhouse gases that hurt the environment and move the US towards cleaner power.
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Trump is not a fan of electric vehicles, saying Biden wanted to turn US military tanks electric. He said those proposing "electric car lunacy" should "rot in hell". He has vowed to roll back the IFA on day one.
UNILAD has contacted a representative for Donald Trump for comment.
Topics: Donald Trump, Climate Change, US News
Mike Sheridan