Trump 2.0- A brief look at the Administration’s First 100 days

So what does a Trump 2.0 presidency mean for Wilmingtonians and North Carolinians?

Originally published in The Wilmington Conservative on Dec 19, 2024

In an election that stunned pollsters and insiders alike, Donald Trump secured a second presidential victory that was called in a matter of hours, not days, after the polls closed. Now that the dust has settled and state electors have officially christened our new leader all eyes are on the new Administration and their priorities. 

President Trump has wasted no time putting out a slate of star-studded and previous administration officials as cabinet nominees. With narrow GOP majorities in Congress, we’re already seeing Trump’s influence tested by strong-arming vulnerable GOP senators in Senate confirmations and his list of demands in the Continuing Resolution this week to avoid a government shutdown. 

The real test is how Trump’s new Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, a seasoned campaign tactician, will navigate the Administration and Congress. Wiles ran a tight ship behind the scenes, managing the Trump campaign and guarding access to the President. Will she be able to push Trump’s agenda in Congress and control access to Trump when outside forces like Elon Musk are already influencing the policy agenda? 

We can expect a Trump 2.0 to move much faster than in his first term with an even bigger agenda that includes “the largest deportation of immigrants in American history”, new tariffs on imports, a freeze on EPA climate regulations, reshaping federal health agencies, and massive cuts in the Department of Education. He also wants to make upwards of 50,000 career civil service employees political appointees. Most of these actions Trump can take through executive orders and without congressional approval. However, if he plans to reshape the ACA and push tax cuts, he will need support on Capitol Hill. 

Congress also has a lot of work to do in the next 100 days. Many items on Trump’s punch list will be in the budget reconciliation package that Congress is expected to release as early as February 2025. We can expect Vice President Vance to be very hands-on in pushing the Trump agenda in Congress, already being dubbed as the “attack dog.” With Vance, we should also expect legislation around fintech, cryptocurrency, and support for opioid treatment. 

So what does a Trump 2.0 presidency mean for Wilmingtonians and North Carolinians? Once the CR is passed, some of the top provisions include extending the Farm Bill by one year, $100 billion in disaster relief funding, and $10 billion in banking relief funding for rural farmers. We should see tax cuts, deflation, and deregulation next year; however, import tariffs can make the prices of consumer goods rise. While it’s unclear how these proposed tariffs and international policy play out, the next four years should provide relief for taxpayers and business owners. Donald Trump has full control and the ball is in the GOP’s court for at least the next two years. It’s their time to remind us again that conservative policies are good for the nation.