Donald Trump won a decisive victory last week and will reoccupy the Oval Office in January. Polls suggest that dissatisfaction with the economy was one of the main reasons for his comeback and experts attribute the better economy during his first term to his tax cuts and deregulation (more than his immigration and trade policies). While Trump made fewer campaign promises regarding regulation than he did in 2016, his previous record and campaign statements suggest some regulatory actions we could expect him to take in his second term.
Rescind and issue executive orders: President Biden issued an almost unprecedented number of executive orders in his first few days and months in office—taking unilateral action on a number of regulatory policy fronts, rescinding Trump orders, and directing agencies to overturn Trump regulations. Expect Trump to follow suit in 2025. He is likely to reverse most of Biden’s executive orders—including those addressing energy and climate policies, immigration, AI, and regulatory procedures—early in a new administration. He promised “on day one, [to] sign an executive order directing every federal agency to immediately remove every single burdensome regulation driving up the cost of goods.” Executive orders can only bind the executive, so Trump will have to use them carefully to avoid the fate of Biden’s actions on immigration, student loan forgiveness, and vaccine mandates.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
