Donald J. Trump is headed to the White House again. He’ll have the help of a Republican Senate, a Republican House, and a conservative Supreme Court that includes three justices he appointed the first time around. The former president made plenty of pledges on the campaign trail — now it’s time to see what’s actually possible.
Trump 2.0, explained
![Trump wants “one big, beautiful bill.” Can he get it?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-2189981947.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C1.7607332368548%2C100%2C96.47853352629&w=2400)
![Trump wants “one big, beautiful bill.” Can he get it?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-2189981947.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=15.45%2C0%2C69.1%2C100&w=2400)
What Republicans can and can’t do via budget reconciliation.
![How Trump could crack down on blue cities and states to enact mass deportations](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-2185021190.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.02498750624688%2C100%2C99.950024987506&w=2400)
![How Trump could crack down on blue cities and states to enact mass deportations](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-2185021190.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.65%2C0%2C66.7%2C100&w=2400)
Democrats moved to the right on immigration. Will sanctuary cities still stand up to Trump?
![Trump’s media lawsuits could do serious damage to America’s free press](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-2189594302.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0043144361032006%2C100%2C99.991371127794&w=2400)
![Trump’s media lawsuits could do serious damage to America’s free press](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-2189594302.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.663790127718%2C0%2C66.672419744563%2C100&w=2400)
Lawsuits against ABC and the Des Moines Register are meant to chill the media.
![Trump wants “one big, beautiful bill.” Can he get it?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-2189981947.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C1.7607332368548%2C100%2C96.47853352629&w=2400)
What Republicans can and can’t do via budget reconciliation.
![How Trump could crack down on blue cities and states to enact mass deportations](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-2185021190.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.02498750624688%2C100%2C99.950024987506&w=2400)
Democrats moved to the right on immigration. Will sanctuary cities still stand up to Trump?
![Trump’s media lawsuits could do serious damage to America’s free press](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-2189594302.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0043144361032006%2C100%2C99.991371127794&w=2400)
Lawsuits against ABC and the Des Moines Register are meant to chill the media.
Vox explains the agenda for Trump’s second term. We take a look at what Trump’s victory means for reproductive freedom and antipoverty programs, how his calls for tariffs will transform the economy, the realities of a plan for mass deportations, and more. We track Trump’s promises and policies — on everything from artificial intelligence to Middle East policy — and how Americans are reacting in the wake of his historic win.
We hope this coverage will cut through the chaos of the post-election months. Please keep checking back as we add stories and build out a guide to what to expect for the next four years.
Trump’s inner circle
![Trump tapped Musk to co-lead the “Department of Government Efficiency.” What the heck is that?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2181049764.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.755319148936%2C0%2C66.489361702128%2C100&w=2400)
![Trump tapped Musk to co-lead the “Department of Government Efficiency.” What the heck is that?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2181049764.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.13297872340425%2C0%2C99.734042553192%2C100&w=2400)
![No, FBI checks aren’t required for Trump’s nominees. Yes, it’s concerning.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2180628742.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.331608280255%2C0%2C67.33678343949%2C100&w=2400)
![No, FBI checks aren’t required for Trump’s nominees. Yes, it’s concerning.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2180628742.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.49758596906099%2C100%2C99.004828061878&w=2400)
Health, society, and the safety net
![Trump won. So what does that mean for abortion?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2181760312.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![Trump won. So what does that mean for abortion?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2181760312.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
Taxes, tariffs, and the economy
AI, social media, and Big Tech
Immigration and the southern border
![Would Trump’s mass deportation plan actually work?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/gettyimages-1222261336.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.195273149942%2C0%2C67.609453700116%2C100&w=2400)
![Would Trump’s mass deportation plan actually work?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/gettyimages-1222261336.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.69723018147087%2C100%2C98.605539637058&w=2400)
![How Trump could gut the refugee program](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-633099498.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=15.211111111111%2C0%2C69.577777777778%2C100&w=2400)
![How Trump could gut the refugee program](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-633099498.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C2.0919833918876%2C100%2C95.816033216225&w=2400)
Russia, China, and the Middle East
![Why Ukraine thinks it can still win over Donald Trump](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2173926542.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![Why Ukraine thinks it can still win over Donald Trump](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2173926542.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
![How the second Trump presidency could reshape the world](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2182919783.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=17.035398230088%2C0%2C65.929203539823%2C100&w=2400)
![How the second Trump presidency could reshape the world](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2182919783.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.55309734513275%2C0%2C98.893805309735%2C100&w=2400)
Everything in Trump 2.0, explained
![Is Guantánamo a black hole for immigrants?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/gettyimages-2187639392.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![Is Guantánamo a black hole for immigrants?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/gettyimages-2187639392.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
Trump’s secretive plans to detain immigrants at Guantánamo do not put them beyond the reach of US law.
![Trump’s Guantánamo plan is an old idea — with an ugly history](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/gettyimages-2192840557.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=13.445537065053%2C0%2C73.108925869894%2C100&w=2400)
![Trump’s Guantánamo plan is an old idea — with an ugly history](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/gettyimages-2192840557.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C4.4059320572513%2C100%2C91.188135885497&w=2400)
In the 1990s, thousands of Haitians were detained there in horrific conditions with little oversight.
![Elon Musk’s secretive government IT takeover, explained](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/gettyimages-2195986713.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=15.577975376197%2C0%2C68.844049247606%2C100&w=2400)
![Elon Musk’s secretive government IT takeover, explained](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/gettyimages-2195986713.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C1.5813876469614%2C100%2C96.837224706077&w=2400)
Musk’s growing influence over the government’s digital infrastructure raises concerns about privacy and overreach.
![How Trump is laying the groundwork for another travel ban](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/gettyimages-984456208.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=13.05%2C0%2C73.9%2C100&w=2400)
![How Trump is laying the groundwork for another travel ban](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/gettyimages-984456208.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C4.89400090212%2C100%2C90.21199819576&w=2400)
Trump’s first travel ban was overturned in court in 2017. His legal strategy may be savvier this time around.
![The thin evidence behind Trump’s new ban on trans service members](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/gettyimages-1141737742.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![The thin evidence behind Trump’s new ban on trans service members](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/gettyimages-1141737742.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
An executive order barring trans people from openly serving in the military isn’t really about their fitness to do so.
![What Trump’s executive orders tell us about the future of immigration](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/gettyimages-2194402146.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=15.527405991077%2C0%2C68.945188017846%2C100&w=2400)
![What Trump’s executive orders tell us about the future of immigration](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/gettyimages-2194402146.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C1.6524150681766%2C100%2C96.695169863647&w=2400)
It’s not good.
![What’s actually in Congress’s harsh new immigration bill?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/gettyimages-2192525599.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![What’s actually in Congress’s harsh new immigration bill?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/gettyimages-2192525599.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
The Laken Riley Act passed with bipartisan support and will upend immigration enforcement.
![Trump’s “shock and awe” approach to executive orders, explained](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/gettyimages-2192426947.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.65%2C0%2C66.7%2C100&w=2400)
![Trump’s “shock and awe” approach to executive orders, explained](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/gettyimages-2192426947.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.02498750624688%2C100%2C99.950024987506&w=2400)
How Trump could use executive orders to force his agenda on America.
![Trump’s for-profit presidency](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-1152460637.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.672848664688%2C0%2C66.654302670623%2C100&w=2400)
![Trump’s for-profit presidency](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/gettyimages-1152460637.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.0092729970326388%2C0%2C99.981454005935%2C100&w=2400)
The many ways that Donald Trump could use the presidency for personal gain — again.