No wars, further tax cuts and more tariffs: Key pledges made by Donald Trump
Donald Trump is now president-elect after he defeated Democratic rival Kamala Harris in a historic vote which made him the first convicted felon to win the keys to the White House.
Republican candidate Donald Trump has been elected US president for a second, non-consecutive term.
What was expected to be a neck-and-neck contest against his Democratic opponent, vice president Kamala Harris, turned out to be a momentous victory for Mr Trump – the first convicted felon to win the keys to the White House.
As he remains president-elect until the transfer of power from President Joe Biden in January, we take a look at what Mr Trump’s main campaign pledges have been in the 2024 race.
US election latest: Trump storms to US election win
Abortion
Mr Trump has said he does not think a federal ban on abortion is needed and he would leave it to the individual states to decide their laws.
He has, however, said that any legislation should include exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother.
Mr Trump’s three Supreme Court appointees were part of a majority which overturned Roe vs Wade in 2022 – stripping women of the legal right to seek an abortion.
Tariffs
Mr Trump, who has said tariffs “is the most beautiful word in the world”, has proposed a 60% levy on Chinese imports and 10% on those from elsewhere.
According to analysis by Sky News correspondent Paul Kelso, it is a deeply protectionist move that could trigger a trade war with China and the EU.
Critics of the measures have said increasing tariffs will ultimately see prices hike for American consumers.
Wars
During his speech in Florida on Wednesday, when he declared he had won the presidency hours before the official results were revealed, Mr Trump said: “I am not going to start a war, I am going to stop wars.”
The statement was in line with what he has been claiming during his campaign, as the president-elect said he could end the war in Ukraine – which was hit by a full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022 – within 24 hours.
But Mr Trump failed to say how he would achieve this.
He has suggested Ukraine may have to give up some of its territory if a peace deal is to be struck, an idea Ukraine has consistently dismissed.
The 78-year-old has also expressed support for Israel’s war on Hamas, the militant Palestinian group in the besieged territory of Gaza which carried out the 7 October massacre last year.
But he has called for Israel to wrap up its offensive, which has killed more than 43,000 people in Gaza in nearly 13 months, Palestinian health officials say.
Read more:
Should we be worried about a Donald Trump presidency?
Abortion in the US post-election
Shootings, gaffes and McDonald’s: US election in pictures
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Immigration
Mr Trump has pledged to reintroduce policies from his first term, carried out between 2016 and 2020.
They include the so-called “travel ban” on Muslim-majority countries, despite the draconian measure sparking multiple legal battles when it was introduced.
The Republican also vowed to introduce sweeping new regulations, including limiting access to asylum at the US-Mexico border and embarking on the biggest deportation effort in American history.
He has said he will employ the National Guard, and, if necessary, federal troops, to achieve his objective, and he has not ruled out setting up internment camps to process people for deportation.
Another controversial suggestion made by the president-elect is the revoking of protected legal status for some populations such as Haitians or Venezuelans.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Taxes
Mr Trump has pledged to keep in place a broad 2017 tax cut that he signed while in office, and his economic team has discussed a further round of individual and corporate tax cuts beyond those enacted in his first term.
Mr Trump has pledged to reduce the corporate tax rate from 21% to 15% for companies that make their products in the US.
He has said he would seek legislation to end the taxation of tips and overtime wages to aid waiters and other service workers. He has pledged not to tax or cut social security benefits.
Budget analysts have warned that the multiple tax cuts would balloon the federal debt.
