Fact check: What are Trump’s plans for US economy, immigration, abortion?

United States President-elect Donald Trump campaigned connected nan elemental connection that he will hole what he sees arsenic nan country’s problems: nan border, inflation, lodging prices, healthcare.

After Trump won nan 2024 election, we asked PolitiFact readers to nonstop america their questions astir his run promises. Most were astir taxes, immigration, abortion, nan Affordable Care Act, Social Security and Medicare.

Trump and Republican legislature leaders look poised to attraction connected migration and economical promises. Republicans will person a Senate mostly and, pending a fewer uncalled races, are besides expected to person a constrictive mostly successful nan House of Representatives.

We tracked and rated 100 promises during Trump’s 2024 campaign. Some hinge connected situations not wholly wrong his power – specified arsenic his committedness to extremity nan Russia-Ukraine warfare wrong 24 hours of taking office.

During Trump’s first presidency, he collapsed astir half his run promises, kept astir one-quarter and for nan remainder achieved a compromise.

We asked nan Trump run astir his 2024 promises, including his timeframe for telling nan nationalist his priorities for nan opening of his term. The run didn’t reply our questions but did nonstop a little statement.

“The American group re-elected President Trump by a resounding separator giving him a instruction to instrumentality nan promises he made connected nan run trail,” modulation spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said. “He will deliver.”

Economy

Reader: “Does Trump scheme immoderate taxation breaks for middle-income Americans? Any kid credits?”

Trump’s scheme to renew his 2017 taxation measure would not supply caller taxation cuts truthful overmuch arsenic forestall a crisp taxation escalation that would different person deed if nan rule expired connected schedule successful 2025. Trump has not pledged to grow nan kid taxation credit. In March 2023, he did float a “baby bonus” of rate for families pinch newborns but did not repetition this thought later successful nan campaign.

Trump promised to extremity taxation connected tips, which would impact astir 2.5 percent of workers. Trump besides said he’d extremity taxation of Social Security benefits, overtime salary and car indebtedness interest. All of these policies would require legislature action.

However, Trump has besides pledged to enact a 10 percent to 20 percent across-the-board import tariff. If he follows through, nan value increases connected user equipment “could much than offset nan benefits” of Trump’s different projected taxation changes, Garrett Watson, a Tax Foundation elder argumentation analyst, said.

Reader: “Does Trump person immoderate plans to trim nan costs of lodging and rentals?”

The only promise of Trump’s that addresses housing is his thought to create “freedom cities” connected national land. It’s unclear whether those could beryllium built quickly capable to person immoderate quick, measurable effect connected nan US lodging supply.

But experts said 1 Trump committedness could make lodging moreover much expensive: tighter immigration controls and wide deportations.

Deporting immigrants who are successful nan state illegally and restricting immigrants legally coming into nan state “risks doing superior harm to nan proviso broadside of housing”, Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, a Columbia Business School existent property and finance professor, said. “Some trades for illustration roofing, masonry and drywall installation are highly reliant connected migrant labour. There are persistent labour shortages successful plumbing and electrical activity that immigrants thief mitigate.”

Reader: “Trump has said he would slap Mexico pinch a 25 percent tariff. I unrecorded successful Arizona, and a bully stock of our nutrient is from Mexico. How will this impact nutrient and tequila prices?”

For market costs, experts said nan effect connected nutrient prices will hinge connected nan standard of nan tariffs Trump decides to enforce and whether he allows carve-outs for definite sectors. If nan tariffs are wide and deep, they could raise nutrient prices.

“Profit margins for nutrient are very low,” truthful nan likelihood that producers would sorb nan accrued costs alternatively than passing them on to consumers “would not beryllium sustainable”, Ross E Burkhart, a Boise State University governmental intelligence and waste and acquisition specialist, said.

US nutrient producers “cannot quickly raise their accumulation of nutrient to offset nan request for important products”, Burkhart said. With accordant request but smaller supply, prices would rise.

Tariffs connected imported cultivation inputs from tractors to fertiliser would lend separately to higher nutrient prices, Joseph V Balagtas, a Purdue University cultivation economist, said.

Finally, Trump’s projected wide deportations and stricter migration limits would hamper farmers, who trust connected migrant workers. Less labour intends much harvest spoilage and higher prices, Burkhart said.

As for tequila, its value “will emergence pinch a tariff and undoubtedly truthful will nan costs of a margarita”, Burkhart said.

Immigration

Reader: “Tell maine much astir this wide deportation plan. Who tin he deport? Via what ineligible and logistical mechanisms?” 

Trump promised “to transportation retired nan largest home deportation cognition successful American history”, but he hasn’t elaborate plans aliases explained really he will salary for it. He said he would statesman by deporting criminals; that’s not a caller idea. Memos nether President Joe Biden and erstwhile President Barack Obama called for nan same.

Trump said he will enlist nan thief of section rule enforcement and nan National Guard, but he tin expect guidance from Democratic-led states and cities.

In April, he told Time mag that building wide deportation camps and utilizing nan US subject were not retired of nan question. Tom Homan, whom Trump named “border czar”, told Fox News successful an question and reply connected Monday that workplace raids will beryllium portion of nan strategy. NBC News, quoting unnamed sources, reported that nan Trump management intends to double nan existent 41,000 migration detention beds successful nan short-term while group await deportation. NBC reported that options besides see utilizing backstage prisons that are not full.

Immigration experts person told PolitiFact that wide deportation efforts would apt neglect because of concerns complete costs and constitutionality. The American Immigration Council estimated nan costs of a wide deportation scheme astatine $88bn a twelvemonth for a full costs of $967.9bn complete much than a decade.

Reader: “How will Trump repeal birthright citizenship?”

Trump grounded during his first presidency to fulfil his committedness to extremity people’s correct to automatically person US citizenship erstwhile they’re calved successful nan US, sloppy of their parents’ migration status. Legal experts told america that attempts to extremity birthright citizenship would punctual a tribunal conflict and could require a law amendment.

Abortion

Reader: “What policies does Trump scheme to enact instantly regarding abortion?”

Trump has neither promised nor announced plans to enact abortion policies. Since April, he has said he believes abortion authorities should beryllium “left to nan states” and told reporters he wouldn’t motion a nationalist ban.

In August, Trump told CBS News he wouldn’t usage nan Comstock Act, a 19th period rule that bans mailing “obscene” materials, to prohibit mailing abortion pills.

During his first presidency, Trump endorsed a 20-week nationalist abortion prohibition that House Republicans backed. Before he adopted his leave-it-to-the-states attack successful 2024’s campaign, Trump floated support for 15- aliases 16-week national abortion bans.

Trump’s first management blocked organisations that supply abortion services from receiving definite national funds. Biden overturned nan directive, but nan incoming Trump management could revert to nan policy.

Healthcare

Reader: “Could Trump repeal nan Affordable Care Act?”

Trump broke his 2016 run promise to repeal nan Affordable Care Act (ACA). In nan past year, he has said he will not effort again to repeal it, but he and Congress could alteration it substantially

To offset taxation cuts he’s expected to make, Trump would apt person to see cutting Medicaid and nan Affordable Care Act marketplace, said Cynthia Cox, an ACA master astatine KFF, a wellness argumentation investigation group.

Trump’s management will look a determination adjacent twelvemonth connected whether to backmost an hold of enhanced premium subsidies for nan wellness law’s security plans. Without nan enhanced subsidies, steep premium increases are projected. And without nan enhanced subsidies, nan existent 8 percent uninsured rate, which is adjacent a grounds low, would almost surely rise.

Reader: “How will Social Security beryllium affected?”

Trump promised not to alteration nan Social Security status property aliases trim use levels.

If he keeps those promises, nan programme would proceed without changes for nan adjacent fewer years.

However, Trump’s wide projected fiscal policies, specified arsenic taxation breaks, would accelerate Social Security’s insolvency by astir 3 years, from 2034 to 2031, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget projections show. This would consequence successful large, across-the-board cuts successful beneficiary payments, starting six years from now. The committee estimated a 33 percent trim successful benefits successful 2035 unless nan status property aliases taxes are raised aliases benefits are trim by a smaller amount; that’s up from nan 23 percent trim presently projected.

LGBTQ issues

Reader: “Does Trump support same-sex marriage?”

As galore politicians from some awesome governmental parties did, Trump changed his stance connected same-sex marriage. In 2015, Trump said, “I deliberation nan institution of matrimony should beryllium betwixt a man and a woman.” But soon aft he was elected successful 2016, he described nan rumor arsenic “settled” by nan US Supreme Court.

In 2015, nan US Supreme Court ruling successful Obergefell v Hodges meant that same-sex matrimony became legal nationwide. Before nan 5-4 ruling, astir 3 twelve of nan 50 states allowed same-sex marriage.

Reader: “What effect could [Trump’s] management person connected transgender [health]care?”

Trump opposes younker entree to gender-affirming care. He said he would inquire Congress to walk a rule “prohibiting kid intersexual mutilation successful each 50 states”. This year, respective specified legislature bills did not go law. Experts person told PolitiFact it is inaccurate to characterise gender-affirming surgeries arsenic “mutilation”.

The Supreme Court will perceive arguments connected December 4 successful United States v Skrmetti astir nan legality of a Tennessee rule that prohibits gender-affirming attraction for minors. A ruling is expected successful 2025’s first half and could impact nan legality of projected early national actions.

Elana Redfield, an LGBTQ ineligible issues master astatine nan Williams Institute astatine nan University of California, Los Angeles, said Trump is apt to rescind a Biden management norm that categorises galore denials of gender-affirming attraction arsenic prohibited discrimination.

Project 2025

Reader: “[How] does Project 2025 activity into [Trump’s] plan?”

Project 2025 is a 900-page argumentation document written by blimpish argumentation experts, many of whom have ties to Trump’s first administration. Trump has distanced himself from nan plan.

Some of Project 2025’s argumentation goals overlap pinch Trump’s run promises, specified arsenic eliminating nan national Department of Education, reinstating a prohibition connected transgender group serving successful nan military, constructing a confederate separator wall and reclassifying national workers to make them easier to fire.

But location are different Project 2025 ideas that Trump did not personally espouse. For example, Project 2025 had pages of suggested changes – galore of them vague – for nan National Weather Service and nan National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). We rated claims that Project 2025 wants to get free of nan 2 agencies arsenic half-true, and we recovered nary specified proposals connected Trump’s issues page connected his run website.

“There is zero percent chance that thing successful Project 2025 related to NOAA aliases upwind will ever beryllium considered aliases implemented,” Ryan Maue wrote connected X. Maue is simply a meteorologist who concisely served arsenic NOAA’s main intelligence nether Trump, The Washington Post reported.

Education

Reader: “What is going to hap to nationalist schools?”

During his campaign, Trump followed nan lead of a procreation of blimpish activists who person called for abolishing nan Education Department, but it has not happened. The section provides astir 10 percent of nan schoolhouse budgets nationally for kindergarten done 12th grade, enforces laws that impact backing for typical acquisition and low-income students, and oversees nan $1.6 trillion national student indebtedness programme.

If Trump doesn’t destruct nan department, different options could see eliminating programmes, removing profession bureaucrats aliases proposing tighter budgets.

Michael J Petrilli, president of nan blimpish Thomas B Fordham Institute and a Trump critic, told PolitiFact that Trump apt will person small nonstop effect connected acquisition policy, fixed that nan rumor is not a apical privilege for him. Petrilli does not spot Congress jettisoning nan Education Department, but he said location could beryllium notable indirect effects connected schools. For example, Petrilli said Trump’s deportation plans raise questions astir whether nan national authorities will amended children successful detention.

Petrilli said: “Who is going to guidelines up specified schools? Pay for them?”

PolitiFact unit writers Grace Abels, Samantha Putterman and Maria Ramirez Uribe contributed to this report.