As a new era opens today in the history of the United States of America with the return to power of Donald John Trump, as the 47th president of the US, leaders around the world are already anticipating and grappling with the potential impact of his “America First” stance on trade and immigration.

Since his re-election two months ago, he has been straight and direct about changes he hopes to implement, including tariffs increase on imports to America, changes in environmental policy, tax bills as well as defunding the United Nations.

He has also vowed to reinstate and expand the restrictive immigration policies of his first term, including bringing back travel bans that affected some African countries, carrying out deportation operations, and introducing visa curbs that could negatively affect foreign students and skilled migrants.

Already, there is a promise of a 25 percent tariff hike on goods from Mexico and Canada and an extra 10 percent hike on goods from China, in what would mark a continuation of the US-China trade war that he triggered during his first term. Mr Trump has also vowed an end to the Russia war in Ukraine, and has threatened that hell would be let loose if a truce between Israel and Gaza is not negotiated and agreed on by the time he is sworn-in. The latter has already materialized as Israel and Hamas, Wednesday, agreed on a ceasefire and hostage deal that saw an end to the 15-month war.

However, there has been an argument that his restrictive immigration policies, especially one that borders on deportation of illegal migrants would not come without challenges. But Prof. Peter J. Spiro of Temple University Law School in Philadelphia, posited that Trump might be able to push most of his policies through given the dominance of Republicans in both Houses of Congress.

In his comment on Henley Global Q1 Mobility Report 2025, Spiro said: “This time around, the stakes are higher. During the first Trump administration, legacy political guardrails were still in place. Now, many are gone. There is a sense that what Trump wants, Trump will be able to get. His political agenda is mercurial, to say the least, and political uncertainty is the result. Americans can no longer take stability for granted. Trump can be fickle with outsiders, too. It is almost certain that he will resurrect the infamous travel ban, which he put in place a week after he first took office, early in the new administration. The ban precluded targeted nationals from securing permanent residence in the USA as well as a range of temporary-stay visas.”

Dr. Tim Klatte, a Partner in Grant Thornton China, and an adjunct Professor at Shanghai New York University and the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, said that reverberation from the standoff of the trade wars that would emanate between China and US would be felt across the globe.

“Trump new administration is predicted to take the trade war with China to a new level, imposing tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods. While the goal continues to be to address the trade imbalance and protect American industries, the reverberations of this economic standoff will extend well beyond the two nations. Trade war 1.0 disrupted global supply chains, slowed economic growth worldwide, and forced international businesses to adapt to new realities.”

But whether Trump signs executive orders as he had promised to do right from the moment he steps into the office to actualise some of these policies, or in the days following his inauguration, what is clear is that he has said that he would make heads spin.

Culled from Vanguard News

• Politics
• Entertainment
• Sport
• Business
• Education

More politics News

Binance executive, Gambaryan exposes three Nigeria......

2027 Election: We will still be fielding Peter Obi......

Peter Obi questions Tinubu govt on transparency an......

30 graves, shrine discovered in a hotel in Anambra......