The outcomes of congressional races that haven’t yet been called could affect his ability to deliver on his policy agenda. But there are signs, including Biden’s and Harris’ supporting tougher border security, that he has moved the debate about immigration — even among Democrats — in his direction.
Trump has said on the campaign trail that he would quickly end long-running wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. But he was reticent when it came to the details. His critics fear that his adoration for global strongmen — Russia’s Vladimir Putin, first and foremost — is a harbinger of his pursuing a more authoritarian course at home. For Ukraine, that could mean being forced into a bad deal to end Russia’s yearslong invasion.
Trump’s opponents worry that his wide authoritarian streak will lead him to follow through on threats to prosecute, harass and even deport his political adversaries, including officials who prosecuted him.
“WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social media platform in September. “Please beware that this legal exposure extends to Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials.”
The vow represented a new chapter in the ongoing saga of his refusal to accept that he was beaten in a free and fair election in 2020, when he lost to Biden. That culminated in his Jan. 6, 2021, rally at the Ellipse, an outdoor area at the foot of the White House, where he urged his supporters to march on the Capitol, where lawmakers were set to certify his loss.
A pro-Trump mob sacked Congress, injuring scores of police officers and threatening to hang Vice President Mike Pence, who had committed to accepting the results. The multifront campaign to reverse the outcome of the election led to Trump’s second impeachment by the House and federal criminal charges.
He never conceded the 2020 election, despite no evidence that he had won it. In a way, his supporters never conceded, either.