The results of the 2024 Presidential election came as a surprise to many, as Republican candidate Donald Trump won in a landslide victory with both the electoral college and popular vote in his favor.
Many simulations and polls predicted Harris and running mate Governor Tim Walz to win over President Elect Trump and running mate James David (JD) Vance. Ultimately, they fell short by over four million votes.
Now, the 45th president of the United States is slated to also be the 47th, and this comes with daunting implications for many groups including women, people of color and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Let’s take a look at some of these upcoming policies:
1. The Trump Tariff & the economy
Trump plans to place tariffs on U.S. imports from other countries of up to 20% — 60% if they are from China. The idea behind this is to encourage the U.S. production of goods without relying too heavily on imported products.
However, importers are not going to be paying for these tariffs without upping the prices of their goods. Economists expect a $2,600 increase in the average American household’s consumption of goods after the tariffs are imposed. Trump voters who chose to place emphasis on tax cuts do so for lower taxes, but Trump also plans to gut social security benefits on top of this annual increase in goods consumption.
2. Reproductive care will become inaccessible, and may not exist at all
Under Trump’s first presidency, we saw the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Much of his campaign this year has heavily focused on blocking abortion care federally. The pro-life movement has been receptive to that, clearly.
It’s not just abortion access. Conservative policy platform, Project 2025, lists plans to restrict birth control and emergency contraceptives, prosecute those who ship abortion pills and allow hospitals to deny life-saving abortions.
Though Trump vehemently denies having part in the conception of Project 2025, his ties to the policy platform are undeniable, as around 140 contributors to the policy plan have worked with or under him.
3. Federal workers will be replaced with loyalists
The spoils system, a system abolished by the Pendleton Act of 1883, will be brought back. Historically, this system was used to grant government jobs to supporters as a “reward” for winning an election, in order to incentivize them to keep supporting the party. Reviving this system will take us back more than a century, and it’s outlined in Project 2025.
This would allow Trump to fire 50,000 federal employees and replace them with beneficiaries of this newly instated system. They cannot appeal, and thus tens of thousands of Americans will be out of a job because of this plan. There is no doubt that this is to stop government work that contradicts or goes against his values.
This poses a serious threat to our democracy: if we are able to screen and fire individuals without reason just because they are not “loyal” to a person or party, what other things can occur without probable cause?
4. Granting police immunity
Trump has stated that he will grant the police immunity from prosecution. This gives police the freedom to handle you however they please under the guise of doing their job.
This means that the police can kneel on someone’s neck for upwards of 10 minutes and kill them on the alleged account of using a counterfeit $20 dollar bill. This also means that the authorities could place someone in a neck hold and inject them with 500 mg of ketamine and that someone could get shot in their own home, all without repercussions.
Black people, who experience police brutality at disproportionate rates, will undoubtedly be affected by this policy.
5. Abolish the Department of Education (and enact book bans)
Ray Bradbury and George Orwell’s works have manifested themselves into reality. Trump calls to abolish the Department of Education because he believes that children are currently being taught “racial, sexual and political material.” Instead of this, Trump calls to introduce prayer to public schools and wants to teach schoolchildren to “love their country.”
Supreme Court case Engel v. Vitale (1962) already ruled that imposing prayer on children in public schools was unconstitutional. Again, Trump vows to kick us back in time.
Project 2025 also claimed that pornography is “manifested today in the omnipresent propagation of transgender ideology.” Because many LGBTQIA+ books include transgender characters and thus, promote this “ideology,” they have no claim to the First Amendment. This claims to protect against the sexualization of children, but in reality will lead to formative LGBTQIA+ books being subject to censorship and bans.
This upcoming presidency will undoubtedly be one of the most regressive and unhinged campaigns we ever get the displeasure of experiencing.
Therefore, it is important to foster a sense of community during these difficult times. For those upset or affected by the Trump/Vance campaign’s prospective policy platform in any way, seek out grassroots organizations, mutual aid and acts of service.
If you care about reproductive rights, volunteer at a Planned Parenthood near you. If community building and uplifting those in poverty is more your speed, volunteer for a soup kitchen. Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa is a nearby community kitchen that hosts volunteer events, first come first serve, every day of the week. Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is another place to volunteer and advocate for food security.
If you want to serve queer people, volunteer at your local LGBTQIA+ organization. Grassroots efforts are the pillar of every community.
During this time, it is important to prioritize community care as the threats of the president elect’s prospective policy plan looms over us. Take care of your mental health and be there for each other.
Rebecca Do is an Opinion Intern for the fall 2024 quarter. She can be reached at dort@uci.edu.
Edited by Trista Lara and Bianca Marroquin.