Here’s what Trump promised to do on ‘Day One.’ Now that he and Republicans have total power in DC, will he?

The president-elect should be able to, in theory, implement his “Day One” plans. The big question is – will he actually do what he’s proposed? Or will he, as he’s indicated in recent weeks, walk back some of those promises, reverse course, or just ignore them altogether?

Throughout president-elect Donald Trump’s time on the campaign trail, he constantly referred to his “Day One” plans.

Whether it be his plan to end birthright citizenship or terminate President Biden’s “electric vehicle mandate” that doesn’t exist, Trump has made a lot of promises.

Now that Republicans have control of both the US Senate and the House of Representatives, the president-elect should be able to, in theory, implement his “Day One” plans. The big question is – will he actually do what he’s proposed? Or will he, as he’s indicated in recent weeks, walk back some of those promises, reverse course, or just ignore them altogether?

Let’s explore some of these “Day One” promises and where they actually stand now.

Promise #1: Lowering prices

Trump talked about the economy endlessly while campaigning, criticizing the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of it over the past four years, and repeating the false claim that the US had “virtually no inflation” during his first presidency.

The president-elect promised voters for months that he would begin lowering prices as soon as he was back in the White House. 

“I won on groceries,” Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker last month. “Very simple word, groceries. Like almost — you know, who uses the word? I started using the word — the groceries. When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time, and I won an election based on that. We’re going to bring those prices way down.”

But just a few days later, Trump was asked about bringing prices down by Time Magazine and responded that it’s “hard to bring things down once they’re up. You know, it’s very hard.” 

Promise #2: Tariffs won’t hurt consumers

On the trail, Trump also promised that his wide-ranging tariff plan would be a key mechanism of lowering prices.

He proposed a 20% tariff on all imported goods and a 60% tariff on Chinese imports. He even floated the idea of instituting a 2,000% tariff on foreign vehicles at one point.

But according to an analysis from The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) these proposed tariffs “would be largely passed onto consumers as increased prices.” The report also found that 80% of Americans would pay an average of $2,872 more per year as a result of Trump’s tariffs alone.

Another analysis, from the Yale Budget Lab, estimates the annual cost could actually reach as high as $7,600 for an average American household.

One area in particular where families could feel the pinch of Trump’s tariffs is the food sector. About 15% of the American food supply was imported in 2023, including 94% of seafood, 55% of fresh fruit, and 32% of fresh vegetables, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If Trump were to impose tariffs on food products, it would reduce supply, causing prices to rise, while American grocery stores — and ultimately consumers — absorb the costs.

Trump argued on the campaign trail that these tariffs would raise several trillion dollars — which could happen in theory — but economic experts believe the economic costs would far outweigh any benefits. While appearing before the Economic Club of Chicago in October, however, Trump insisted that these economists have it wrong and that tariffs are just a misunderstood economic tool. 

“To me,” Trump said, “[tariff] is the most beautiful word in the dictionary.”

But after winning the election, Trump reversed course, effectively acknowledging that tariffs might raise prices.

“I can’t guarantee anything,” he told Rolling Stone when asked if he could guarantee that tariffs wouldn’t cause consumers to pay higher prices. 

In the weeks following his election, Trump also floated the idea of instituting a 25% tariff on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada – the US’ two biggest trading partners, which could lead to a trade war with the countries and raise prices for families.

Promise #3: Ending the Russia-Ukraine war

On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to end the war in Ukraine on “Day One.” He consistently insulted the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the war, saying that the conflict “never would have happened” if he were president.

In recent weeks, however, even the president-elect himself has admitted that doing so may be “more difficult” than ending the Israel-Hamas war.

Earlier this week, Trump’s advisors admitted that ending the Ukraine war will take “months” or even longer to resolve. Two of his associates, who chose to remain anonymous while speaking with Reuters, said that Trump’s “Day One” promise of ending the war was simply a mix of “campaign bluster” and “a lack of appreciation of the intractability of the conflict and the time it takes to staff up a new administration.”

Retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg told Fox News earlier this month that in order for the war to end, “Trump has to persuade (Russian President Vladimir) Putin that there’s a downside to being intransigent.”

Since the election, Trump’s backpedaled his rhetoric surrounding the war even further, simply stating that he would “solve” the conflict, without offering a definitive timeline, or any kind of timeline for that matter.

Promise #4: Staying out of foreign conflicts

Another one of Trump’s campaign promises was to keep America out of “forever wars” and foreign entanglements.  

Since the election however, Trump has said he wants to acquire Greenland, the Arctic Island that’s currently an autonomous territory of Denmark.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said that Greenland “is not for sale,” but Trump has insisted that ownership of Greenland is an “absolute necessity.” At a news conference earlier this month, the president-elect was asked whether he would rule out using “military or economic coercion” to gain Greenland — or the Panama Canal, which he’s also expressed desire to acquire.

“No, I can’t assure you on either of those two, but I can say this: We need them for economic security,” Trump responded.

Trump says acquiring Greenland is crucial for US security, but experts say his real motivation may lie in the island’s trove of natural resources, including rare Earth minerals that may become more accessible in coming years due to climate change, which is melting the territory’s ice.

China also currently dominates global rare earth production, and the country has already threatened to restrict these exports ahead of Trump’s second term.

“There is no question at all that Trump and his advisers are very concerned about the stranglehold that China appears to have,” Klaus Dodds, professor of geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London, told CNN. “I think Greenland is really about keeping China out.”

China seems to be the motivation behind many of Trump’s declarations since being reelected.

Last month, he falsely accused Panama of allowing Chinese soldiers to control the Panama Canal and overcharging American ships. He said that if Panama does not reduce these fictitious “exorbitant prices,” by the time he takes office, he will demand that the US be granted control of the canal “in full, quickly and without question.”

In response, Panamanian President Raúl Mulino wrote in a statement that “every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to PANAMA.” He also wrote that American ships are not being overcharged, as fees for crossing the canal are based on ship size.

And in a speech earlier this month, Mulino said that “there are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God.” Hong Kong-based firm, CK Hutchison Holdings, does manage two ports at the canal’s entrances, however, and some experts have said that this raises valid security concerns.

Trump has also pitched the idea of renaming the Gulf of Mexico, the “Gulf of America.” 

These various proposals could actually escalate the odds of foreign conflict, rather than tamp them down, like Trump promised. 

Speaking with the Associated Press, European security analysts “warned of turbulence ahead for trans-Atlantic ties, international norms, and the NATO military alliance.” They also referenced Trump’s repeated suggestions that Canada become a US state.

“I take some comfort from the fact that he is now insisting that Canada should be included in the US, which suggests that it is just sort of political bravado,” Flemming Splidsboel Hansen, who specializes in foreign policy, Russia and Greenland at the Danish Institute for International Studies said. “But damage has already been done. And I really cannot remember a previous incident like this where an important ally — in this case the most important ally — would threaten Denmark or another NATO member state.”

“I worry about our understanding of a collective West,” he added. “What does this even mean now? What may this mean just, say, one year from now, two years from now, or at least by the end of this second Trump presidency? What will be left?”

Other ‘Day One’ promises

Trump has made dozens of other “Day One” promises.

He’s vowed to override the Constitution in order to end birthright citizenship even though amending the document is notoriously difficult. He’s pledged to end the teaching of critical race theory (CRT) in the military, even though it isn’t part of US military training. He’s even said he plans to terminate Green New Deal policies, even though the US never adopted the Green New Deal.

Most, if not all of Trump’s “Day One” proposals are unlikely to happen on Jan. 20. Many of them would require congressional approval, are hyperbole, or are based in lies.

But Trump and Republicans have all the power right now in Washington. They could do a lot of what he promised – or at least try to.

But will they? We’ll find out on Monday.