Donald Trump as 47th US president: Be afraid, be very afraid

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The world is still coming to terms with the election result in America and the imminent return of Donald Trump as the 47th US president.

The November 5 contest between Trump and the Democrats' Kamala Harris was billed as the tightest race for decades - but it turned out to be a decisive victory for Trump and his Republican party.  

Donald Trump on election night. Picture: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesDonald Trump on election night. Picture: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Donald Trump on election night. Picture: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | PA

And there are many reasons to fear what happens next. 

The president-elect, who won narrowly in 2016 and then lost to Joe Biden in 2020, has promised a "golden age of America".  

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But his plans include deporting 11 million immigrants; imposing 20 per cent tariffs on goods from the rest of the world - 60 per cent in the case of China; taking the US out of the Paris climate accord; and pardoning those involved in the January 6 storming of the Capitol after the last election.

There are fears he could also end support Ukraine, withdraw from Nato, give Israel an even freer hand in its war against Gaza, roll back reproductive rights and loosen gun controls.

And then there are the proposals from the hard-right Project 2025 which he may adopt, including a political purge of government departments and an attack on minority rights.

Trump’s victory is profoundly troubling, not least for what it says about America. This was no fluke victory, a narrow squeak or an accident of the electoral system. He won not only every one of the seven swing states, but also the popular vote across the country and increased his vote share in almost every state and among almost every demographic group.

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Despite knowing his record - including the storming of the Capitol and the fact he is a convicted felon - a clear majority voted for him to run the country for the next four years.  Fully aware of his misogyny, his mocking of disabled people and his admiration for authoritarian rulers, they chose to make him their president and hand him untrammelled power, with Republican majorities in Congress and a right-wing dominated Supreme Court.

And he poses a bigger threat now than during his first time as president. He is no longer a novice subject to the restraining hand of government officials. This time he knows how the system works and he will have his own people in all the key positions, ready to do his bidding.

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