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Donald Trump and his team will be in “a two-year race” to change the US – and the world – from the moment he is inaugurated inside the Capitol on Monday.
Sources close to the 47th president of the United States of America have privately noted that he has until the midterm elections in November 2026 to fulfil his policy agenda while the Republicans still have control of the Congress and Senate.
After that, the tone will likely switch to who will succeed him as the Republican nominee in 2028, with vice president J.D. Vance currently in the driving seat but not guaranteed.
It means that within hours of being sworn in, the new president is expected to issue scores of executive orders already prepared for him by the controversial rightwing Project 2025 plans led by the Heritage Foundation. He will seek to rapidly push through a radical domestic agenda of deregulation and anti-immigration measures as well as opening up parts of the US for oil and gas drilling as he seeks to crush net zero policies.
A senior source in the Trump team told The Independent: “In reality, this is a two-year race. We know that it will be very difficult to hold on to the House and possibly the Senate in the midterms. So we have a two-year window to get everything done.”
After 2026 there is a danger that Mr Trump, who will not be allowed to run again due to the two-term rule, will become a lame duck president.
”It will be very much about who comes next in the second half of the administration,” the source added. “But the president-elect is ready, he has a big agenda for change and he is in a hurry to get it done.”
Mr Trump, with the aid of his new secretary of state Marco Rubio, will also seek to reshape the world with a deal to end the Ukraine war, strong actions against China and Iran and a series of tariffs disrupting international trade.
Already he appears to have forced Hamas into a peace deal in the Middle East with Israel while leaving the door open for Israel to reengage in military action if hostages are dead or not released.
Also on his agenda will be relations with the UK, which look to be in a perilous state with the growing strains between the incoming Trump administration and prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government. The UK government is bracing itself for two potential early humiliations after The Independent revealed that Trump may reject Keir Starmer’s nomination of Lord Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the US.
The incoming president is also likely to force Sir Keir to back down on plans to handover the Chagos Islands – where the UK and US have a joint air base – to Mauritius.
Mr Trump’s British political friend and ally Nigel Farage has promised that “Trump will change the world for the better” and be the first step of “taking back the west”.
Mr Farage insists that Trump is “an anglophile” but those in his inner circle say that he is furious with the way Labour sent 100 activists to help Kamala Harris in the election. They also perceive the UK government to be ‘anti-free speech’.
The Reform UK leader told Westminster Hour that relations could still be positive between Britain and the US still, although there is growing evidence that Trump is attempting to help his party win power at the next election.
“I just feel that Starmer is in a very weak position,” Mr Farage said. “He’s pro-European Union; Trump is probably more Eurosceptic than me, when it comes to Brussels. It’s going to be very difficult.”
And he repeated his offer to act as a bridgehead between the two nations.
“I could be very, very useful if the Government chose to use me. I have talked to them about this and I have said anything I did would be completely unofficial, completely below the radar,” he added. “We’ve got every opportunity for a fantastic relationship with an incoming administration who are anglophile to their fingertips. We’ve got an amazing opportunity here to get way outside of any tariff regimes, to negotiate sectoral free trade deals. These opportunities are all on the table and Trump wants to do it.
Among other British politicians in Washington for the inauguration is former Tory prime minister Liz Truss who believes Mr Trump will “save western civilisation”.
Tory shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel further claimed the Republican billionaire “will stand up for freedom and prosperity across the world.”
But there are many who fear a renewed wave of rightwing populism about to engulf the globe.
Labour London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan warned on the eve of the inauguration about a “resurgence in fascism” with Trump.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey warned: “Donald Trump returning to the White House will be deeply worrying for millions of people in the UK and around the world. With a President who promises trade wars, undermines NATO and praises Vladimir Putin, the threats to our national security and our economy are clear.
“The UK must lead on the world stage again, standing up for our interests by working closely with other countries – above all our European neighbours.”
However, speaking for the UK government on the Sunday morning broadcast round, Treasury Secretary Darren Jones insisted that relations will be strong as he distanced himself and the government from Sir Sadiq’s comments.
Mr Jones suggested Sir Sadiq “is allowed” to make that case, “but I don’t agree with it”.
“I speak on behalf of the Government and we don’t agree with it,” he added. “President-elect Trump has an important mandate in the United States and we look forward to working with him in the interests of both of our economies.”
