Donald Trump set to take office with almost unchecked power

From climate change to wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, the president-elect will make his presence felt worldwide

With all three branches of government on his side, president-elect Donald Trump would have sweeping powers. AFP

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Donald Trump, the 45th and soon to be 47th US president, will be returning to the White House with almost unchecked power after his landslide victory.

Not only did he win, Mr Trump's Republican Party retook the Senate after flipping three seats, while the House of Representatives appears destined to stay in its control, though votes were still being tallied in many races.

And the Supreme Court, which Mr Trump packed with conservative justices during his first term in office, will remain firmly on his side for years to come.

It is expected that, until the 2026 midterm elections at the earliest, the only check on Mr Trump will be if the Democrats use the filibuster on legislation requiring a majority of 60 senators to pass. He will assemble a cabinet of devoted loyalists, whereas when he was elected in 2016 he picked several establishment figures who pushed back against some of his proposals.

With all three branches of government on his side, Mr Trump would have sweeping powers that will impact not only the US but the rest of the world on many fronts.

One of his priorities will be trying to fulfil a promise to bring lasting peace to the Middle East. Mr Trump is a close political supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has said President Joe Biden should let Israel “finish the job” in Gaza.

“As someone who does have strongman or authoritarian tendencies, his conduct of foreign policy in Israel seems to be in line with what the Netanyahu government is espousing,” said Thomas Balcerski, presidential historian at Eastern Connecticut State University.

He said US aid to Israel might increase under a new Trump presidency, possibly leading to a worsening plight for the Palestinians.

“For some who are very concerned about the fate of Palestinian people around the region, but specifically in Gaza, I think there's great concern today that the humanitarian [situation] will continue and actually worsen.”

Beni Sabti, a researcher in the Iran programme at the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel, said Mr Trump's return to power could force Iran to rethink plans to attack Israel, which itself last month hit a number of targets in Iran, including in Tehran.

He said the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps may hold off on attacking Israel again over fears the US could join forces with Israel in subsequent military operations.

“So you can see how [Trump] just being elected caused the Iranians to think and to be deterred,” Mr Sabti said.

Mr Trump, who Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to win the US election, has also vowed to end the war in Ukraine. Kyiv is concerned he will try to force negotiations that result in Ukraine giving up territory in its east.

Any such move will place Mr Trump at loggerheads with Nato, which has been backing Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February 2022. The president-elect has repeatedly upbraided Nato members for not paying more for defence and many observers worry he will try to pull out of the military alliance.

Another area where Mr Trump could play a major role is climate change, as it is widely thought he will again pull the US out of the Paris climate accords.

“Trump’s return to office could represent significant setbacks for global climate progress,” said David Nicholson, Mercy Corps chief climate officer. “We are dangerously off track in limiting warming to 1.5°C and a delay or rollback in US climate action could be catastrophic.”