Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States today. The eyes of the world turned to the swearing-in ceremony. Hours before the oath ceremony, Russian leader Vladimir Putin made statements that would set the agenda in the world public opinion.
“WE WANT A LONG LASTING PEACE”
Congratulating Donald Trump before the oath ceremony, Putin gave the following messages:
“We welcomed Donald Trump’s desire to prevent World War III. We are ready for dialogue.
We want a long-lasting peace in Ukraine. “We will fight for Russia’s interests.”
TRUMP PLANS A QUICK START
Trump wants to make a quick start with the presidential decrees he will sign on the first day he takes office. Preventing illegal immigration has been Trump’s most important promise to voters since the beginning of his election campaign. One of the decrees that Trump will sign at the White House after the oath ceremony is the declaration of emergency on the Mexican border. With this decree, Trump wants to prevent illegal crossings and send back immigrants who do not have the right to asylum. The signing of the decree also has a symbolic importance as it shows that Trump will keep his promise to the voters.
Declaring an emergency on the Mexican border will also give Trump the authority to use Department of Defense forces to control the border line. One of Trump’s most important promises is the deportation of illegal immigrants living in the country.
PREPARING TO TAKE QUICK STEPS FOR UKRAINE AND GAZA
During his presidential campaign, Trump said that the war in Ukraine should stop, cited the policies of the Joe Biden administration as the reason for the war, and stated that if he came to power, he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to ensure a ceasefire. Trump is preparing to take rapid steps on this issue and believes that the ceasefire in Ukraine will provide serious savings in the US budget.
Even though the ceasefire in Gaza was achieved in the last period of the Biden administration, Trump sees this as his own success. Trump says that Steve Witkoff, whom he announced to appoint as the Special Representative for the Middle East, made this possible by shuttling between Israel and the Arab countries that are party to the agreement. It seems that Trump’s policy of achieving normalization between Israel and Arab countries during his first term will continue in his second term. The ceasefire reached in Gaza was a good start for the Trump administration in this sense.
COMPETITION WITH CHINA IN EVERY FIELD
During his candidacy, Donald Trump talked about the economic measures he would take against China at every opportunity. In the second Trump administration, global competition with China in many areas such as politics, military and economy is expected to intensify. In the economic sphere, Trump promises to impose import taxes on many sectors to prevent cheaply produced Chinese products from taking over the American market.
In the military field, the rivalry between the two countries frequently causes tensions to escalate regarding Taiwan.
During his election campaign, Trump said that Taiwan should pay for the United States’ defense of itself. Stating that he would increase the taxes imposed on Beijing by up to 200 percent if Taiwan is invaded by China, Trump also showed that a military response was not his first choice. However, his nomination of Marco Rubio, who is known to be against China, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Michael Waltz for the position of National Security Advisor indicates that hawkish policies will continue to be an option in the new period.
It is also reported that Trump, who spoke on the phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping the week before the oath ceremony, shared with his team that he wanted to visit Beijing in the first 100 days of his presidency. Although Trump gives harsh messages about China, the opposite will occur in one of the decrees he will sign on the first day. In accordance with the law passed under the Joe Biden administration, access to the China-based TikTok social media application has been banned. With the decree he will sign, Trump will lift the ban on access to TikTok and give the company an additional 90 days to resolve the problem.
NEW ERA IN SOUTH AMERICA
It seems that the agenda regarding the southern borders of the USA in the second Trump term will not be limited to Mexico. Despite his anti-immigrant rhetoric, the support of Latinos living in the USA played a major role in Trump’s second election.
The first leader to pay a congratulatory visit to Trump as soon as he won the elections was Argentinian President Javier Milei. Rubio, whom Trump nominated as Secretary of State, is the child of a family of Cuban origin who immigrated to the United States. Rubio, who thinks that the United States should be influential in Latin America and is disturbed by China’s increasing engagement there, adopts the principle of zero tolerance towards countries such as Cuba and Nicaragua. Trump supports opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez against Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and invited him to the inauguration ceremony.
Trump managed to attract attention with the statements he made before the oath ceremony. Stating that it was a mistake for the USA to hand over control of the Panama Canal to Panama, Trump stated that the increase in Chinese activity here is unacceptable. It will not be a surprise if Trump puts more pressure on the Panamanian administration during his second term as president in order to obtain more advantageous conditions in favor of the United States.
TRANS INDIVIDUAL ISSUE
The issue of transgender individuals is also one of the agenda items of the second Trump term. Commenting on this issue yesterday, Trump said that transgender individuals will no longer be able to take part in women’s sports and that he will make the necessary arrangements for this. Trump said, “This will be settled tomorrow. We will not allow men to participate in women’s sports. This is over.” he said.
SMALL STATE, BIG AMERICA
The statement that won Trump the most votes was “We Will Make America Great Again.” The people Trump appointed to reduce inflation and prices are prominent business people in the United States. Trump, who has signaled that he will rule the country with the logic of a holding company, will start by cutting unnecessary expenses.
Elon Musk, one of the businessmen in question, stands out as the richest person in the world with a fortune of 365 billion dollars. Although Musk does not take an official position in the cabinet, he and Vivek Ramaswamy aim to save $2 trillion in government expenditures under the umbrella of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Undoubtedly, defense expenditures will be one of the important items in these savings. Another area where savings will be effective will be the health sector. The work of Musk and his team, who are eyeing public expenditures in every field, has already caused anxiety in many government institutions.
When we look at Trump’s policy on issues such as the Ukraine war, relations with China and the Middle East, it is possible to see that the principle of “reducing expenses” from the company management comes to the fore.
RELATIONS WITH Türkiye DURING THE TRUMP ERA
Trump made remarkable statements about Turkey at his first press conference after his election. “Are you going to withdraw from Syria?” asked a member of the press at his Mar-a-Lago campus in Florida. Answering the question, Trump emphasized the important role Turkey plays in Syria. Trump, who wanted to withdraw US troops from Syria several times during his first presidency, encountered resistance from the Pentagon.
Evaluating the overthrow of the Bashar Assad regime, Trump said, “Turkey supported the rebels and carried out a non-hostile period without much loss of life. There is a lot of uncertainty in Syria right now. I think Turkey is the country that will hold the key to Syria.” With his statement, he signaled that he sees Turkey as a playmaker country in regional politics in the new era.
The Trump administration still thinks that the ISIS threat is the most important issue in Syria for the United States. However, the emphasis he places on NATO ally Turkey in the fight against terrorism shows that Trump may reconsider many issues, including the support given to PKK/YPG elements using the name SDF in Syria.