How Trump has already changed the world
Donald Trump has only just been sworn in as the 47th
president but the global impact of his second term is
already being felt, according to a BBC report. From
Jerusalem to Kyiv to London to Ottawa, his election
victory and the anticipation of a new Trump agenda has
changed the calculations of world leaders — with some
far-reaching consequences.
In the lead-up to the handover of power in
Washington, BBC correspondents dissected these
changes in the regions where they were
“National emergency” plan
Incoming President Donald Trump plans to declare a
“national emergency” at the US-Mexico border as part of
a broader first-day flurry of executive orders aimed at
quickly reversing the Biden administration’s policies. As
part of his plans, Trump will also order construction on
the border wall to be resumed and that some criminal
organisations be officially designated as foreign
terrorists, reported by BBC.
While campaigning, Trump vowed to shut down what he
termed the “open-border” policies of Joe Biden. In a
series of calls with reporters on Monday morning, as
reported by the BBC, incoming Trump administration
officials outlined dozens of executive orders the
president-elect planned to take when he officially takes
office, including 10 focused on what one official
described as “common sense immigration policy”.
President plans to declare emergency at border in flurry
of day one orders
Officials said that Trump plans to end birthright
citizenship, meaning that the children of undocumented
migrants living in the US will no longer automatically be
considered US citizen.
Middle East — ceasefire deal in Gaza
Donald Trump has made an impact on the Middle East
even before he sits down in the Oval Office to start his
second term as president, reported by BBC. He cut
through the delaying tactics that Israel’s Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, in alliance with his ultra-nationalist
coalition partners, had used to avoid accepting the
ceasefire deal that Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden put
on the negotiating table last May. American pressure on
Hamas and other Palestinian groups is a given.
Under Biden, pressure on Israel was the lever that was
never pulled. Trump starts his second term claiming
credit, with reasonable justification, for getting the
ceasefire deal in Gaza over the line. He can bask in
some glory.
Ukraine — pressure for a deal
The return of Trump to the White House means new
realities for Ukraine — the new US president wants a
peace deal, not a soaring bill for US military support.
That much is clear. How he intends to get there is not.
Trump’s original boast — that he could end the war in a
day — has been revised by his new Russia-Ukraine
envoy, Keith Kellogg. Lieutenant-General Kellogg
(retired) has said he would like “a solution” within 100
days. If Trump can push both sides into negotiations,
Ukraine won’t be coming to the table in a position of
strength, BBC reported.
Moscow currently control’s one-fifth of Ukraine’s
territory, including the Crimean Peninsula which is
annexed in 2014. Many here fear President Trump will
push for a settlement on Russia’s terms. President
Zelensky has indicated he is ready for some
compromises. Three years into Russia’s invasion, he
has little choice. But President Putin, who is winning on
the battlefield, albeit slowly and with massive losses,
may have no desire to stop now.
Canada — threat of tariffs adds to turmoil
The political instability in Ottawa comes as Canada
faces a number of challenges — not least the vow by
Trump to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods.
Until recently, Justin Trudeau seemed determined to
hang on as prime minister, citing his desire to face
Pierre Poilievre — his ideological opposite — in the
polls, BBC reported.
But the shock resignation of Trudeau’s key deputy,
former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, in mid-
December — when she cited his perceived failure to not
take Trump’s threats seriously — proved to be the final
straw.
Members of Trudeau’s own party began to make it
publicly clear they no longer supported his leadership.
And with that, the last domino fell. Trudeau announced
his resignation as PM earlier this month.
China — investors eye trade war China’s economy
rebounded in the last three months of last year, allowing
the government to meet its growth target of 5 per cent in
2024, Beijing announced on Friday, according to BBC.
But it is one of the slowest rates of growth in decades as
the world’s second largest economy struggles to shake
off a protracted property crisis, high local government
debt and youth unemployment.
The head of the country’s statistics bureau said China’s
economic achievements in 2024 were “hard won,” after
the government launched a slew of stimulus measures
late last year. Beijing has rarely missed its growth
targets in the past.
Experts had broadly predicted this rate of growth. The
World Bank said lower borrowing costs and rising
exports would mean China could achieve annual growth
of 4.9pc. Investors, however, are bracing themselves:
the threat of President-elect Donald Trump’s tariffs on
$500bn (£409bn) worth of Chinese goods looms large.
