How Trump 'vastly expanded his power' in 'two short months' since election victory

09 January

President-elect Donald Trump is still a week and a half away from returning to the White House, but he has been in the headlines a lot more than outgoing President Joe Biden. And elements of his forthcoming second presidency, from administration picks to policy proposals, have been receiving exhaustive coverage from a wide range of media outlets.

In an article published on January 9 — 11 days before his second inauguration — Axios reporters Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen detail the ways in which Trump has "expanded" his power since defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the United States' 2024 election.

"President-elect Trump — whose power was immense after his comeback win, enhanced by the coming full Republican control of Congress — has expanded that power substantially in the nine weeks since his victory," the Axios reporters explain. "Why it matters: It's rare, if not unprecedented, for a newly elected leader to have so many world leaders and CEOs shift their policies or posture so blatantly during the transition to curry favor with a new president."

VandeHei and Allen continue, "Trump will start his presidency with a very loyal GOP Senate and House, a vastly empowered MAGA-friendly media and information ecosystem, businesses scrambling to make amends or further improve cozy relationships, and money flowing fast into his family's business endeavors."

The reporters note that Trump's "Democratic opposition is weak and largely powerless" but add that "Republicans' tiny margin" in the U.S. House of Representatives "will be a constant threat." And they describe the advances Trump has made in the "two short months" since his election victory.

"Major tech CEOs traveled to meet Trump in person and cut $1 million checks to his inauguration," VandeHei and Allen note. "Meta shifted top personnel and its social media policing policies to match Trump's interests. With the news media more fractured and less trusted than ever, outlets that once covered Trump with skepticism — and even disdain — have made surprise overtures to the president-elect."

VandeHei and Allen also report that Trump's election victory is having a major impact in Europe and the Middle East.

The journalists observe, "Trump-aligned nationalist movements are disrupting long-liberal foreign allies — from Canada to Britain to Germany — in part because of aggressive information wars waged by Elon Musk and his supporters…. Trump is by far the most popular politician in Israel, giving him enormous leverage over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose coalition is weak and polls are bad."

VandeHei and Allen note, however, "It's easy to offer symbolic gestures in good times. Trump's true test will come when he has to pick winners and losers — and the losers decide how to react."

Read the full Axios article at this link.

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