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Former President Donald Trump will begin his second term in Jan. 2025.

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, Donald Trump was elected to serve as the 47th president of the United States. He defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in both the popular vote and the electoral college, with 312 electoral votes and 74,838,183 votes, compared to Harris’ 226 electoral votes and 71,247,193 votes. Trump’s second term will begin in Jan. 2025 when he is sworn into office. He is the second U.S. President to serve two non-consecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland who served as the 22nd and 24th president in 1885 and 1893.

The transition of power from current President Joe Biden to Trump will occur over the next few months. During that time, many processes take place to confirm election results and prepare for the administration change. Here is a brief timeline of those upcoming events.

From Nov. 7 to Dec. 12, the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) will work to officially confirm the election results. While the results on election night are often enough to determine a winner, the EAC still needs to confirm them through a process called canvassing. The canvass is a cumulation of all cast ballots in an election, including mail-in, early voting and election day ballots. Then comes the election certification, where election officials will attest that the results are an accurate representation of all votes cast (eac.gov).

Following the certification of the election, each state will confirm their appointed electors. Due to the electoral college, the president is not truly voted upon by the people, but by a group of individuals who will represent their state’s voters. These individuals are selected by the political parties in each state and have strong ties to the party, such as current or former party officials and activists. There is no constitutional or federal requirement that electors cast their votes based on the popular vote from their state; however, electors are usually bound by state law or pledges to political parties to vote per their state’s results (The National Archive).

On Dec. 17, the 535 electors from each state will meet in their states and vote for the state’s winning candidate. These votes will be received by the Archivist of the United States, Dr. Colleen J. Shogun to be counted by Congress on Jan. 6, 2025. Results will then be announced by the President of the Senate, Vice President Harris. 

Inauguration day for President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance is set for Jan. 20, 2025. The Biden administration has made it clear that they intend for a peaceful transition of power, with Biden saying in an interview, “I would direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That’s what the American people deserve.”

Biden and Trump are set to meet at the White House on Wednesday, Nov. 13, a traditional postelection meeting between the outgoing and incoming presidents. After Trump’s loss in 2020, he did not invite Biden to the customary Oval Office meeting. 

 Trump has already begun to announce his staff selections.

• Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff

Wiles worked as a senior advisor in Trump’s 2024 campaign and as a campaign director during his 2016 campaign. She will be the first woman to hold this position.

• Elise Stefanik, Ambassador to the United Nations

Stefanik is a New York State Representative from the state’s 21st congressional district. 

• Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy

Miller previously served as Senior Advisor to Trump during his previous administration. His policies have been described as far-right and anti-immigration.

• Tom Homan, ‘border czar’

Homan has been appointed to oversee deportation policy and aviation security, a position Trump titled ‘border czar’. He served as a Border Patrol agent for 34 years, as well as acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the previous Trump administration (USA Today).

Republicans also took control of the Senate, gaining four seats to achieve the majority. The House majority has not yet been confirmed, as many races are still undecided, however, Republicans are expected to maintain control under speaker Mike Johnson. (AP News)

The Presidential Transition Project, also known as Project 2025, is a political initiative published by the Heritage Foundation, a coalition of conservative organizations. It details policy recommendations for the next conservative administration. Here are some key goals outlined on the Project 2025 website.

• Arresting, detaining and removing immigration violators
• Ending collaboration with foundations, international institutions and corporations “that advocate for climate fanaticism”
• Removal of critical race theory and gender ideology curricula in public schools
• Ending the Department of Education
• Increase Arctic oil drilling

Trump has not officially endorsed Project 2025 as a blueprint for his administration, however many of the project’s values and priorities closely align with Trump’s promised legislation. Here are some of Trump’s expected policies during his second term:

• Economy: Trump has promised to impose tariffs and trade restrictions on many foreign goods, viewing them as harmful to American interests. His proposed tax plan favors corporations and wealthier Americans.
• Abortion: Trump has stated that he would veto a federal abortion ban, believing that the issue should be left to the states. However, it is unlikely that he will direct hospitals to provide emergency abortions in cases where the mother’s life is in danger. It is currently unclear if his administration will continue to defend against legal challenges seeking to restrict access to abortion pills.
• Immigration: Throughout his campaign, Trump has promised, “the largest mass deportation program in history.” He’s proposed ending birth-right citizenship, severely limiting entrants from certain Muslim-majority countries and more intense screening of people who wish to enter the country. (AP News)