Donald Trump will take office with unprecedented power

- YouTube

Donald Trump’s 2024 election win gives him a powerful mandate from voters frustrated with government gridlock and bloated bureaucracy. That, along with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential power, means Trump will take office in January with unprecedented impunity to enact his agenda, radically remake the Federal government, and rewrite institutional norms. So what happens next? On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Molly Ball, senior political reporter at The Wall Street Journal, and Nicole Hemmer, a political historian specializing in conservative media, discuss the implications of a second Trump presidency and how he plans to fulfill promises to voters frustrated with the status quo. Trump will be reined in by the Constitution, but beyond that, will face little accountability, giving him near-total power to enact sweeping changes to democratic institutions.

“I think a lot of people are frustrated with the feeling that our institutions are so calcified and bottle-necked that they don’t allow anything to get done,” Balls says, “So I think there is a mandate for Trump to actually execute on his agenda.”

“I think the idea that the president has free rein does have more popular support than I think many liberals and proponents of rule of law would hope,” Hemmer adds, “The idea that there are levers that can be pulled that will suddenly snap into place an accountability regime, those levers don't exist.”


GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).

New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).

More from GZERO Media

Susie Wiles has been named Trump’s White House chief of staff. A longtime Republican strategist and Florida political operative, Wiles will be the first woman to hold the position.

Luisa Vieira

Susie Wiles has been named Trump’s White House chief of staff. A longtime Republican strategist and Florida political operative, Wiles will be the first woman to hold the position.

We are seeking a dedicated and organized Business Operations lead to join the GZERO Media team. This position is integral to maintaining the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations, working at the nexus of GZERO Media and Eurasia Group's broader initiatives. The ideal candidate will be a systems person, very organized and structured, a strong communicator and collaborator, and adept at managing multiple priorities.

Firefighters work at the site where an industrial area was hit by a Russian missile strike in the Kyiv region on Nov. 13, 2024.
Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv region/Handout via REUTERS

On Wednesday, Russia attacked Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, with both missiles and drones for the first time in 73 days, forcing some residents to take shelter in the city’s metro stations deep underground. No one was killed, but the attack suggests Russia intends to intensify the psychological war it’s waging on Ukrainian civilians.

Jess Frampton

While the United States was still busy counting votes, Germany’s ruling coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz suddenly fell apart last Wednesday, plunging Europe’s largest economy into chaos.

- YouTube

North Korea ratified a major defense treaty with Russia. What do both sides hope to gain? Japan's PM survived a rare parliamentary vote. How will he tackle the country's sluggish economy? What do I expect to come from COP29, the new climate summit happening in Baku? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.