Emboldened Trump Returns With New Allies, Clear Goals

Trump starts second term with mores focus, self-assuredness
Intra-party fissures to challenge push on ambitious GOP agenda

Donald Trump, center, arrives for a rally at Capital One Arena ahead of the 60th presidential inauguration in Washington, DC, on Jan. 19.Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

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By Nancy Cook

January 20, 2025 at 10:00 AM UTC

Updated on

January 20, 2025 at 12:08 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Donald Trump’s Monday swearing-in marks just the second time in US history that a president lost the office and managed to return to power — a comeback cementing his place within the Republican Party as an enduring, transformational figure rather than a one-term aberration.

Trump won his second term by building a new coalition that includes White working-class voters, Blacks and Hispanics, and young men of all races and ethnicities. He expanded the once-staid GOP into a more diverse group driven by economic populism and a strong distrust of institutions.