What does the Republican ‘trifecta’ mean for Trump and his agenda?

Washington, DC – This week, it became official. Not only did the Republican Party win control of the United States Senate, but it also maintained leadership over the House of Representatives, after some of the last outstanding races were called.

That puts the party and its champion, President-elect Donald Trump, in a strong position.

Come January, Republicans will hold a “trifecta”, controlling the presidency plus both chambers of Congress.

And experts say the trifecta may pave the way for sweeping changes, with longterm repercussions.

“The level of opportunity that Donald Trump has right now is very high,” said Todd Belt, a professor at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management.

In many ways, this year’s trifecta echoes the political landscape in 2016, when Trump won his first presidential bid: In that election, Republicans notched majorities in the House and Senate too.

But unlike the period after the 2016 election — when party discord scuttled some of Trump’s most ambitious agenda items — Republicans have firmly coalesced around Trump this time around.

Trump has also had years to gather support for his second term, having launched his re-election campaign as far back as 2022.

“Trump will be very, very strong,” Belt said. He pointed not only to the makeup of Congress but also the conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court and its recent ruling granting broad immunity to presidents.