RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 04: Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump dances off stage at the conclusion of a campaign rally at the J.S. Dorton Arena on November 04, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. With one day left before the general election, Trump is campaigning for re-election in the battleground states of North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

‘Unprecedented and powerful’: Donald Trump hauntingly teases his impending mandate

We should all be concerned. VERY concerned.

The future of this country is looking downright Orwellian, and Donald Trump’s second presidency hasn’t even begun.

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If you paid any attention to Trump’s victory speech, you know that the Angry Red Hat Man with a Plan made some big promises to the American public. During the speech, which took place at his Mar-a-Lago residence in the early hours of Wednesday morning, one line in particular raised eyebrows: “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.” But what exactly does he mean by that? As of now, it’s unclear, but his language seems to point to something sinister ahead.

His whole campaign has been a masterclass in manipulation from the get-go, somehow managing to appeal to the working class during his stint at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s while simultaneously living in a 126-room mansion and even snagging the Latino vote, despite comedian/speaker Tony Hinchcliffe calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.

In short, well over 72 million Americans think Trump is their guy. So either they’re really, really good at ignoring his long and storied history of racism, misogyny, sexual assault allegations, and tax fraud, or— even worse—they actually support his policies, including the far-right agenda best known as Project 2025. This would see the mass deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants, the loss of women’s bodily autonomy, and the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, which works to combat climate change.

From the sound of it, this could just be the tip of the iceberg as Trump and his MAGA allies seem set on transforming the U.S. into a haven for Christian nationalists—whether it’s constitutional or not.

Trump alludes to full-scale reformation of the U.S. government in eerie victory speech

By definition, a mandate is “the authority given to an elected group of people, such as a government, to perform an action or govern a country.” So while Trump’s particular word choice could very well just be an example of Trump being a capital D drama queen, given the context here, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was (subtly) referring to Project 2025.

As if not to scare away voters, Trump HQ has distanced itself from Project 2025 and its creator, the fundamentalist Christian group known as the Heritage Foundation. However, a closer look will reveal that Trump has not-so-secretly been in cahoots with Project 2025’s authors for months if not years now. Even his former White House chief strategist, Steve Bannon, joked that “Project 2025 is the agenda” while speaking on his War Room podcast just hours after the race was called. Sounding any alarm bells?!

Obviously, there’s a lot Trump isn’t saying here, and his “unprecedented and powerful mandate” remark is vague enough to where it could mean, well, anything. Historically, Trump hasn’t placed much of an emphasis on policymaking, so why start now? As long as he can peddle dangerous, conspiracy-laden rhetoric while appealing to violent fringe groups and his MAGA allies, who cares about democracy?


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Amanda Landwehr
Amanda is a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer who lives and breathes Star Wars, Marvel, and all things pop culture. She has worked in digital media since 2021, covering the latest movie/TV releases, casting updates, fan theories, and so, so much more. When she's not rotting away behind her laptop screen, you can typically catch Amanda maxing out her AMC Stubs membership.