Trump’s top 12 campaign promises

President-elect Donald Trump made a litany of promises while on the campaign trail, many of which appear poised to make an appearance in an upcoming mega-bill addressing border security, energy production, and taxes.

Trump himself confirmed Congress’s plans to address key provisions in a single bill, saying “[w]e must Secure our Border, Unleash American Energy, and Renew the Trump Tax Cuts, which were the largest in History, but we will make it even better - NO TAX ON TIPS.”

Here’s a look at those key promises:

Mass Deportations

Trump promised to implement the mass deportation of illegal aliens on his first day in office. Heading up that effort will be Border Czar-designate Tom Homan, former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"We want to arrest as many people as we can that are in the country illegally,” Homan said last month. “If you’re here illegally, you’re not off the table. It’s a violation of the law; it’s a crime to enter this country illegally.”

Finish the wall

Trump’s hallmark campaign promise of 2016 was to build a wall along the nation’s southern border with Mexico. Though he did contract border barriers, his first term did not see him complete a sea-to-sea pedestrian barrier.

He has indicated plans to complete the project, though in an effort to sabotage that plan, President Joe Biden has been auctioning off border materials ahead of Trump's return to the White House.

Remain in Mexico

During his first administration, Trump implemented a policy requiring that asylum seekers stay in Mexico until their immigration court date. Biden rescinded the executive order during his time in office, resulting in legal challenges.

Trump has fumed over Biden’s actions and vowed to reinstate the policy and called Biden’s own executive enforcement actions “toothless.”

Drill, Baby, Drill

Trump promised to ramp up domestic energy production and that he would lower the cost of energy and other everyday commodities by doing so. "We're going to drill, baby. Drill. Energy is coming way down. Energy is coming way down. And when energy comes down, everything else follows,” he said.

No tax on tips

Trump debuted his policy of ending taxation of gratuities at a Las Vegas rally, hoping to curry favor with the Nevada service industry. The gambit appeared to pay off when Trump carried the swing state in November, marking the first time in decades the state broke for a Republican for president. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris adopted the principle later, trying to take credit for the pro-worker policy.

He indicated on Sunday that the policy would be a part of the energy, taxes, and border security mega-bill currently in the works.

Restore SALT deductions

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) imposed a $10,000 limit on State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions when filing federal taxes. The provision was deeply unpopular in high-tax Democratic-leaning states and attracted opposition from blue-state Republicans. Trump himself vowed to eliminate the deduction cap while campaigning.

"I will cut taxes for families, small businesses and workers, including restoring the SALT deduction, saving thousands of dollars for residents of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and other high cost states," he said.

Make TCJA cuts permanent

The cut provisions of the TCJA are also slated to expire, something Trump hopes to avoid by making them permanent. House Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated he plans to move legislation to that effect, but has signaled he may merely extend them rather than permanently embed them in the tax code.

“So you're going to have an extension of the Trump era tax cuts,” he said on the “John Solomon Reports” podcast.

No tax on overtime

Similar to the no tax on tips plan, Trump also promised to end taxation on overtime pay, saying “[t]he people who work overtime are among the hardest working citizens in our country … It's time for the working man and woman to finally catch a break.”

End taxes on Social Security benefits

Building on his other tax policies, Trump promised to end taxation on Social Security benefits, a proposal that public polling suggests enjoys broad support across all age brackets.

A Wall Street Journal survey in September found that 83% of registered voters overall supported the plan.

Incentivizing "Made in America"

The TCJA dropped the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, but Trump has floated going further and lowering the rate to 15% for companies who produce their products within the United States.

“We're cutting the business tax from 21% to 15% which makes us the most competitive tax anywhere on the planet, but only for those who make their product in the USA. See, that's an incentive,” he said.

Trump reciprocal trade act

Trump challenged Republican free trade orthodoxy during the 2016 campaign trail, espousing support for tariffs, which he used during his trade spats with China and other key American partners. In October, he promised to impose tariffs on countries that did so on U.S. goods.

"We'll also pass the Trump reciprocal trade act, meaning if China or any other country is charging us 100 or 200% tariff or tax, then we will charge them 100 or 200% tariff or tax in return," he vowed.

End the Ukraine War

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine appears poised to enter its fourth year, Trump will face the daunting task of negotiating an end to the conflict, which he promised to do within “24 hours.” At present, however, Russia appears to be gaining steam on the battlefield and has recently rejected reported proposals from the Trump team about a ceasefire agreement.