Trump will face fewer speed bumps in Washington during his second term

Donald Trump will face far fewer limits on his power when he is sworn in once more as US president in January, with allies in place across Washington to help him achieve his goals.

Trump returns to power as the head of a Republican Party that has been remade in his image over the last eight years and as the architect of a conservative-leaning judiciary that has helped to eliminate his legal perils.

Following his unexpected 2016 victory, Trump was viewed by suspicion by many Republican lawmakers and even members of his own administration -- notably Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to join his scheme to overturn his election defeat on 6 January 2021.

Congressional Republicans who resisted him, such as former Representative Liz Cheney and the late Senator John McCain, have been replaced by lawmakers who sought his endorsement.

The Supreme Court, featuring three justices he appointed, has loosened the legal guardrails that have hemmed past presidents in, thanks to a blockbuster July decision that gives presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution.

And he'll be able to claim a broad mandate from the public as only the second Republican presidential candidate since 1988 to win the popular vote. Nearly nine in 10 Republican voters view him favourably, according to a late October Reuters/Ispos poll.

Trump faces one possible constraint: Democrats could yet win control of the House, which would enable them to block his legislative agenda and launch investigations into his administration. But with dozens of races remaining to be called, Republicans have so far added to their narrow majority.

Republicans are finding plenty of reasons to celebrate.

"The president will return to his desk triumphantly with a fresh mandate to fix the biggest problems confronting our nation. And this time he brings a hard-earned understanding of how to make Washington work for him," said Republican strategist John Ashbrook.

'More MAGA and less Republican'

His allies have spent the past several months pre-screening candidates for his administration, aiming to ensure key posts will be filled by dependable foot soldiers.

"We're looking at younger, more MAGA folks. More MAGA and less Republican than in the past," said one donor who spoke on condition of anonymity, referring to Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.

One of those posts, of course, has already been filled. Vice President-elect JD Vance has spent his brief political career defending Trump's nationalist philosophy on Capitol Hill and was elected to the Senate in 2022 after winning Trump's endorsement. Pence, by contrast, had carved out his own identity as a former governor and member of Congress by the time Trump tapped him to serve as vice president in 2016.

Trump will likely have an easier time getting his appointees through the Senate this time than he did in his first term, when dozens of candidates were unable to win approval. Republicans are on track to control between 52 and 57 seats in the 100-seat chamber, which means a winning vote will not necessarily hinge on independent-minded Republicans like Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

"With a 54-seat majority, which is where I think the Senate is shaking out right now, he should be able to confirm most of his qualified cabinet nominees," Jon Lieber, a former Republican Senate aide now with the Eurasia group, told reporters on a conference call.

Potential candidates include several who failed to win Senate approval during Trump's first term.

Trump also could have an easier time winning approval for his judicial picks, though there may be few openings to fill as he and Democratic President Joe Biden have appointed about half of the nation's 890 judges, who are tenured for life.

Those judges have already given Trump important victories. Most notably US District Court Judge Aileen Cannon in July dismissed the federal case charging Trump with illegally mishandling classified documents after leaving office.

Meanwhile, legal experts say the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity may leave Trump feeling unconstrained once he's sworn in on 20 January.

"There's going to be very few restraints on Trump and I think he's going to feel very empowered with that decision in his pocket," said Fordham University law professor Cheryl Bader.