What the beginning of President-elect Trump's new term might look like
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Donald Trump spent his first day as president-elect receiving congratulatory phone calls from his defeated opponent, world leaders and President Joe Biden as he began the process of turning his election victory into a government.
Trump was keeping a low profile, staying out of the public eye after addressing supporters in Florida during the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump to concede the race and to congratulate him, while Biden invited the man he ousted from the White House four years ago to an Oval Office meeting to prepare to return the keys.
"We feel very optimistic about the future of our country," said Kush Desai, the Trump campaign's communications director in Pennsylvania.
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He says Trump embraced the importance of the commonwealth early in the race.
"It really spoke to how much he really cares about Pennsylvania and loves Pennsylvania and sort of the investment we made in Pennsylvania," said Desai.
And now it's time for Trump to put the wheels in motion for his second term, which includes filling out his cabinet and delivering on his campaign promises such as improving the economy, securing the southern border, and releasing the January 6 defendants.
During his victory speech, Trump said, "America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate."
John Kennedy, a political science professor from West Chester University, says he understands why Trump would refer to his agenda as a mandate.
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"Certainly," he says, "it seems he's going to win the majority of the vote, and the Republicans haven't done that since 2004. So, I certainly think he certainly has the right to claim a mandate."
Trump and Harris spoke on a call Wednesday where the president-elect "acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country," according to Trump spokesman Steven Cheung.
Professor Kennedy says this loss was not necessarily a repudiation of the VP.
"This is a party problem. It runs much deeper than one candidate in one election," said Kennedy.
Trump will also work to fulfill his other larger campaign promises, including new tariffs on imports, and dramatically reducing the size of the federal government to the tune of $2 trillion in budget cuts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
