What you need to pay attention to as the Trump 2.0 era begins

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration at Capital One Arena on Sunday, January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC, the United States.

Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images

This report comes from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open keeps investors updated on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe here.

What you need to know today

Trump says he will declare national emergency
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would declare a national energy emergency - part of a sweeping agenda to increase fossil fuel production - end his so-called Green New Deal and withdraw the United States from fighting climate change international commitments.

Optimistic about Trump's term
After Trump returned to the White House, he caused panic in some countries with his tariff threats and unpredictable foreign policy. But people in many other countries are optimistic about Trump 2.0, the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank said in a global poll released on Wednesday.

$Melania and $Trump
First Lady Melania Trump launched her own meme coin called "Melania" on Sunday night. The coin is currently trading at $4.20, down from highs of around $13. On Friday, Trump also announced a meme coin called "Official Trump." At the height of the coin's price, the Trump family's net worth soared by billions based on their holdings of the just-launched digital asset.

Biden's pardon
Former U.S. President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons to several family members on Monday, citing concerns they would be targets of "baseless and politically motivated investigations." Biden also pardoned Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, members of Congress investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and others who he said were threatened with "baseless" political ends.

Euro and pound strengthen against dollar
U.S. markets were closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Pan-European Stoxx 600 Index It rose slightly by 0.05%. this EUR and GBP The U.S. dollar strengthened against the U.S. dollar after reports that Trump will not impose tariffs on U.S. trading partners on his first day in office.

(PRO) The second time is an echo of the first?
Some on Wall Street say a second Trump term could have the same impact on certain asset classes as the first. To find out, CNBC Pro looked at the performance of multiple assets during the first 100 days of Trump's last presidential term and asked analysts how they performed.

bottom line

Donald Trump has officially become the 47th President of the United States and plans to take immediate action. According to a person on the Trump transition team, Trump has promised to sign more than 50 executive orders after the inauguration. Here are the two main questions investors will be paying attention to.

tariff

"To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is 'tariffs,'" Trump told the Economic Club of Chicago in October. During the campaign, Trump vowed to impose a general tariff of 20% on all imported goods into the United States, a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, and a tariff of more than 60% on Chinese products.

The government imposes tariffs ostensibly to protect domestic industry. Companies that import goods pay what is essentially a tax, driving up costs. This prompted them to turn to local suppliers.

Because supply chains are so integrated globally and most manufacturing is done outside the United States, companies may find it difficult to move production locally. The higher costs may then be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.

In other words, tariffs could lead to more inflation.

deportation

At a pre-inauguration event titled the "Make America Great Again Victory Rally," Trump promised his supporters that "the invasion of our country will stop." Like tariffs, stricter immigration policies (or outright deportations) are often done to protect the domestic economy (among other reasons).

The theory is that the fewer people competing for an open position, the easier it is to obtain employment.

But many sectors of the U.S. economy, such as construction and agriculture, are staffed by undocumented immigrants who work in jobs that residents dislike. Even documented immigration is critical to high-skilled industries like tech—as Elon Musk’s spat with Trump supporters over H-1B visas demonstrates.

If a reliable source of labor disappears overnight, companies will have to raise wages to attract talent, potentially raising the prospect of another horrific wage-price spiral.

Other policies

Trump also promised many other economic measures, such as corporate tax cuts, legalizing cryptocurrencies and eliminating green energy subsidies.

However, tariffs may have the greatest impact on the global economy and financial institutions.

—CNBC’s Sam Meredith, Ryan Ermey, Annie Nova, Rebecca Picciotto, Evelyn Cheng and Lim Hui Jie contributed to this report.