Which role or mechanism will Trump use after his Second Term to continue exerting significant influence over U.S. executive decisions?
President: Trump serves a third term as President, maintaining full constitutional authority.
Head of the Cabinet: Trump holds a high-level position formally coordinating or overseeing the cabinet. In this scenario, the actual President (for example Vance) would delegate day-to-day executive management to Trump. The role would be comparable to a Chancellor or Prime Minister, giving him direct influence over cabinet-level decisions.
Cabinet Member: Trump would hold a cabinet-level position (e.g., Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense), formally under the President.
Top Advisor: Trump could access classified information and advise on key decisions. He can use informal White House channels to influence decisions, but cannot direct other cabinet members.
Power Broker: Trump operates publicly as a highly visible political force, still shaping initiatives and influencing policy through party networks, congressional allies, and loyalists. In the media, he is perceived as an unprecedented agenda-setter, effectively establishing a parallel center of power alongside the President, despite holding no executive power.
None: Trump will not have meaningful executive influence under any formal or informal mechanism.