Red, Blue, or Purple? How US States will shape policy under Donald Trump

Do you live in a red state, a blue state, or one where Republicans and Democrats share power? A joint statement from 26 Republican governors said they “stand ready to utilize every tool at our disposal — whether through state law enforcement or the National Guard — to support President Trump in this vital mission.” Republican lawmakers in a growing number of states are proposing to give local law officers the power to arrest people who entered the country illegally, mirroring a recent Texas law that has been placed on hold while courts consider whether it unconstitutionally usurps federal authority. Diversity Efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives are expected to expand in Republican-led states under Trump, who has vowed to get rid of perceived “wokeness” in education. A Tennessee law provides one model, forbidding financial institutions from considering a customer’s participation in “diversity, equity and inclusion training.” Transgender issues Republican lawmakers are expected to keep pushing for restrictions on the rights of transgender people, particularly transgender minors. Health and Human Services Secretary-nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a lawyer with no medical or public health degrees, has called fluoride an “industrial waste” and said in a Nov. 2 post on X that the Trump administration would “advise all U.S. water systems” to stop putting fluoride in the water.