What is Trump Main Goal

Republican Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to shake up Washington and as president the brash real estate mogul will be able to dramatically change how the United States handles immigration, trade and a range of other policies.

Yet many of his more ambitious proposals will require co-operation from Congress after he takes office on January. 20. While he will may enjoy a post-election honeymoon with congressional Republicans, a long-lasting romance is far from guaranteed, given his uneasy relationship with congressional leaders and some basic ideological differences he has with Republican orthodoxy.

Following is an overview of Trump's top policy plans:

TRADE

In his campaign, Trump argued that international trade agreements had hurt US workers and the country's competitiveness. He has promised to "get tough" on China and withdraw from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, which is still not finalised. As president, Trump does have some power to raise tariffs on countries such as China.

President Barack Obama's administration has suspended its efforts to win congressional approval for TPP, saying its fate was up to Trump and Republican lawmakers.

Trump has also said he would renegotiate or scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement, the 1994 free-trade deal with Mexico and Canada. Both Canada and Mexico have indicated they are willing to discuss the agreement with Trump. Canada has indicated it would consider a free-trade agreement that excludes Mexico.

Economists have warned that such moves would damage the economy by forcing consumers to pay dramatically higher prices on everything from refrigerators to T-shirts. US exports, such as aeroplanes and soybeans, would likely suffer as well.

IMMIGRATION

Trump has promised to build a wall along the Mexican border, deport millions of undocumented immigrants and ban immigration from countries that have been "compromised by terrorism".

Since his election, he has said parts could be a fence instead of a wall, and he would act to deport up to three million immigrants in the country illegally who have criminal records. It was unclear where his figure comes from. Think tank Migration Policy Institute estimated in a 2015 report there were 820,000 unauthorised immigrants with criminal records.

Those policies would not come cheap. Trump has estimated the wall would cost $US8 billion to $US12 billion ($A11 billion-$A16 billion). Other estimates have run much higher.

Politico estimated it would cost at least $US166 billion to deport all of those in the country illegally and complete a border wall. While many congressional Republicans support those policies, they might blanch at the cost.

Trump has said he would force Mexico to pay for the wall, but he has no power to force another country to spend money on something it does not want.

Trump also promised to withhold federal funds from "sanctuary cities" such as New York and Los Angeles that shield people who are in the country illegally.

More broadly, Trump could shift the broader debate over immigration, empowering sceptics like Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama who want to reduce overall immigration levels and reduce the number of skilled guest workers. That would be a blow to business groups and Hispanic advocates who have sought to relax immigration laws.

HEALTHCARE

Trump has promised to repeal President Barack Obama's signature Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, and replace it with a plan that would give states more control over the Medicaid health plan for the poor and allow insurers to sell plans nationally.

He would need Congress to act, and Republicans could have difficulty getting the 60 votes needed to advance a repeal effort through the 100-member Senate.

Republicans could face a public backlash if they repeal a law that has provided healthcare to millions of Americans who previously had no cover.

After the election, Trump said he would consider retaining parts of Obamacare, including provisions letting parents keep adult children up to age 26 on insurance policies and barring insurers from denying coverage to people with existing conditions.

TAXES AND SPENDING

Trump has vowed to make deep tax cuts, while also promising to protect popular health and retirement programs that account for more than a third of US government spending.

That combination of policies would massively increase the national debt, per the nonpartisan Center for a Responsible Budget.

He has also proposed increasing spending on the military and infrastructure, but has said he would reduce spending on categories other than health and retirement by one per cent each year.