‘It could be a catastrophe’: Déjà vu and panic for scientists as Trump wins second term

Donald Trump’s forthcoming return as US president has left many in the research and science policy communities reeling. While some maintain it is too soon to tell whether worrisome campaign rhetoric will translate into new policies, many are panicking based on his previous actions as president, and the fact that he will come to the White House empowered by a Republican-controlled Senate.

There is significant concern now that politically charged but important research, including in areas such as climate change, renewable energy, reproductive health, foetal tissue and vaccines, will be deprioritised or completely cut at federal science agencies like the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).