What Trump’s Return Could Mean for Animals

Science|What Trump’s Return to Office Could Mean for Animals

President-elect Donald J. Trump has promised to remake the federal government, an undertaking that could have far-reaching consequences for hundreds of millions of Americans and countless other people around the world.

But the policy choices and the priorities of the second Trump administration will also have profound effects on animals. “The federal government dictates a lot about the lives of all different kinds of animals,” said Ann Linder, an associate director at Harvard University’s animal law and policy program, “whether those are wild animals living free in nature, whether those are farmed animals living in intense confinement, whether those are monkeys or beagles in research laboratories.”

Mr. Trump’s campaign promises, emerging cabinet selections and first-term record have worried many experts like Ms. Linder. “I expect the second Trump term to be harmful to animals in many ways,” she said.

Mr. Trump’s first term offered a few bright spots for animal welfare, such as a new law making certain forms of extreme animal abuse a federal crime. But in general, experts said, the administration put the interests of industry over those of animals. That pattern is expected to continue, given Mr. Trump’s pledge to slash government regulations.

“We’re very concerned that deregulation can come at the expense of animals,” said Nancy Blaney, the director of government affairs at the nonprofit Animal Welfare Institute.

Here’s what Trump’s re-election might mean for nonhuman creatures:

Wild animals