Former president Donald Trump has won the 2024 US presidential election and will be returning to the White House in January 2025. While many notable Silicon Valley tech executives congratulated the president-elect on social media, what does a second Trump administration mean for the corporate landscape?

Vanity Fair Contributing Editor Bethany McLean joins Catalysts to discuss.

McLean notes that the stock market's positive reaction to Trump's win suggests businesses are "optimistic" about his second term. She anticipates potential benefits for companies, such as an extension of tax cuts, less regulation, and less aggressive antitrust oversight from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

However, McLean cautions that "it's really hard to know what Trump is going to do." She expects Trump to be "friendly to Big Tech, given his connection to Elon Musk" and the influential voice Musk is likely to have in the new administration. But the specifics of how this will play out remain to be seen.

"If any of his policies start to negatively impact the stock market, I think you would expect to see him [Trump] switch course," she states.

To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Catalysts here.

This post was written by Angel Smith