Donald Trump has instructed aides to prepare for sweeping budget cuts if he wins a second term in the White House, five people briefed on the discussions said, a move that would dramatically reverse the big-spending approach he adopted during his first 30 months in office.

Mr Trump’s advisers say he will be better positioned to crack down on spending and shrink or eliminate certain agencies after next year, particularly if Republicans regain control of the House of Representatives.

But this second-term ambition is already seeding confusion about how the White House should approach the current slate of negotiations, in which some conservatives want Mr Trump to push for spending restraint.

Instead, Mr Trump is advocating swiftly lifting the federal debt ceiling, which would allow for more spending and borrowing.

Mr Trump, who was once a fierce promoter of refusing the raise the debt ceiling without winning concessions, said the opposite on Friday, telling reporters that “it’s a sacred element of our country. They can’t use the debt ceiling to negotiate”.

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many members have the name of the group tattooed on their arms Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A line of police officers separate opposing groups of protesters outside the launch of President Trump's 2020 campaign launch Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A protester hits a Trump punching bag during a protest outside Trump's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Twin Trump supporters pose for a photo at the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A protester dressed as a caricature of Donald Trump stands outside the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AP Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A Trump supporter faces off against a protester outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AFP/Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A Proud Boy shouts across the police line at anti-Trump protesters outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A Trump supporter poses for a photo at the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A Proud Boy jeers at anti-Trump protesters who are separated from the president's supporters by a police line outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A man dressed as Uncle Sam poses at President Trump's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam An anti-Trump protester faces off against a supporter outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AFP/Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud 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2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam President Trump addresses supporters at the launch event of his 2020 election campaign in the Amway Centre in Orlando, Florida AFP/Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam An anti-Trump protester calls for the president to be impeached outside the launch event for his 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Supporters of Donald Trump face off against protesters outside of the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AP Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A baby blimp rises behind a group of anti-Trump protesters outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AP Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A supporter dressed as Uncle Sam poses at President Trump's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, 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US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said the debt ceiling needs to be increased by early September to avoid a potentially catastrophic default.

That puts enormous pressure on Congress to act, because lawmakers leave at the end of next week for the remainder of the summer.

Mr Mnuchin has forged several parts of a new budget agreement with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but the talks bogged down in recent days after other Trump advisers sent Democrats a request for $150bn (£120bn) in spending cuts.

With Mr Mnuchin pushing for a deal and the other advisers, largely acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and acting budget director Russell Vought, seeking big cuts, the White House has lacked a consistent argument during the debates, something that is likely to spill into a second term if Mr Trump is re-elected.

Even some Republicans appear exasperated over the differing views.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby told reporters that Mr Mnuchin has been the “voice of reason” inside the White House and that Mr Trump would benefit from focusing on the treasury secretary’s advice.

“I think he should listen to the secretary,” Mr Shelby said.

Democrats have seized on this inconsistency and dug in, and they appear unlikely to capitulate during the current debate, in part because Mr Trump has not signalled a willingness to back up demands from Mr Vought’s office for the spending cuts.

Now, neither aides nor Congress know precisely how hard Mr Trump is willing to fight for budget cuts either this week or during the second term.

Muddying matters further, Mr Trump has not instructed aides as to how sweeping he wants future budget cuts in his second term to be.

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For example, he has not told aides whether he will be open to significant cuts to Medicare, one of the government’s costliest programmes.

Mr Trump promised during the 2016 campaign that he wouldn’t cut Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. He abandoned that pledge for Medicaid but has largely held to his commitment not to reduce Medicare and Social Security benefits, despite pressure from some advisers.

His apathy towards cutting spending has helped drive the deficit to about $1tn (£800bn) this year, a sharp contrast to the GOP demands for a balanced budget during the Obama administration.

Mr Trump himself has mischaracterised the government’s fiscal problems on numerous occasions, alleging that the Obama administration is to blame for rising debt levels.

The deficit did widen, and then contract during the Obama administration, in part because of the government’s response to the financial crisis.

But the deficit has expanded greatly during the Trump administration, adding $3tn (£2.4tn) to the debt since he took office. It is expected to continue growing through the next decade and beyond.

White House officials have not stuck to a consistent approach in dealing with the budget, in part because of Mr Trump’s unwillingness to fight for cuts.

Several months ago, White House officials released a budget plan that would have slashed spending at multiple agencies.

But they jettisoned that blueprint during talks with lawmakers and have agreed to increase spending markedly in the next two years. They were still haggling over specifics of the deal on Thursday afternoon, however.

The internal White House split over how hard to push for budget cuts is a precursor for what aides expect will be a central battle if Mr Trump wins re-election.

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Mr Trump’s aides have frequently called for reducing the deficit, only to see Mr Trump reverse course and call for more spending throughout the budget on things such as military programmes, a new wall along the US-Mexico border and bailout funds for farmers.

The 2017 tax cut has also added to the deficit, according to budget experts, and will end up costing the government more than $1tn (£800bn) over 10 years.

Some Republicans have said Mr Trump’s refusal, so far, to pursue big changes to entitlement programmes such as Medicare and Social Security have made it nearly impossible for him to fix the budget.

“They have never proposed serious entitlement reforms, and he has said quite clearly that he won’t,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a Republican and former Congressional Budget Office director. “Until they do, they are not serious about anything.”

There are a number of reasons US debt levels are projected to keep climbing, and some of the biggest ones have to do with demographics that political leaders can’t control. Medicare and Social Security primarily benefit older Americans, and thousands of new people qualify for these benefits each day as Americans age into the benefits.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

Budget experts have said the best way to control costs on these programmes would be to phase in changes over time to avoid abrupt disruptions in benefits.

But policymakers from both parties have frequently avoided such adjustments, worried about the political blowback from seniors.

Mr Trump has also received mixed signals from Capitol Hill. Former House speaker Paul Ryan was a big proponent of spending cuts but recently left office.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has advised Trump to postpone any spending fights until after the 2020 elections, saying conflict could turn voters away from Republicans.

Several conservative lawmakers expressed scepticism that a push to reduce deficits could gain traction in Congress, even if the Trump administration throws its weight behind such an effort.

Senator Ron Johnson said he doubted Republican lawmakers would move legislation to meaningfully close the deficit.

“My experience around here about cutting the budget is that it’s like going to heaven: Everyone wants to go, but nobody is quite ready to take the trip,” said John Neely Kennedy, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I’ve heard no discussion about this. None.”

Mr Trump promised during his 2016 campaign to eliminate the government’s debt after eight years in office, a pledge top advisers later said was a mistake.

But Mr Trump has not only failed to eliminate the $19tn (£15.2tn) in debt he inherited when he was sworn in; he also authorised multiple agreements that made the debt much larger.

His aides have proposed budget cuts numerous times during his first term in office, only to have Mr Trump back away and pursue spending increases instead.

These spending increases, combined with the 2017 tax cut law, have added $3tn (£2.4) to the debt during Mr Trump’s first term in office.

The US government spends more money than it brings in through revenue, and that gap is referred to as the “deficit”. The government borrows money to cover this gap, and it does this by issuing debt.

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“It’s an urgent problem, and the longer you wait to fix it the harder it will be,” said Michael Peterson, chairman and chief executive of the Peter G Peterson Foundation, which advocates deficit reduction, citing the growing price tag on debt interest payments.

Mr Trump has said these measures were necessary to help grow the economy and rebuild the military, but they have also added markedly to the debt.

White House officials, however, have disputed that the tax cuts have led to lost revenue. They cite figures that show tax revenue is higher this year than last year, but budget experts say the revenue collected this year has fallen short of projections and not accounted for the steep tax cuts.

Particularly troubling to budget experts is the steep drop in taxes paid by businesses under the law, which lowered the corporate tax rate from 35 per cent to 21 per cent.

The year before the tax law, the United States collected about $285bn (£228bn) from corporate taxes – a number that dropped by more than 30 per cent last year, according to the Bipartisan Policy Centre, a nonpartisan organisation.

So far, companies have paid even lower levels of corporate taxes this year compared with 2018, with 60 Fortune 500 companies paying no federal taxes at all, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning think tank.

Republican politicians and the Trump administration predicted during the debate over the 2017 tax law that the legislation would increase federal revenue by spurring additional economic growth, and the Treasury Department released a one-page analysis projecting the law would cut the deficit by $300bn over 10 years.

The economy has grown faster since the tax cuts went into effect, but it has already shown signs of slowing this year.

Mr Trump and other White House officials have predicted that the tax cuts could lead to a loss in revenue in the first few years but would eventually lead to a big increase in revenue, something budget experts have disputed.