Four years after being thrown out of the White House, Donald Trump’s election as president completed an incredible comeback and ushered in a new American leadership that will probably put both American democratic institutions and ties overseas to the test.
After a campaign of divisive language that widened the nation’s rift, Trump, 78, regained the White House on Wednesday by obtaining more than the 270 Electoral College votes required to win the president, according to Edison Research’s projection.
The former president crossed the threshold after winning in Wisconsin, a battleground state.
Trump made the statement, “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” in front of a boisterous gathering of supporters at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in Florida early Monday.
When Trump’s baseless accusations of election fraud prompted a crowd of supporters to assault the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful attempt to reverse his 2020 loss, it seemed as though his political career was gone.
However, by leveraging voter fears about high costs and what Trump claimed—without proof—was an increase in crime as a result of illegal immigration, he swept away opponents within his Republican Party and defeated Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Supporters gathered at her alma mater, Howard University, but Harris would not address them. After midnight, Cedric Richmond, her campaign co-chair, spoke briefly to the throng and said that Harris will give a public speech later on Wednesday.
His words were, “We still have votes to count,”
In the struggle for control of the House of Representatives, where Republicans presently have a slim majority, neither party seemed to have an advantage, despite Republicans winning a majority in the U.S. Senate.
JOBS AND ECONOMY
According to Reuters/Ipsos opinion polls, voters ranked the economy and employment as the nation’s top issues. Despite low unemployment, rapidly rising incomes, and record-high stock markets, many Americans continued to be irritated by rising costs. Most voters said they trusted Trump more than Harris to handle the problem, with the Biden administration bearing most of the responsibility.
Trump’s election triumph was fueled in part by lower-income households that were worst hurt by inflation, Hispanic votes, and typically Democratic supporters. His devoted following of white, rural, and less educated voters turned out in force once more.
Despite consistently low approval ratings, Trump won. He has had four criminal indictments, been impeached twice, and been convicted civilly accountable for slander and sexual assault. A New York jury found Trump guilty in May of fabricating financial documents to conceal payments of hush money to a porn star.
The conflict in Ukraine, American taxation, immigration, trade, and climate change policies will all be significantly impacted by his triumph.
Economists warn that his promises to lower corporate taxes and enact a series of fresh cuts may cause the U.S. debt to skyrocket, while his tariff ideas might lead to a more intense trade war with China and U.S. allies.
Targeting illegal immigrants, Trump has pledged to begin a huge deportation effort.
He has stated that he wants the power to dismiss federal officials whom he believes to be disloyal. His opponents worry that he would use federal law enforcement, including the Justice Department, as political tools to look into alleged rivals.
On topics like race, gender, what and how children are educated, and reproductive rights, a second Trump administration would further polarize Democrats and Republicans.
HARRIS FALLS SHORT
During her brief 15-week campaign, Vice President Harris was unable to rally enough support to unseat Trump, who held the White House from 2017 to 2021, or to soothe voters’ fears on immigration and the economy.
Harris has cautioned that Trump was a threat to democracy and sought unbridled presidential authority.
According to Edison Research exit polls, over three-quarters of voters believe that American democracy is in danger, highlighting the polarization in a country where differences have only widened throughout a very close contest.
Trump used apocalyptic rhetoric throughout his campaign. He promised to prevent “obliteration” of the economy, referred to the United States as a “garbage can” for immigration, and portrayed certain competitors as the “enemy within.”
Harris, whom he regularly criticized as being stupid, and migrants, whom he said were “poisoning the blood of the country,” were subjects of his tirades.
Only two previous presidents have won a second term after leaving the White House, including Trump, despite his legal troubles and scandals. The first was Grover Cleveland, who began serving in 1885 and continued for two four-year terms in 1893.
