Former President Donald Trump has finally prevailed in a long and tense campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris, which will make him the first president to serve non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in the 1890s. His running mate, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, is set to become the next vice president. He captured 277 electoral votes compared to his opponent’s 224, though the states of Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and Alaska are still in play. The popular vote is also still evolving as a little over a tenth of ballots remain uncounted, yet so far counts show that the ex-president has won 51 percent to 48 percent.
Mr. Trump gave his victory speech in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he said that “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” and promised to usher in a “golden age” for the country. Referencing the June attempt on his life, the ex-president said: “God spared my life for a reason.” Ms. Harris conceded the race, saying “The outcome of this election was not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when I say the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.” The speech drew a contrast from her opponent’s behavior after his 2020 loss.
While campaigning, Mr. Trump had to face a host of controversies, most notably his conviction of paying hush money in a New York court, his found liability of sexual assault, and the fallout from the 2021 attack on the capitol building from his supporters. Yet many voters preferred his style of governance over that of the also-divisive Democrats, whose incumbent president Joe Biden struggled with a host of issues, including soaring inflation, a migrant crisis at the Mexican border, and the outbreak of mass-casualty wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Mr. Trump dug into the general pessimism of the nation, where two-thirds of voters say that the United States is on the wrong track, and over half say that the country is in decline. The ex-president’s rhetoric was often grim, bleakly apocalyptic, and of course offensive as he dug in on fears against illegal immigrants and economic anxieties, the same issues that propelled him to another stunning victory against Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. President Biden was initially the Democratic contender, yet while facing a trove of revelations about issues related to his age and health, he dropped out of the race and endorsed Ms. Harris. However, after little over three months of building a coalition that stretched from singers like Beyoncé to former Republican public officials like Dick and Liz Cheney, she still failed to convince voters that it was best to stay the course.
Despite the sizeable victory, Mr. Trump still has to face an uphill battle to complete his agenda once inaugurated. He holds only a 43 percent favorability rating – one that usually dips to the 30s during the midterms – and is almost certain to face staunch opposition in Congress from Democrats and even many conservative and moderate Republicans, not to mention the possibility of legal challenges to his loftiest goals, such as mass deportations and increasing executive power. The four criminal cases swirling the ex-president are also likely to complicate issues, as he still battles indictments of inciting the 2021 capitol riot, trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, and mishandling classified documents while he still awaits sentencing for 34 felonies in paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels. Yet with a slight majority clinched in the Senate and an increasingly conservative Supreme Court, Mr. Trump will be beginning his second term with much more power than the first.
