Election Live Updates: Trump Fights His Way Back Into Power
- Donald J. Trump was elected the 47th president early Wednesday morning, four years after losing to Joseph R. Biden Jr. His victory was secured at around 5:30 a.m. Eastern, following a decisive win in the battleground state of Wisconsin that brought him above the crucial 270 electoral vote threshold.
- Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss marked the second time in eight years that a woman representing the Democratic Party reached the presidential nomination but fell short of breaking that historic barrier.
- Republicans also regained control of the Senate with key victories: Bernie Moreno in Ohio, Jim Justice in West Virginia, and Deb Fischer, who retained her seat in Nebraska.
Veteran political correspondent Jonathan Weisman summed up the night as historic.
Trump played on fear and economic insecurity. Voters looked past his scandals
Donald J. Trump has defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, harnessing widespread concerns over inflation and illegal immigration to bring a strongman approach back to the White House. His victory made him the first former president in over 120 years to reclaim office after a previous defeat.
Voters turned to Mr. Trump, seeing him as a decisive leader for turbulent times and a seasoned economic advocate. Many overlooked his 34 felony convictions, his role in the Capitol assault, and charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and retain classified documents.
Mr. Trump’s win caps one of the most tumultuous campaigns in recent memory—including surviving two assassination attempts—and at 78, he is now the oldest person elected to the presidency.
In a predawn speech to supporters in Palm Beach, Fla., Mr. Trump proclaimed, “This will forever be remembered as the day the American people regained control of their country.”
With the Senate firmly under Republican control after four years in the minority, Mr. Trump will return to Washington with momentum to install loyalists in his cabinet and other key government positions.
Republicans are still fighting to maintain their slim majority in the House, a crucial factor that could impact the extent of Mr. Trump’s legislative agenda. However, he has pledged to push forward with many of his plans regardless of Congressional support.
For Ms. Harris, who aimed to make history as the first woman and the first Black and Asian American woman elected president, the campaign was an intense three-month effort that began after President Biden withdrew from re-election under mounting pressure.
Ultimately, post-pandemic inflation, skyrocketing housing costs, and widespread economic uncertainty posed insurmountable challenges for her campaign.
Mr. Trump focused his campaign on strict immigration policies, pledging to seal the U.S.-Mexico border and deport millions of undocumented immigrants. He also promised sweeping tariffs to protect American industries and, in the campaign's final stretch, made bold promises to various voter groups — pledging to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits.
His closing message emphasized blaming Ms. Harris for the Biden administration’s perceived shortcomings, rallying supporters under the slogan, “Kamala Broke It. Trump Will Fix It.” With polls showing a strong appetite for change, that message — combined with Ms. Harris’s role as vice president — helped secure his victory.
The turbulent 2024 election began with widespread voter dissatisfaction toward the presumed candidates of both major parties, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Many Americans saw both men as too old and too familiar, unlikely to provide the fresh start the country craved amid ongoing conflict, division, and economic strain.
However, in June, during their first presidential debate, Mr. Biden stumbled significantly, coming across as aged and at times incoherent. Just two weeks later, Mr. Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., which reinforced his image as an unbreakable figure. Images of him, blood streaked across his face, raising a fist and shouting, “Fight, fight, fight,” quickly became symbolic, fueling his portrayal as a resilient leader.
By the Republican convention that month, Mr. Trump held a clear and growing lead in the polls, with many predicting a landslide in November.
But Biden’s decision to drop out just three days after the convention sparked a wave of Democratic enthusiasm and relief, energizing Ms. Harris’s campaign and transforming the race into one of the closest in modern history.
Ms. Harris, supported by many Republicans, including several former Trump administration officials, sought to frame Mr. Trump as authoritarian, intolerant, and a threat to democracy. As the campaign drew to a close, she and her supporters went further, labeling him a fascist, as Mr. Trump’s rhetoric grew darker, more aggressive, and more xenophobic.
Many of the Trump campaign ads and those supporting it featured images of migrants rushing the border, mug shots of Hispanic criminals, and explicit hostility toward transgender people, aiming to stoke fear and mistrust. The former president repeatedly attacked the vice president, calling her "lazy," "stupid," and "dumb as a rock."
His rhetoric also grew increasingly violent. He promised a “bloody story” in the mass deportation of criminal immigrants, vowed to give police “one rough hour” to crack down on crime, and stated he would use the military against what he termed “the enemy from within.” In the campaign’s final days, he even suggested that his prominent Republican critic, former Representative Liz Cheney, should be placed on a battlefield “with nine barrels shooting at her.”
Despite the intensity of his statements, none of this seemed to reduce his appeal. His popularity continued to rest on his promise of an American “comeback” under his leadership.
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