Donald Trump has been elected the 47th president of the United States, marking a dramatic political comeback for the former president.
His return to power comes after a tumultuous four years in which he refused to accept defeat in the 2020 election, incited a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, faced felony convictions, and survived two assassination attempts.
As of Wednesday, Trump secured the presidency with a victory in Wisconsin, surpassing the 270 electoral votes needed to win.
His win underscores the success of his combative, often controversial style of politics. Throughout the campaign, Trump relentlessly attacked his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, using deeply personal, at times misogynistic and racist, language. He painted a dystopian vision of a country overrun by violent migrants, and his blunt rhetoric, paired with an image of hypermasculinity, resonated with disillusioned voters, particularly men, in an increasingly polarized America.
As president, Trump has pledged to pursue a radical overhaul of the federal government and seek retribution against his political adversaries. In a speech to his supporters on Wednesday, he declared that he had won “an unprecedented and powerful mandate.”
The election marked the end of one of the most tumultuous and fiercely contested campaigns in recent history. Trump faced two assassination attempts and navigated a shifting Democratic landscape, with the party nominating a new candidate just weeks before its convention after President Joe Biden exited the race due to concerns over his age. Despite an early surge of support, Kamala Harris struggled to convince disaffected voters that her campaign represented a break from the widely unpopular administration she was part of.
Trump’s victory over Harris, the first woman of color to lead a major party’s ticket, marks the second time he has defeated a female candidate in a general election. Harris, who ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket after Biden’s withdrawal, had trouble consolidating support during a compressed campaign period, struggling to win over voters who were dissatisfied with the current administration.
Trump becomes the first former president to reclaim the White House since Grover Cleveland did so in 1892. He is also the first person ever elected president after being convicted of a felony and, at 78, the oldest person to assume the office. His running mate, 40-year-old Ohio Senator JD Vance, will become the youngest vice president in U.S. history and the highest-ranking member of the millennial generation in the federal government.
With Republicans in Congress largely aligned with him and his judicial appointments now entrenched in federal courts, Trump will face fewer institutional barriers in his second term. His sweeping agenda, aimed at reshaping the American government, is set to move forward rapidly. Notably, the Supreme Court—now with a conservative majority of justices appointed by Trump—recently issued a ruling granting presidents broad immunity from prosecution, further emboldening his position as he heads back to the White House.
