In a dramatic conclusion to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump has secured a decisive victory over Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, completing a clean sweep of all seven critical swing states and cementing his return to the White House for a second term.
The turning point came with the declaration of Trump’s win in Arizona, a state that had leaned Democratic in recent elections but swung back into the Republican column after Trump’s strong campaign focused on issues that resonated deeply with voters in the Grand Canyon State. With Arizona’s 11 electoral votes now in his column, Trump’s total stands at 312 electoral votes, far surpassing the 270 needed to win the presidency. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice president and Biden administration nominee, trails with 226 electoral votes.
This victory in Arizona, which followed a series of high-profile wins in key battleground states, marks a stunning turnaround for Trump, who had lost the state to Joe Biden in 2020. It also underscores the continued strength of Trump's appeal in swing states that were pivotal to his victory.
Trump’s campaign, which centred on his tough stance on border security, illegal immigration, and rising crime, resonated strongly in Arizona, a state that saw a record number of migrant crossings in 2023. Trump had tied Harris and the Biden administration to rising inflation and an influx of illegal border crossings, pledging aggressive actions like mass deportations and an expanded border security force. His promise to reallocate portions of the military budget to reinforce the U.S.-Mexico border appealed to a broad coalition of voters in the state, including a significant portion of Hispanic voters.
With his win in Arizona, Trump has now flipped six states that had backed Joe Biden in 2020. In addition to Arizona, the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Nevada also went to the Republican candidate, alongside a strong hold on North Carolina, which had been closely contested this cycle. Trump also gained support from key suburban and rural constituencies that had previously backed Biden.
Trump’s dominance in these swing states, once seen as strongholds for the Democratic Party, was crucial to his success. He surpassed expectations by winning with broader margins than he did in 2016, despite facing numerous challenges, including a criminal conviction and two impeachments during his previous term.
The Associated Press and other major outlets officially declared Trump the winner of the presidential race early on Wednesday, following a final round of vote tallies in Wisconsin that pushed him past the 270-electoral vote threshold. The race, which had been expected to be close, was definitively called after Trump’s significant lead in the swing states became insurmountable.
For Trump, this marks his first popular vote win, something he had failed to secure in his earlier campaigns. Despite his polarizing figure, he gained significant support across demographic groups, notably improving his share of the Hispanic vote, especially in battleground states like Arizona and Nevada.
As the nation now turns its focus to Trump’s second administration, he has begun to assemble his new White House team. His campaign manager, Susie Wiles, has been appointed as his White House chief of staff, making history as the first woman to hold this prestigious role. In the coming days, Trump is expected to announce additional key appointments, with speculation swirling about the potential for high-profile figures such as Elon Musk, former ambassador Ric Grenell, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to join his cabinet.
Trump’s victory, along with Harris’s defeat, signals a continued era of political volatility in the United States, as the White House will now alternate between Republican and Democratic leadership for a fourth consecutive term, a rarity in modern U.S. political history. Biden, who withdrew from the race in July over concerns about his age, is expected to meet Trump in the Oval Office in the coming days to discuss the peaceful transition of power.
With Inauguration Day set for January 20, 2025, Trump’s return to office represents a pivotal moment in American politics, as voters have once again chosen a Republican president after a single term under a Democratic administration. The coming months will reveal how Trump plans to execute his policy agenda in what promises to be an increasingly polarized political environment.
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