Donald Trump is back in the White House.
The Republican won the presidential election against Democrat Kamala Harris, and took up the highest position in the country for the second time.
“We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible,” Trump said at a Palm Beach Convention Center in Florida before the election results were called.
“Every single day I will be fighting for you and with every breath in my body, I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America,” he said.
Trump has run for the presidency three times during his short political career: in 2016, when he won over Hilary Clinton, in 2020, when he lost to Joe Biden, and now this 2024, when he beat Harris.
Trump was impeached for his role in inciting an insurrection against the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. And currently, he is battling dozens of sexual abuse accusations. He is also now the first convicted felon to be elected president, as earlier this year he was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records tied to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels before his 2016 election.
Over the course of his 2024 race, Trump and his now-vice president, JD Vance, have repeatedly voiced their “Make America Great Again” priorities: improving the economy and putting harsh restrictions on immigration. They have given loose explanations for how they will solve these issues, and continued to be vague about other major problems plaguing the country, including climate change, gun control, student loan forgiveness, and access to abortion (which was restricted during Trump’s first pregnancy, with the fall of Roe v. Wade).
Trump’s win comes as he came out on top in the key states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, which pushed him to reach the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the presidency.
Despite having led entirely contrasting campaigns, with contrasting values, Trump and Harris remained tied for most of the race. As recently as November 3, each got the support from 49% of registered voters in a poll released by NBC News. Meanwhile, and Emerson College poll showed that 50% of voters had a favorable view of Harris, while 48% had a favorable view of Trump.
Trump will assume office on January 20.
