Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, Nov. 6, 2024. (Credit: Jim Watson/AFP)
Donald Trump secured a decisive victory Wednesday in his bid to return to the White House, sending shockwaves across the United States and around the world.
The Republican’s comeback is all the more extraordinary given that his third campaign was marred by two assassination attempts, four indictments, and a criminal conviction.
His win was swift and clear, as he clinched the battleground states of North Carolina and Georgia within hours, with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin providing the final boost.
Even before the results were official, Trump received a flood of congratulations from foreign leaders, including Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky.
Healing the divide
After leaving the White House amid chaos, Trump managed, as he did in 2016, to convince Americans that he understood their daily struggles better than anyone else.
Or at least better than Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran a short campaign after Joe Biden’s sudden withdrawal, without her centrist message of unity mobilizing enough support against Trump’s attacks on inflation and immigration.
Trump’s return to the White House has millions of red-cap-wearing Americans elated, while millions more are fearful, shaken by his increasingly harsh rhetoric, especially on immigration.
How can these two Americas—who both chant “USA! USA! USA!” with vastly different meanings—be reconciled?
When he takes the oath on Jan. 20, it will be up to the Republican to heal the wounds of a nation on edge.
In his victory speech, Trump called for “unity,” urging Americans to put “the divisions of the past four years behind us.” Yet during his campaign, he hurled insults at his rival, accused immigrants of “poisoning the country’s blood,” and ridiculed his opponents.
Deportations, drilling, and tariffs
What will a Trump 2.0 presidency look like? The question fascinates and obsesses both the U.S. and the world.
The billionaire has proposed the “largest-ever operation” to deport immigrants, starting on his first day in office.
A fierce critic of the billions of dollars allocated to the Ukraine war, he promised to resolve that conflict even before taking office—a prospect that worries Kyiv.
He also claims he’ll bring an end to the Middle East conflict, though without explaining how.
A well-known climate change skeptic, Trump has vowed to withdraw from the Paris Agreement once again and to ramp up oil drilling “to the max.”
On the economy, he wants to “take jobs from other countries” with tax cuts and tariffs.
He’s been less clear on abortion rights, which have been significantly weakened by the Supreme Court justices he appointed. But on this and many other issues, the unpredictable nature of the 78-year-old fuels endless speculation.
Elon Musk as Minister?
Democrats are alarmed by Trump’s escalating threats against what he calls “internal enemies” and his appetite for revenge.
European leaders have been scrambling for months to understand Trump’s opaque network to avoid being blindsided, as they were in 2016 when he took office with an unprecedented shake-up and treated allies harshly.
The new president can count on support from the Senate, which Republicans reclaimed overnight from Democrats. His triumph will be complete if his party retains control of the House of Representatives.
Few details have emerged about Trump’s upcoming administration, aside from one notable exception: Trump announced that he would assign billionaire Elon Musk, who contributed over $110 million to his campaign, to lead a sweeping audit of the U.S. government.
What’s next?
By electing Donald Trump, Americans have chosen to place the world’s leading power in the hands of a 78-year-old, who in January will become the oldest U.S. president to take the oath of office.
He is also a convicted criminal, awaiting sentencing on Nov. 26 in a case involving concealed payments to an adult film star.
It’s too soon to tell how his election will affect his ongoing legal battles, as he faces possible prison time in several cases, or how his political opponents, who have long dreaded his return to power, will react.
Unlike Trump, who boycotted Biden’s inauguration, the Democratic president has already committed to attending the Republican’s swearing-in and, according to his spokesperson, to a “peaceful transfer of power.”
