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Trump’s decisive victory in a deeply divided nation
Donald Trump scored a decisive victory in a deeply divided nation. And in so doing, the Republican president-elect exposed a fundamental weakness within the Democratic base and beat back concerns about his moral failings, becoming the first U.S. president with a felony conviction. Matthew Lebo, professor for the Department of Political Science at the University of Western Ontario, joined LiveNOW from FOX to discuss.
WASHINGTON - Former President Donald Trump was elected as the 47th President of the United States, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in a historic comeback after losing four years ago.
The Associated Press projected Trump as the winner early Wednesday after calling the swing stage of Wisconsin – putting him over the 270 electoral vote threshold needed to clinch the presidency.
FILE - Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Nov. 4, 2024. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
It was an extraordinary return to power for 78-year-old Trump, who refused to accept defeat in 2020 when he lost to President Joe Biden and helped spark the U.S. Capitol riot, was convicted of felony charges, and survived two assassination attempts.
Trump, who gave a victory speech early Wednesday at Mar-a-Lago, will begin his second term early next year.
Here are some answers to questions following the 2024 presidential election:
How did Trump win?
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Trump speaks to supporters in West Palm Beach
Donald Trump speaks to supporters gathered in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump has claimed victory in the 2024 presidential election, though several swing states remain undecided. Key states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona continue counting high volumes of mail-in ballots. Early results favor Trump, but Democrats hope remaining counts in urban areas could tip the scales.
In state after state, Trump outperformed what he did in the 2020 election, while Harris failed to do as well as Biden did in winning the presidency four years ago.
By early Wednesday morning, Trump won three critical swing states – Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia – and was leading in four of the remaining battlegrounds that were too close to call at the time.
Shortly before 6 a.m., the Associated Press called Wisconsin for Trump as well, putting him at 277 electoral votes and sending him back to the White House for a second term.
He managed to win both nationwide and in key swing states with voters who were alarmed about the economy and prioritized more aggressive enforcement of immigration laws. Anxiety about inflation was high nationally, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide.
Voters broadly believed that Trump would be better equipped than Harris, Biden’s current vice president, to handle the economy and jobs. The key swing states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan largely mirrored the mood of the nation, the survey found.
When will Trump be sworn in?
Trump will be inaugurated as the U.S. president on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Who is vice president for Trump?
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JD Vance holds final campaign rally in Pennsylvania
Ohio Senator JD Vance addressed supporters Monday in Newtown, Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state in the 2024 election. Like Vance, former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also campaigned on Election Eve, holding rallies across multiple states.
JD Vance, a 40-year-old Republican Ohio senator who rose to prominence with the memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," will serve as Trump’s vice president.
He will be the third-youngest vice president in history when he takes office.
Vance was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio. He joined the Marines and served in Iraq, and later earned degrees from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. He also worked as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley.
Vance made a name for himself with the 2016 bestseller "Hillbilly Elegy," which was published as Trump was first running for president. The book earned Vance a reputation as someone who could help explain the maverick New York businessman’s appeal in middle America, especially among the working class, rural white voters who helped Trump win the presidency.
"Hillbilly Elegy" also introduced Vance to the Trump family. Donald Trump Jr. loved the book and knew of Vance when he went to launch his political career. The two hit it off and have remained friends.
But Vance was famously a "never Trump" Republican back in 2016, calling him "dangerous" and "unfit" for office. Vance, whose wife, lawyer Usha Chilukuri Vance, is Indian American and the mother of their three children, also criticized Trump’s racist rhetoric, saying he could be "America’s Hitler."
But by the time Vance met Trump in 2021, he had reversed his opinion, citing Trump’s accomplishments as president. Both men downplayed Vance’s past scathing criticism.
Vance in 2022 won the Ohio Senate seat vacated by Republican Rob Portman, who retired. Once elected, Vance became a fierce Trump ally on Capitol Hill, unceasingly defending Trump’s policies and behavior.
Can Trump run for president in 2028?
Trump is now set to become both the 45th and 47th President of the United States, the first to serve non-consecutive terms in office since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election.
Securing a second term in office means that Trump cannot run again for a third time in 2028. This is because of the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – which limits a person to serving a maximum of two terms as U.S. president.
Did Republicans take the House?
Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate, retaking the upper chamber for the first time in four years and giving the GOP a major power center in Washington. It will also help secure a lead role in confirming the next president’s Cabinet, as well as any Supreme Court justice if there is a vacancy.
However, control over the House of Representatives remained up for grabs on Wednesday, with over 100 races yet to be called, according to the Associated Press.
Has Harris conceded the election?
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Harris gives final campaign speech before election
On Monday night, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her final campaign speech before Tuesday's election, speaking to supporters in Philadelphia. Meantime, former President Donald Trump held multiple rallies across several swing states.
Harris had no immediate comment early Wednesday, and there was no word that she had made a call to concede the race yet.
Prior to the Associated Press' call for Trump as the winner, the co-chair of Harris' campaign announced that she would not be appearing at her Howard University Election Night watch party, noting at the time that they still had votes to count.