Trump gains sweeping victory, makes stunning comeback
WASHINGTON – Donald Trump gained a sweeping victory in the US presidential election yesterday, defeating Kamala Harris in a stunning political comeback.
The Republican’s win, following one of the most hostile campaigns in modern US history, was all the more remarkable given an unprecedented criminal conviction and a near-miss assassination attempt.
“It’s a political victory that our country has never seen before,” Trump told a victory party in Florida.
As supporters chanted “USA!”, the 78-year-old added that his “magnificent” win would “allow us to make America great again” and usher in a “golden age of America”.
‘God spared my life for a reason’
Trump also said that “God spared my life for a reason” during his victory speech at Trump Headquarters yesterday.
Trump, who has been the target of two assassination attempts since July, shared his appreciation for a second presidency during his 25-minute speech from West Palm Beach, Florida.
“Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason, and that reason was to save our country and to restore America to greatness,” Trump said. “And now we are going to fulfill that mission together.”
He continued: “The task before us will not be easy, but I will bring every ounce of energy, spirit, and fighting that I have in my soul to the job that you’ve entrusted to me.
“We’re going to help our country here. We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly. We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country and we’ve made history for a reason tonight. And the reason is going to be just that. We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible,” he added to cheers from the crowd.
“We will make America safe, strong, prosperous, powerful and free again. And I’m asking every citizen all across our land to join me in this noble and righteous endeavor,” Trump said.
World leaders’ congratulations
World leaders swiftly pledged to work with Trump, led by Israel and Ukraine where the course of raging conflicts could depend on the new president and his isolationist “America First” foreign policy.
Vice President Harris, who only entered the race in July after President Joe Biden dropped out, unsuccessfully ran on a centrist campaign platform.
But Trump’s warnings about illegal immigration and championing of isolationism found their mark with voters battered by the post-COVID-19 economy and eager for a change from the Biden years.
The campaign pointed to a nail-bitingly close contest, but the results came surprisingly fast, delivering a crushing victory that included wins in the swing states of Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Trump needed to win an absolute majority in the 538-member Electoral College – 270 electors. He won 291, while Harris won a mere 223. Trump also won the popular vote with 71.588 million votes, as against Harris’s 66.737 million.
Gloom descended on Harris’s supporters when the disappointing election results came in, and she cut short a planned post-election watch party and cancelled a speech. She is now due to speak today.
Trump is the first president in more than a century to win a non-consecutive second term.
He is also the only person to be elected as a convicted felon – he will face sentencing in a New York court for fraud on November 26.
Trump is on course to break another record as the oldest-ever sitting president during his four-year term. He will surpass Biden who is set to step down in January at the age of 82.
Stocks rally, bitcoin strikes record high
The US dollar surged, stocks rallied and bitcoin struck a record high yesterday as news of his victory emerged.
Trump’s victory comes with a promise of radical policy shifts – not just at home but also abroad.
He has repeatedly suggested he would end the conflict in Ukraine by urging Kyiv to cede land to Russia, and his threat of mass deportations of illegal immigrants has stirred deep concern in Latin America.
He also returns to the White House as a climate change skeptic, poised to dismantle his predecessor Biden’s green policies.
Even before Trump’s victory was fully confirmed, foreign leaders rushed to send congratulations.
These included long-time Trump allies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Also messaging Trump was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is predicted to see a rapid reduction in US military aid once Biden leaves office.
Zelensky said he hoped Trump’s “impressive victory” would help his country find a “just peace.”
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin, on whom Trump has often lavished praise, did not plan to congratulate him.
NATO’s chief, Mark Rutte, said Trump, who has frequently expressed displeasure with the US-led alliance, would make it “strong.”
For all his dark promises of political revenge against foes at home and his criticisms of allies overseas, Trump remains famously unpredictable when it comes to matching words with actions.
Everyman appeal, showman’s instinct
But he won positive coverage with viral online moments that played on his everyman appeal and his showman’s instinct – like his appearance at a McDonald’s drive-thru and impromptu news conference from a garbage truck.
Star supporters like tech baron Elon Musk helped appeal to young men.
He campaigned on tax cuts, less regulation and the most significant increase in import tariffs in nearly a century to promote domestic growth and boost manufacturing, despite warnings of trade wars and higher prices for US consumers.
Trump often lurched into foul language and violent imagery. But that hard-charging style played well with his unfailingly loyal base, which sees him as a Washington outsider.
When Harris joined the race in July, replacing Biden, she soon closed the yawning gap Trump had in opinion polls.
Her message of unity, focus on abortion rights and warnings of the alleged threat Trump posed to US-style democracy initially appeared to resonate, evidenced by a huge surge in fundraising.
Ultimately, however, she fell short of what would have been a historic win as the first woman elected to the White House. – AFP, MPD
US Republican President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, yesterday. Claiming victory, he pledged to “heal” the country after trumping Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in his stunning White House comeback. – AFP
