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Updated: Donald Trump beats Kamala Harris in a crucial presidential race

Daniel OkejemeNovember 6, 2024149

Donald Trump, a Republican, has secured a remarkable victory in the US presidential election, defeating Kamala Harris, a Democrat, in a stunning comeback that is set to send shockwaves globally.

Trump’s win in Pennsylvania, a crucial state for this year’s polls, significantly solidified his victory by adding 19 electoral votes to his total.

This was the second time a Republican has won the state since 1988 and the first time since 2016.

The Keystone State proved once again to be a crucial battleground in Trump’s road to victory, as over 51% of the vote went to Trump while nearly 48% of the vote went to Harris.

Trump also claimed victories in other crucial swing states like North Carolina, Georgia, and Wisconsin, all of which saw intense competition throughout the campaign.

With 270 electoral votes required to win, these states provided Trump with the momentum needed to secure his return to the Oval Office.

Trump proclaimed at a Florida victory party, “It’s a political victory like our country has never seen before.”

Vice President Harris, who entered the race in July following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal, ran a centrist campaign, focusing on Trump’s divisive rhetoric and his record of using openly racist and sexist language.

However, voters struggling through the post-COVID economy and seeking change from the Biden era resonated with Trump’s warnings about immigration and advocacy for isolationism.

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 faces sentencing in a New York court for fraud on November 26.

Now 78, Trump is on course to break another record as the oldest-ever sitting president during his term, surpassing Biden, who will step down in January at 82.

Even before Trump’s victory was fully confirmed, foreign leaders rushed to offer their congratulations.

These included long-time Trump allies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among others.

Trump campaigned on tax cuts, deregulation, and the largest increase in import tariffs in nearly a century to encourage growth and boost manufacturing, despite warnings of potential trade wars and higher prices for US consumers.

He also found traction with his hard-line anti-immigration stance and outreach to working-class voters affected by COVID-triggered inflation.

When Harris stepped into the presidential race in July, replacing Biden, she initially narrowed the significant gap Trump had established in the polls.

Her platform emphasizing unity, abortion rights, and cautioning against Trump’s threat to democracy resonated deeply, reflected in a substantial surge in fundraising that surpassed her opponent’s resources.

Unfortunately, Harris ultimately fell short of securing a historic victory as the first Black woman to be elected to the White House.