Former President Donald Trump has been declared the winner of a second term in the White House after a historic comeback nearly four years following his departure under intense legal and political challenges.
Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) projected Trump’s victory after he won Pennsylvania and Alaska, securing the required 270 electoral votes in a tight contest against Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump’s path to victory included flipping Georgia and solidifying his lead in North Carolina, with razor-thin polling margins in battleground states. Running alongside Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), Trump’s campaign emphasized concerns over rising costs, border security, and global unrest.
His platform focused on hardline immigration policies, extending the 2017 tax cuts, enacting universal tariffs, rolling back transgender protections, and dismantling the Department of Education.
In the popular vote, Trump achieved gains not seen by a Republican since 1992, with strong support from Latino voters, increased rural backing, and a near-equal split with Harris among young men.
Despite previous challenges with female voters, Trump offset potential losses on abortion rights, an issue Harris heavily championed.
Trump’s win could mark a new era for the Supreme Court as Republicans regained control of the Senate, paving the way for further conservative shifts.
As the first president since Grover Cleveland in 1892 to reclaim office after an electoral defeat, Trump’s return caps off years marked by ongoing allegations of election fraud, his 2023 federal indictment, and his promise to remove Special Counsel Jack Smith—potentially affecting the continuation of legal investigations.