Swing states give Donald Trump victory for the US presidency

Republican Donald Trump was declared this Tuesday (5) president of the United States after reaching 276 of the 538 votes in the Electoral College. With the counting still ongoing, Trump beat current Vice President Kamala Harris, from the Democratic Party, in seven of the eight swing states. The Republicans also achieved important victories in the legislative elections, where the party achieved a majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The extreme right already had a majority among Supreme Court judges.

Unlike 2016, when Trump had reached the majority of delegates, but received fewer popular votes than Hillary Clinton, this time, the billionaire received the majority of votes across the country.

As of 7:30 am this Wednesday (6), Trump had counted 68 million votes, compared to 62.9 million for Kamala Harris. The number is lower than the voting record achieved in 2020, when Joe Biden surpassed 81 million votes, while Trump totaled 74 million.

The businessman’s victory began to become more evident after seven of the eight swing states led to the Republican’s victory. Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which voted Democratic in the 2020 elections, switched parties in comparison and gave all their delegates to the Republicans. Nevada and Michigan did not change their political signal, giving Trump a majority.

As of 9 a.m., Arizona had 63% of the ballots counted. In the state, Trump won with a small margin.

The only swing state that had given Kamala Harris a victory was Minnesota, home to Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

The Republican Party also won important victories in the legislature. In the Senate, previously controlled by Democrats, it now has a Republican majority, winning 52 of the 100 seats in the house. Until 8:30 am, the Chamber of Deputies is still counting the votes, but is sending another victory to Donald Trump’s supporters.

Trump’s electoral victory marks a political turnaround in the US after the billionaire’s future was in doubt when supporters invaded the Capitol, incited by him, to prevent the confirmation of Joe Biden’s victory. On the way to his return to the White House, he also became the first former president convicted in a criminal case in US history.

The unlikely return of a president defeated in his bid for re-election and returning after four years to finally win a second term had only occurred once in almost 250 years of American democracy.

It was with Democrat Grover Cleveland, who governed in the periods of 1885-1889 and 1893-1897. In the 1888 election, he lost to Benjamin Harrison and in the following election he defeated him. Now, Trump will be remembered as the 45th and 47th president — like Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th.

This morning, even before his victory was officially declared, the Republican leader gave a speech in which he was already speaking as president-elect, in which he said that this was “a magnificent victory”, and then repeated his well-known slogan of “making America great again” (“make America great again”).

The tycoon also thanked the support of billionaire Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), promised to “end wars” in Ukraine and the Middle East, and recalled the attack he suffered during a rally in July this year.

“God spared me for a reason, and now we will complete the mission of keeping our promises,” Trump said at his campaign committee.

Trump was elected on an anti-immigrant platform and emphasizing the economy. His campaign blamed foreigners for nearly all of the country’s problems — from crime to higher rents. The businessman also explored Americans’ dissatisfaction with their financial lives during the Joe Biden administration. In the last four years, inflation has soared to the highest levels in 40 years.

The memory of a large part of the electorate about the economy during the Trump administration, when purchasing power rose more, softened the rejection that more moderate Americans have towards the former president.

In pursuit of these votes, the Republican promised to exempt tips and pensions from taxes, cut the overall tax burden, impose widespread import tariffs and carry out the largest mass deportation in American history.

Trump also benefited from the perception that the global scenario was out of Biden’s control, with the outbreak of conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The Republican, who claims to have a good relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, said during the campaign that he intends to end these wars before taking office on January 20th.