On Nov. 5, Americans across the country flooded polling booths to cast their votes in the 47th presidential election.
The official results were not released until late in the night, with several key battleground states having very close margins – ultimately deciding the outcome. On the morning of Nov. 6, it was officially announced that Donald Trump would serve a second term as president of the United States.
Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris began their fight for the oval office in July of 2024, when President Joe Biden announced that he would not seek re-election. From then it was expected to be a tight race between the two candidates. On election night, however, the electoral and popular votes resulted in a landslide win for Trump, who received 295 electoral votes compared to Harris’s 226.
The key players of this year’s election were swing states Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan and Wisconsin. Of these, North Carolina was the first to report results. According to The New York Times, North Carolina declared that Trump was the winner at midnight, with more than 180,000 votes over Harris. Following that, every other swing state resulted in a Republican majority, securing the White House for Trump.
With this win, Trump will begin to enact some of the key promises he made on the campaign trail.
According to the Associated Press, the Trump administration’s top priorities are addressing immigration, the economy and abortion. While no formal plans have been set, the president-elect made several claims regarding these issues during his campaign.
In alignment with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Trump has made clear that “the states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both” when asked about access to abortion in the U.S. in an interview with CBS News.
Currently, 13 states have complete abortion bans, while 10 have no restrictions. The remaining states have bans based on gestational age.
In addition to potential abortion bans, Trump has also proposed tax cuts for American citizens. He has repeatedly stated that Americans should not have to pay taxes on Social Security benefits. However, a study by the Yale Budget Lab has found that while this plan is popular, it would be financially unsustainable for the U.S. government. Taxes on Social Security benefits fund the program, and eliminating this tax could lead to the program’s bankruptcy, forcing cuts to federal spending in other areas.
Some of these proposals were first introduced on Trump’s “Road to 270” campaign tour and helped attract new voters to the polls.
Evidently, this approach proved effective for Trump. According to a CBS News map, several traditionally Democratic states had narrower margins in the presidential race. For instance, New Jersey came closer than it has in recent elections to electing a Republican president.
The election’s outcome reflects the shifting allegiances of various voting groups, particularly Latino voters. CBS reported that Trump made significant inroads with Latino men, winning 53% of the vote in large Latino populations such as Miami-Dade County, Florida.
As Trump prepares his return to office, it remains to be seen what another four years of the Trump Administration will hold for the American public.
