November 6, Palm Beach, Florida (Reuters) – Four years after being thrown out of the White House, Donald Trump’s election as president completed an incredible comeback and ushered in a new American leadership that will probably put both American democratic institutions and relations overseas to the test.
After a campaign of divisive rhetoric that widened the nation’s rift, Trump, 78, regained the White House on Wednesday by obtaining more than the 270 Electoral College votes required to win the presidency, according to Edison Research’s projection.
The former president’s victory in the swing state of Wisconsin pushed him over the threshold. As of 5:45 a.m. ET (1045 GMT) Trump had won 279 electoral votes to Harris’ 223 with several states yet to be counted.
He also led Harris by about 5 million votes in the popular count.
“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” Trump said early on Wednesday to a roaring crowd of supporters at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in Florida.
When Trump’s baseless accusations of election fraud prompted a crowd of supporters to assault the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful attempt to overturn his 2020 loss, it seemed as though his political career was gone.
However, by leveraging voter fears about high costs and what Trump claimed—without proof—was an increase in crime as a result of illegal immigration, he swept away opponents within his Republican Party and defeated Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
