Trump
Donald Trump has won the US presidential election, media reported on Wednesday, defeating Kamala Harris in a stunning political comeback that is set to send shockwaves around the world.
The polarising Republican’s victory, following one of the most hostile campaigns in modern US history, was particularly remarkable given an unprecedented criminal conviction, a near-miss assassination attempt, and warnings from a former chief of staff labelling him a “fascist.”
“It’s a political victory like our country has never seen before,” Trump told a victory party in Florida.
Vice President Harris, who entered the race in July after President Joe Biden stepped down, ran a centrist campaign that highlighted Trump’s inflammatory messaging and use of openly racist and sexist tropes. However, Trump’s apocalyptic warnings on immigration and advocacy for isolationism resonated with voters worn down by the post-Covid economy and eager for a change from the Biden years.
While the campaign appeared set for a closely fought contest, the results came in surprisingly quickly, delivering a decisive victory that included wins in the swing states of Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
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.
Impact on Foreign Policy –
The US dollar surged, and bitcoin hit a record high, while most equity markets advanced, with traders betting on a Trump victory as the results rolled in.
But turmoil may lie ahead.
Trump’s victory comes with promises of radical policy shifts — not just domestically but also abroad, where his unrestrained isolationist and nationalist “America First” stance is likely to have substantial consequences.
He has repeatedly suggested he would end the conflict in Ukraine by pressuring Kyiv to make territorial concessions to Russia, while his threats of mass deportations of illegal immigrants have caused deep concern across Latin America.
Trump also returns to the White House as a climate change sceptic, poised to dismantle Biden’s green policies and potentially jeopardise global efforts to curb human-caused warming. Punch
