By Zeenat Shah
CCC Journalism Program
Republican Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Tuesday.
As of Thursday, Trump had received 295 electoral votes, while Democrat Kamala Harris had received 226. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. The victory means Trump will return to the presidency in 2025 after serving as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Harris took the majority of votes in highly populated New York, Virginia and California to get those states’ electoral votes. Trump took the majority of votes in highly populated Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida to get those states’ electoral votes.
Early Wednesday morning, Trump gave his victory speech in West Palm Beach, Florida. Mentioning his famous phrase, “Make America great again,” and thanking all the states in which he won, he stated, “We have taken back control of the Senate.” He welcomed Vice President-elect JD Vance, who said, “I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America.”
Harris delivered her concession speech at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday afternoon.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for but hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting,“ she said. She also promised “to help Trump’s team with its transition and to engage in a peaceful transition of power.“
During his campaign, Trump spoke of plans for the nation’s future such as improving the economy by cutting taxes and returning manufacturing operations to America to create job opportunities. He also vowed to strengthen immigration laws and improve affordable health care plans.
Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.