Donald Trump secured a stunning return to the White House Tuesday, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris to become only the second president in U.S. history to serve non-consecutive terms, Fox News projects.
Trump breached the crucial 270 electoral vote threshold after winning critical battleground states including North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. The victory comes after an unprecedented campaign marked by legal challenges, two assassination attempts, and a dramatic late substitution of his opponent.
“I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected the 47th president,” Trump declared in an early morning victory speech in West Palm Beach. “Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future. Every single day.”
The election’s final phase began just over 100 days ago when President Joe Biden suspended his re-election campaign following a poor debate performance, elevating Harris to the Democratic nomination. Trump seized on the transition, framing the race around his campaign message: “Harris broke it. Trump will fix it.”
Trump’s path to victory weathered remarkable obstacles through the campaign. He survived a July assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed his ear, and a September incident at his Florida golf course involving an armed assailant. Throughout the race, he faced four criminal indictments, including a conviction in Manhattan, and multiple civil judgments totaling over $530 million. Several states attempted to remove him from primary ballots before the Supreme Court intervened.
The former president praised running mate J.D. Vance, the Ohio senator who will become vice president. “He turned out to be a good choice. I took a little heat at the beginning, but I knew in my brain that he was a good one,” Trump said.
Trump’s victory marks the first presidential comeback since Grover Cleveland in 1892. He assembled an unlikely coalition of supporters, including former Democrats Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, along with business leaders like Elon Musk and Wall Street executives.
The campaign’s final weeks featured intense rhetoric, with Harris warning of threats to democracy and Trump holding massive rallies, including a sold-out event at Madison Square Garden. Trump’s triumph followed victories in Pennsylvania and Georgia, states central to his 2020 defeat.
“This is going to be the golden age of America,” Trump told supporters, pledging to reverse Biden-Harris policies he blamed for inflation and border security issues. His return to office will test American political institutions after years of investigations he denounced as “weaponization” of justice.
The victory ensures Trump’s legal challenges, including pending appeals and sentencing in criminal cases, will unfold while he holds the presidency, creating unprecedented constitutional questions for the nation’s justice system.
