Donald Trump has defeated Kamala Harris, winning the presidency for his second term. As of early Wednesday morning, Trump won in four4 key battleground states, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
After what was expected to be several days of counting votes amidst a national debate over election fraud and an incredibly close race, the outcome was clearer than anticipated.
Eight years after his last victorious election day and one Democratic term in between, Trump will swear the oath again and serve as the 47th President of the United States.
Grover Cleveland, who served as President in the 19th century is the only other president to have been reelected after a term-long break in his presidency.
For his supporters, this is a long-time coming after what some still believe to be a stolen election which called President Biden the winner in 2020.
Much of President Trump’s campaign strategy has been to focus on swing states that he won in 2016, but lost in 2020. Trump has visited Pennsylvania over a dozen times in the past three months, attempting to win back the state, successfully.
Perhaps in response to the polling of the youngest American voters done two weeks ago, which showed 60% in support of his rival, he appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. This came a few weeks after Harris appeared on the viral podcast Call Her Daddy with Alex Cooper which focused on women’s issues that concern much of the Gen Z Female voter base.
Just two years ago in 2021, Rogan refused Trump’s request to come on the podcast, citing his belief that Trump is an “existential threat to democracy.”
After Trump survived multiple assassination attempts this year, Rogan decided to allow him on the show. Rogan was a respectful and friendly interviewer, rarely interrupting the former president. He pressed Trump on his views surrounding the viability of the previous election, which he still denies, and the legitimacy of climate concerns surrounding fracking. Hesitant to concede anything, Trump meekly agreed on some points, but mostly doubled down on his claims of fraud, failing to provide concrete evidence.
For Trump’s supporters this episode may have solidified their stance. For those that are still looking to be swayed, Trump relied on his tired rhetoric, still ranting about stolen elections, Hunter Biden’s laptop, and Kamala Harris’s potential policy failures.
Many voters struggled with their decision on Election Day, wondering who would be the best choice for their top concerns.
Among his typical supporters, many of which are pro-Israel voters, this bloc has called into question the true nature of his support. While Harris hadn’t successfully convinced them of her pro-Israel stance, Trump’s increasingly antisemitic remarks were a point of concern approaching the election.
In his speech at the Israeli-American Council Summit, Trump asserted that the Jewish state would cease to exist without him as President, touting that Jewish Democratic voters should have [their] heads examined.”
According to the National Election Pool, 79% of Jews said they voted Democratic, with 21% voting Republican. This would be the lowest proportion of Jewish votes for a Republican presidential candidate in 24 years.
Despite his unwavering support for Israel, American Jews voted Democratic. Now that he’s won, 21% of American Jews will determine whether or not his Israel policy holds up to be something they can get behind.
Trump’s inauguration is set for January 20, 2025 when he will begin his second and final term as President of the United States of America.
