Divine Kingship

Written off four years ago after his loss to Joe Biden, Donald Trump has come back with a thumping majority

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The Second Innings US President-elect Donald Trump speaks at the Palm Beach County Convention Centre during an election night watch party on November 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida

DONALD J. Trump is going to be the 47th president of the United States. A historic win for several reasons—this is the first time since 1892 that a US president has served two non-consecutive terms. Trump is the oldest person to be elected president, the first president to be convicted of a felony and the only president to have faced impeachment proceedings twice. Above all, this win is historic because of the scale and impact of his political comeback. Written off four years ago after his loss to Joe Biden, Trump bided his time and came back with a staggering majority, clinching the House, Senate and the presidency for the Republicans. He also won the popular vote—cementing himself as a populist who united Americans. “They (voters) came from all quarters. Union, non-union, African American, Hispanic American,” Trump announced to a roaring crowd after his win. “We had everybody, and it was beautiful.” Clearly, Trump has painted the town red!

The Democrats probably expected a defeat in the final hours leading to the election, as several polls predicted a narrow margin between Trump and incumbent Vice President Kamala Devi Harris. But they didn’t (and couldn’t) visualize a landslide victory and the overturning of several swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Arizona in Trump’s favor. Several counties that were typically blue were overturned, too—marking the demolition of the Democratic Party in every way possible. This leads me to ask—how did we get here?

An Election Fought by—and Won by—Men