Donald Trump wins the election in stunning
political comeback
By USA TODAY, adapted by Newsela staff on 11.06.24
Word Count 669
Level 820L
Donald Trump celebrates his victory on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP Photo: Alex
Brandon/AP
He won.
Former President Donald Trump was elected president again on Wednesday. It was an astounding
victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. His win was even more surprising as Trump lost the
last election in 2020.
His win is one of the most remarkable comebacks in political history.
To become president, a candidate needs to win the electoral
vote. Each state has a certain number of "electors." The number
each state has is equal to the number of representatives it has in
Congress. Bigger states have more representatives and more
electoral votes. A candidate needs at least 270. Trump defeated
Harris by passing 270 electoral votes. Some states haven't
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finished counting votes. He could receive more electoral votes
as more votes are counted.
Trump won by capturing so-called battleground states. These
states were a toss-up to go Democrat or Republican. The race
had many unexpected moments. Trump survived two
assassination attempts. He was also convicted of a crime by a
court in New York. And Trump was impeached twice by the
Image 1. Electoral College map as of the
House of Representatives. In an impeachment, a president is
morning of November 6, 2024. Map:
charged with wrongdoing. Congress holds a trial to decide if it's
Newsela staff
true. But, Trump was not found guilty by the Senate. To be fully
impeached both parts of Congress must agree.
Trump becomes the first president in 132 years to lose office
and win again four years later. The last time it happened was in
the 1892 election. Then, former president Grover Cleveland
came back to win the presidency. He beat the current president,
Benjamin Harrison.
This was a presidential contest unlike any other.
Few people thought Trump had a chance after his loss in the
2020 election. On January 6, 2021, some of his supporters
attacked the U.S. Capitol. They were angry over the election.
Trump was blamed by some for inspiring the attack. But,
Trump quickly began planning a comeback. In November 2022
he announced he would run in the 2024 election.
Trump's victory over Harris puts the nation on a far different Image 2. Grover Cleveland was the 22nd
course. He has very different plans than the ones President Joe and 24th president of the United States,
Biden was trying to accomplish. Biden is a Democrat who beat serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to
Trump in 2020 in a close race. Harris served as Biden's vice 1897. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
president. During this election, Trump criticized Harris for
what he said were the Biden government's failures. One major issue he brought up was the
economy and the high prices of goods like food and gas. He also spoke much about undocumented
migrants coming through the border.
Once president, Trump has vowed that he would begin the mass deportation of undocumented
migrants. He also plans to impose tariffs, or taxes, on most foreign goods coming into the U.S. He
says the tariffs will help American manufacturers. He also believes they will stop what he believes
are unfair trade practices by China and other countries. Trump also hinted that he might send the
military or federal law enforcement into cities coping with violence.
"Look what happened – is this crazy?" Trump told a screaming crowd of supporters at the Palm
Beach County Convention Center in Florida early Wednesday morning.
At his victory speech, he echoed comments he made during the race. On Wednesday Trump called
his supporters "the greatest political movement of all time." Trump said his victory and
Republican wins in Congress had provided a "powerful mandate." Candidates who win elections
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decisively are seen as having been given the popular support of Americans. This means they are
more likely to try to put their plans in place instead of compromising with other lawmakers.
Yet Trump promised to help the country heal after the election. Trump stressed that "we have to
put our country first for at least a period of time."
"We have to fix it," he added.
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