As another eventful election year comes to a close, the 2024 to 2028 term president stands decided. Republican candidate Donald J. Trump claims victory in the United States (U.S.) presidential race, securing enough votes in the electoral college to succeed against his opponent, the Democratic candidate Kamala D. Harris. 

Trump, who previously served as president in the 2016 to 2020 term, won with at least 301 electoral votes, surpassing the required number of 270. His running mate, Ohioan Senator J.D. Vance, will serve as vice president, marking a return of the Republican party to the White House on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2025. This election also saw the Republican party gaining the majority in the U.S. Senate, 49 Republicans to 47 Democrats.

Trump celebrated his victory at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. He promised his constituents that his presidency would be “a golden age of America” and expressed his gratitude for his supporters. Vice President Kamala Harris publically conceded Nov. 6, 2024 saying that, “[she and her team] will help him and his team with their transition and that [they] will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.” The focus now turns to the upcoming presidential transition and the beginning of the next term.

_{After major victories in swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, president-elect Donald Trump secured his return to the White House. This change in voting results exemplify the shifts in demographic of these regions that previously leaned more towards the Democratic party. (Photo/Library of Congress)}