Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Donald Trump made a phenomenal comeback on November 6 beating back a conviction, three indictments, two assassination attempts, two impeachments, and continuous assault by most of the mainstream media to reclaim the White House.
“We made history”, declared Trump who will become the 47th president of the United States.
He won 277 electoral college seats – a clear majority in the 538-member body – and 51 per cent of the popular votes counted as of 5:30 am (4 pm in India), setting him on a clear path to the presidency that he lost in 2020.
“This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again,” he said at his victory celebration in Florida as his supporters shouted, “USA, USA”.
At 78, he will be the oldest president to set foot in the White House.
He is also the second President to be elected after being defeated; the last one was Grover Cleveland who won his second term in 1893.
Trump’s victory was powered by economic issues, the popular disquiet over the inflation that has sent prices of food soaring by about 25 per cent now compared to when he was defeated in 2020. The Republicans recaptured the Senate, assured of at least 51 seats in the 100-member body.
The control of the House of Representatives hung in the balance, even though Republicans had the edge with 200 seats to Democrats’ 175.
Although it will take days or weeks for states to announce the official results as they will have to complete formalities and the counting, by tradition the media declared him the winner based on the analysis of the counting data pouring.
The election was a shocking disappointment for Kamala Harris who stepped in to carry the Democratic Party torch three months ago after President Joe Biden dropped out as questions arose over his mental and physical capabilities.
