The 2024 U.S. presidential election has been decided. Trump has won most of the swing states and secured a majority of electoral votes. Trump and Vance have been elected as the 47th President and 50th Vice President.
Trump becomes the first U.S. president in more than a century to leave the White House and then return.
.gif)
In Congress, the Republicans took the Senate and are expected to solidify their majority in the House. Together with the Supreme Court, they have achieved unified control of all three branches.
Trump also achieved something no other presidential candidate has in forty years: all seven swing states flipped red.
Winning Swing States Means Winning the Election
Winning swing states means winning the election – they are the must-win battlegrounds.
Netizen: If you can’t win Pennsylvania, it’s a disservice to the bullet Trump took.
Netizen: If you can’t win Pennsylvania, it’s a disservice to the bullet Trump took.
At 2:30 a.m. ET on November 6, Trump delivered his victory speech in Florida.
He said this was not only a personal victory but a victory for MAGA (Make America Great Again). It is a comeback and a second term destined for the history books. He pledged to lead America toward a united and victorious future.
On the eve of the election, Trump knew the power of playing the underdog: “We can afford to lose.”
The night before the election, Musk watched the results at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Trump was waiting for an offer, and Musk was waiting for the outcome of this high-stakes gamble.
Netizen: LOL, the CEO, CMO, and CTO of America are all at this table.
As Trump successively won Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, and other swing states, the election was locked in.
Trump supporters were already celebrating that night, with massive crowds gathering.
In his speech, Trump thanked Musk for a full three minutes.
Netizen: The mutual admiration between two narcissistic white men, who can understand it?
That night on Twitter, every Like was a ballot box.
Barron’s first vote was for his own father.
Now King Trump returns to the White House, with comrades by his side, the crown prince ascending the throne – a resounding victory.
2024 U.S. Election Key Moments Recap
The entire election was filled with turning points.
Assassination attempt, a candidate dropping out, a billionaire’s endorsement, working at McDonald’s, ballot box arson, Hurricane Helene, the squirrel incident... one chaotic event after another.
After the shooting, Trump returned as the chosen one, almost sealing the victory early.
Yet the Democrats replaced old Biden with Harris, making the Republicans’ previous campaign attacks land like punches on cotton.
Though widely criticized, Harris brought substantial funds to the race, raising up to $1 billion – nearly five times Trump’s haul.
Although Trump followed up with a series of marketing moves, including sending his youngest son to NYU to appeal to ordinary voters, he still seemed to be running out of steam.
However, Trump seemed blessed with luck. Throughout the election, black swan events kept occurring.
At the end of September, Hurricane Helene devastated residents in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. The government’s inadequate response turned Georgia and North Carolina, two swing states, red.
In fact, during the four years of Democratic governance, most states in America shifted redder; Trump pursued a rural-surrounds-urban strategy.
To win swing state votes, Trump fried French fries at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania, while Harris celebrated her birthday in Georgia.
(10).gif)
In the battle between the two parties, not only did political and business heavyweights pick sides, but entertainment stars also endorsed candidates.
Musk splurged $47 million on swing state voters, while the Democrats controlled most of the mainstream media.
Wall Street hedge fund titan Bill Ackman also publicly supported Trump. Trump’s stock DJT surged 340% within a month, reaching a market cap of $4 billion.
On Harris’s side, the star power was dazzling. Half of her celebrity supporters were rappers, half were athletes, plus the entire Avengers cast.
You’d think it was a presidential election, but it turned out to be a star-studded Super Bowl.
Extreme remarks from the Republican camp also brought trouble for Trump.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, invited to a Trump rally, openly mocked Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage,” said Latinos love having endless babies, and made offensive gestures about immigrants.
This blatant racism not only drew media criticism but also prompted some Republicans to distance themselves.
Trump said, “I don’t even know this person.”
Biden mocked, “The only garbage I see floating is his supporters.”
That same day, Trump put on a yellow safety vest and drove a garbage truck.
This self-deprecating move earned him more goodwill, showcasing his ability to turn a crisis into an opportunity.
At that point, polls still showed Harris with a narrow 1% lead.
While mainstream U.S. media consistently predicted Harris ahead, real sentiment could be gauged in Yiwu.
The Yiwu Index suggested a high probability of a Trump comeback.
In an overlooked corner, a 19-year-old Chinese international student in Michigan faces up to 15 years in prison for allegedly voting illegally.
According to media reports, Pennsylvania also saw a large number of fraudulent voter registrations, possibly up to 2,500.
Additionally, ballot drop boxes in Democratic strongholds Oregon and Washington were set on fire, destroying hundreds of ballots.
But after the squirrel incident, swing states flipped red.
This internet-famous squirrel named Peanut had 700,000 Instagram followers. Seven years ago, its mother was killed by a car, and it was adopted as an orphan by a kind man named Longo.
Just days before the election, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation sent over a dozen officers into Longo’s home and euthanized the squirrel for illegal wildlife possession.
Trump tweeted: “If the squirrel were from Mexico, the Democrats would give it a luxury hotel room and a $500 gift card.”
This sarcasm hit hard, driving public discontent with Democrats’ preferential treatment of illegal immigrants to a peak.
Turning a four-star hotel in New York City into a homeless shelter, and Los Angeles building luxury apartments for the homeless at an average cost of $600,000 each, were surreal events under Democratic governance.
.jpg?x-oss-process=style/opt-webp)
Using taxpayer money to support the homeless and illegal immigrants, turning San Francisco into a ghost town, decriminalizing theft under $950, and building shelters in wealthy neighborhoods with million-dollar homes – all earned heavy criticism for the Democrats.
After the squirrel incident, polling data flipped, with Trump’s lead widening again, and he launched his final sprint.
Being in one's seventies or eighties is the age to hustle – clicking shows: “Octogenarian works 52 consecutive days without rest.”
For Trump, Election Day was also Judgment Day – win or go to prison. Trump faced multiple charges and potentially up to 20 years in prison before the election.
This election was a life-or-death battle for both Trump and Musk.
All-in Musk, accused of trying to influence votes with money and under investigation, also faced potential deportation.
“If he loses, I’m done.”
But as the saying goes, fortune favors the bold, and they indeed won.
Tesla stock surged, King Trump returned to the White House, and Musk reclaimed the title of richest person – meeting at the pinnacle.
Comparison of the Two Parties' Policy Positions
In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the Democratic and Republican parties held deep divisions on several key issues. Below is a comparison of the parties’ platforms and the main stances of their presidential candidates:
Economic Policy
-
Democrats: Advocate an “opportunity economy,” promoting economic growth through investments in infrastructure, clean energy, and education; support raising the minimum wage and strengthening workers’ rights protection.
-
Republicans: Emphasize protecting domestic jobs, advocate stimulating the economy through tax cuts and deregulation, oppose excessive government intervention, and support the development of traditional energy industries.
Immigration Policy
-
Democrats: Support providing a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants, advocate humane and fair immigration policies, and oppose excessive border enforcement.
-
Republicans: Prioritize border security, advocate strict immigration control policies including building a border wall and limiting illegal immigration; plan to restrict legal immigration and end “chain migration.”
Foreign Policy
-
Democrats: Strengthen cooperation with allies, support multilateralism, emphasize human rights and democratic values, and support aid to Ukraine.
-
Republicans: Advocate “America First,” reassess relationships with allies, reduce foreign aid, focus on domestic interests, and propose re-evaluating support for Ukraine.
Gun Control
-
Democrats: Support stricter gun control measures, including background checks and restrictions on assault weapons.
-
Republicans: Uphold Second Amendment rights, oppose excessive gun control, and support the right of individuals to bear arms for self-defense.
Abortion Rights
-
Democrats: Support guaranteeing women’s abortion rights nationwide and oppose state-level restrictions on abortion.
-
Republicans: Advocate leaving the abortion issue to the states, support strict state-level abortion restrictions, and some members support a total ban on abortion.
Climate Change and Energy
-
Democrats: Emphasize combating climate change, invest in renewable energy, reduce carbon emissions, and support the Green New Deal.
-
Republicans: Are skeptical of climate change policies, support traditional energy industries, oppose excessive environmental regulations, and focus on energy independence and economic growth.
Under future Republican governance, it is expected that employment-based immigration policies will tighten and barriers will rise, with a greater preference for a small number of high-tech talents. Additionally, family-based immigration may be restricted by the new administration, while EB-5 investment immigration could benefit.
Trump’s return also brings more uncertainty to the global future.
As international students, in this new era of uncertainty, assessing the situation and thinking rationally can create more possibilities for yourselves.
Click image to view original article
In a rapidly changing era where opportunities and challenges coexist, let us all encourage each other.
