Photo: AFP
Donald Trump secured the first of the swing states on Tuesday, edging ahead of his White House rival Kamala Harris and narrowing her path to victory in a closely contested and highly suspenseful US presidential election. The initial victory in North Carolina, one of the seven crucial battlegrounds, underscored Trump's growing momentum. Democratic vice president Harris seemed to be lagging in other pivotal areas compared to the Republican former president. Harris's campaign acknowledged the race was now "razor-thin" and highlighted that her most viable route to victory lay through the so-called Blue Wall swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. In a message to campaign staff obtained by AFP, Harris's campaign director Jen O'Malley Dillon expressed confidence, stating, "We feel good about what we’re seeing" in the Blue Wall states. Meanwhile, Trump's spokesman Jason Miller reported a positive atmosphere in the Republican camp in Florida.
The US dollar surged and bitcoin reached a record high, while most equity markets advanced, as traders anticipated a Trump victory as the results came in. Trump's early wins included the traditionally Republican states of Florida and Texas, while Harris secured California, resulting in Trump having 227 electoral votes and Harris 172. The threshold to win the presidency is 270. Results from the other closely contested swing states were still pending, but Trump maintained a lead in Georgia. Additionally, Republicans flipped two Senate seats, dealing a significant blow to Democrats as they struggled to retain their majority in the chamber.
Millions of Americans stood in long lines on Election Day, with millions more having voted early, in a race with profound implications for the United States and the world. Voters were faced with the choice of either granting Trump a historic comeback and his right-wing "America First" agenda or making Harris the first woman to hold the world's most powerful job. The election was marked by heightened tension and fears of violence, with dozens of bomb threats made against polling stations in Georgia and the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania. The FBI reported that the threats appeared to originate from Russia, which Washington accuses of attempting to interfere in the election. Although the threats were hoaxes, they disrupted election proceedings.
As the first results came in, Trump, who has yet to accept his 2020 election loss and the subsequent attack on the US Capitol by his supporters, declared, "We're going to have a big victory tonight." In a potential foreshadowing of election challenges, Trump took to social media to allege "massive cheating" in Philadelphia, a Democratic stronghold in Pennsylvania. City officials dismissed the accusation. There were also concerns about potential violence if Trump were to lose, leading to numerous buildings in central Washington being boarded up on Tuesday.
Polls had long indicated a tight race between Harris and Trump, who, at 78, would be the oldest president ever inaugurated, the first president with a criminal record, and only the second to serve non-consecutive terms. Harris, 60, would also be the second Black president and the first of South Asian descent. She entered the race dramatically when Biden withdrew in July, while Trump, who was twice impeached while in office, has since survived two assassination attempts and a criminal conviction.
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