Review on election day Was this the craziest US election campaign ever?
A twist-filled election campaign in the USA is coming to an end - now the voters have their say. A look back at an unprecedented few months.
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- The past US election campaign was characterized by unprecedented and surprising events.
- It is the latest chapter in one of the most confusing, unpredictable and momentous election campaigns in US political history.
- Kamala Harris unexpectedly became her party's presidential candidate.
- Trump survived not one, but two assassination attempts.
- In the year following Trump's announcement of his renewed candidacy, he was prosecuted four times.
It's the election no one could have predicted. Not so long ago, Donald Trump was fuming at his private Mar-a-Lago estate after facing two impeachment trials and losing to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Even some of his closest allies were looking forward to a future without the charismatic but unpredictable man at the helm of the Republican Party, especially after his failed attempt to overturn an election ended in violence and disgrace.
When Trump announced his comeback two years ago, the New York Post buried the article on page 26. At the same time, Kamala Harris was eking out an existence as an unremarkable vice president under President Biden. Once considered a shooting star in the Democratic Party, she struggled with both her profile and her portfolio, disappointing her supporters and satisfying her critics. No one was talking about Harris running for the top job - rather, they were wondering whether Biden should replace her as running mate if he seeks a second term.
But now, as unlikely as it may seem, Americans will elect either Trump or Harris as the next head of state. It is the latest chapter in one of the most confusing, unpredictable and consequential sagas in political history.
"Nobody would have believed it"
For once, the buzzword "unprecedented" has not been overused here. "If someone had told you in advance what was going to happen in this election and you tried to sell it as a book, no one would have believed it," said Neil Newhouse, a Republican pollster with more than four decades of experience. "It has galvanized the country and it has polarized the country. And we can only hope that we come out of it better in the end."
History has been and will be made. The United States has never elected a president who has been convicted of a crime. Trump survived not one, but two assassination attempts.
Biden resigned in the middle of an election year and Harris could become the first woman president. Fundamental principles of democracy in the most powerful nation in the world are being tested like never before since the American Civil War. Not to mention the parallel conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, the hacking attacks by foreign governments, the increasingly common flood of misinformation and the meddling of the world's richest man, Elon Musk.
The only thing the country can agree on at the moment is that no one knows how the story will end.
Trump has secured the Republican presidential nomination despite his disgrace. The party could have written Trump off after January 6, 2021. On that day, he incited his supporters with false claims of alleged voter fraud and instructed them to march to the US Capitol while Congress solemnly certified Biden's election victory. Trump then watched as MPs and his own Vice President Mike Pence were threatened by the rioters.
Four lawsuits against Trump
But not enough Republicans joined the Democrats to convict Trump in impeachment proceedings. This paved the way for him to run for office again. And Trump set about planning his comeback, although some leaders in his party hoped he would be eclipsed by Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, or Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina.
In the year following Trump's announcement of his renewed candidacy, he was criminally charged four times. Two of the charges were in connection with his attempts to undo his election defeat. Another concerned his refusal to return classified documents to the government after leaving the White House. Trump has pleaded not guilty in all cases.
However, a fourth indictment in New York resulted in Trump becoming the first former president in US history to be criminally convicted. A jury found him guilty on May 30 of falsifying business records relating to hush-money payments to a porn actress who claimed they had an affair.
None of this slowed down Trump, who virtually ignored his opponents during the primaries. He headed inexorably towards the nomination as the Republican presidential candidate. A police photograph of one of his arrests was adopted by his supporters as a symbol of resistance against a corrupt system.
Trump's campaign capitalized on anger over inflation and frustration over the influx of migrants at the southern border. He also repeatedly attacked the 81-year-old Biden for being too old for the office, even though he himself is only four years younger than the president. But the Democrats were also of the opinion that Biden should retire rather than seek a second term in office.
Assassination attempt on Trump
When Biden became distressed during a presidential debate on June 27, losing his train of thought, appearing confused and stammering, pressure grew within his party to drop out of the race.
While Biden faced a political crisis, Trump went to an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. A young man managed to climb onto the roof of a nearby building despite the police presence. He fired several shots with a semi-automatic rifle. Trump grabbed his ear and went down on the stage. As Secret Service agents crowded around him, he straightened up with a trail of blood on his face, raised his fist in the air and shouted, "Fight, fight, fight!" An American flag flew above him.
Unexpected opportunity
It was a moment that immediately achieved cult status. Trump's path to the White House seemed clearer than ever - perhaps even inevitable.
Harris gets an unexpected chance to make amends. The vice president was bending over a puzzle with her nieces on the morning of July 21 when Biden called. He had decided to end his candidacy and endorse Harris as his successor. She spent the rest of the day making dozens of calls to secure backing. Within two days, she had enough support to secure the nomination.
It was a stunning twist of fate. Harris had spent herself running for president four years earlier and dropped out before the first Democratic primary. Biden revived her political career by selecting her as his running mate.
She became the first woman, the first black woman and the first person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president. But Harris' struggles didn't end there. She struggled with immigration policy, presided over an office with many staff changes, and faded into the background rather than using her historic status as a platform.
All that began to change on June 24, 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned abortion rights. Harris became the White House's chief advocate on an issue that changed American politics. She also proved to be more nimble than before. Shortly after returning from a week-long trip to Africa, her team organized an impromptu trip to Nashville so Harris could show her support for two Tennessee legislators who were facing expulsion from the southern state's legislature for advocating for more gun control.
In the meantime, Harris made contacts with local politicians, managers and cultural figures to gather ideas and forge a network. When Biden gave up his candidacy, she was in a better position than many thought to take advantage of the opportunity.
The day after she was named the nominee, Harris flew to Wilmington, Delaware, to visit campaign headquarters. Staffers had spent the morning printing "Kamala" and "Harris for President" banners to hang alongside the outdated Biden-Harris posters. There were 106 days until the end of the campaign.
Virtually nothing in common
In a speech to campaign staff in Wilmington, Harris said a phrase that has become a mantra chanted by supporters at rallies across the country. "We're not going back," she declared. It's a fitting counterpoint to Trump's "Make America great again" slogan, which he has used since his first campaign more than eight years ago.
The two candidates have virtually nothing in common, which became clear on Sept. 10 when Harris and Trump met for the first time for their only televised debate. Harris promised to restore abortion rights and use tax breaks to support small businesses and families. She said she would be a president for all Americans.
False claims about migrants
Trump took credit for nominating the judges who helped overturn abortion rights and promised to protect the economy with tariffs. He also seized on false claims about migrants allegedly eating pets. He called Harris "the worst vice president in the history of our country."
It was widely assumed that Harris would come out on top in the TV duel, and this is how many observers interpreted the course of the debate. Trump insisted on his victory, but refused a second debate. The race remained remarkably close. Pundits and pollsters have spent the last few weeks trying to spot any change in the candidates' chances. Microscopic changes in public opinion could affect the outcome of the election. It could be days before enough votes are counted to determine the winner. The result, once determined, could be another surprise in a campaign that has been brimming with surprises.
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