Decision ‘24: Make Ham-erica Great Again

Tuesday, 5 November marked the final day of polling for both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. This followed whistle-stop touring during the final day of the campaign on Monday, with both candidates striving to visit all seven critical swing states.

For Trump, this marked his third appearance on the presidential ballot: for Harris, her inaugural appearance at the top of the ticket. Regardless of outcome, her campaign will be remembered as one that defied all historical precedent, having been mounted in just 90 days as opposed to a customary year-long election cycle.

People up and down the country cast their ballots on Tuesday. However, over 75 million Americans had already cast their ballot during the early voting period, generating projections of record turnout as people sought to make their voices heard in what has been a far from orthodox election campaign.

The returning Republican candidate won 312 electoral college votes, an improvement on his 2016 victory, and increased his support across every voting demographic

Prior to election day, there were suggestions that the result would likely not be decided on election night itself. In polling terms, this was one of the closest elections in American history, with neither candidate having much of a definitive predicted lead. In all polls, any percentage lead that one candidate held over the other fell within the margin of error.

However, when election night came it contradicted this prediction, with former President Trump achieving a sweeping victory over Vice President Harris. The returning Republican candidate won 312 electoral college votes, an improvement on his 2016 victory, and increased his support across every voting demographic. Harris, for her part, underperformed the results won by Biden in the prior election in almost every state.

The results represent an incredible political comeback for President Trump, who was ousted from office amid suggestions of attempted insurrection less than four years ago. However, in spite of the result, the country remains deeply polarized. The over 74 million voters who backed Harris and the Democratic Party will now be thrust into a Presidency and an administration that they did not vote for. For many of these people, beyond dislike for the Republican candidate, they see Trump and the GOP as a genuine threat to the country.

Richelle Burke, a former student at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) […] stated that she had “never seen this level of polarisation in the country”

Richelle Burke, a former student at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), who currently lives in Brooklyn, stated that she had “never seen this level of polarisation in the country”. She proposed that this marked a concerning read of what America has become.

David Kukoyi, a current student at UPenn and resident of the pivotal swing-state of Pennsylvania in the 2024 election, commented on refusing to vote due to both having an apathy for Trump and not knowing enough about Harris as a candidate.

The latter is a theme that has been repeated time and again in the immediate analysis around the result. This is in spite of the Harris campaign’s concerted efforts to appear in mainstream media as much as possible in the final month-and-a-half of her election bid. Be this through heavy scrutiny in an interview with Bill Whitaker on CBS News’ 60 Minutes; a sit-down interview with NBC’s Hallie Jackson; podcast appearances on a range of shows with such personalities as Charlamagne the God and Alex Cooper; and multiple rallies in all seven swing states and town hall meetings up and down the country.

Benjamin Ebanks, a junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, argued that the Democratic candidate, “wasn’t able to appeal enough to non-college educated white working-class voters”

Jay Allen, a senior at the University of Connecticut who watched the election live, expressed: “I had a feeling from early on in the night that she may not win.” He added by noting that: “Trump’s strong lead rapidly narrowed her chances.”

Benjamin Ebanks, a junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, argued that the Democratic candidate, “wasn’t able to appeal enough to non-college educated white working-class voters”. He felt this was the primary reason that she lost the election.

In the early hours of the following morning, Trump delivered his victory speech. This was met with a warm reception by a crowd of his supporters. In this, he called his 2024 presidential campaign “the greatest political movement of all time” and said that the next four years would usher in “a golden age for America”. If one thing is clear, it is that President Trump will have the responsibility of trying to heal a deeply divided nation.

Time will tell if the new President is able to draw the American people together. With four years of discontent that has built since the last time he left office, the incoming leader of the Free World will have a significant challenge on his hands.