So, in the 2024 US presidential election, Trump has clinched Arizona’s 11 electoral votes, boosting his total to 312 while Vice President Harris sits at 226.
This win marks a significant moment for Trump as he takes down Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the last state call of the election.
He’s managed to sweep all seven crucial battleground states, which include Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner in Arizona on Saturday night after he pulled ahead by about 185,000 votes—enough to put Harris out of contention.
Interestingly enough, this is a turnaround from 2020 when Joe Biden carried Arizona; now it’s back in Trump’s hands and solidifies his dominance over those swing states.
What are the next steps for President-elect Trump?
Donald Trump came out of Tuesday’s election with more backing than many expected, and he’s all set to jump into some major economic changes.
This includes things like increasing tariffs, lowering taxes, and cracking down on undocumented immigration. His solid win was fueled by a noticeable shift to conservative views among different groups and areas, which has helped the Republicans take charge again in Congress.
They’ve taken back the Senate and are close to having a narrow majority in the House. On Wednesday, Trump will sit down with Joe Biden at the White House for their first chat since the election, kicking off the transition that should wrap up by January.
On Saturday, CNN and NBC announced that Trump had officially claimed victory in Arizona, completing a clean sweep of all seven key battleground states—this list includes Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, and Georgia.
After four days of counting ballots, Trump secured Arizona’s 11 electoral votes by defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in a state that Biden had narrowly flipped back in 2020.
Trump’s impressive comeback—winning the popular vote by about four million—has definitely stirred things up within the Democratic Party.
With strong support from white working-class voters and a notable portion of Hispanic voters backing him, Republicans seem to be solidifying their position; CNN estimates they have control over 213 House seats, just shy of the 218 needed for a majority.
Meanwhile, NBC projects Republicans at 212 seats and Democrats at 204. However, Democrats are still holding out hope for a slim majority to keep Trump’s influence in check.
Trump’s victory on November 5 marks a big return to the presidency and suggests that American politics could be heavily influenced by his tough stance for the next decade.
After refusing to concede the 2020 election due to unproven fraud claims, he notably skipped Biden’s inauguration—a break from tradition where outgoing and incoming presidents usually meet after an election.
That said, the White House has confirmed that Biden plans to attend Trump’s upcoming inauguration. Their meeting will take place in the Oval Office as they kick off preparations for the transition.
It’s worth noting that this former reality TV star won by even larger margins than before despite facing criminal charges and two impeachments along with criticism from his former chief of staff who called him a fascist!
Trump has dismissed the possibility of re-nominating Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo.
This Saturday, Donald Trump made it clear that he won’t be bringing back two major players from his last administration: former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and ex-UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Instead, Ric Grenell—who’s known for his no-nonsense approach as the former Ambassador to Germany—seems to be a leading candidate for Secretary of State.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio is also in the mix, despite having called Trump a con artist and the most vulgar person ever to run for president back in 2016.
The potential lineup for Trump’s next administration suggests some pretty big changes. For instance, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a well-known anti-vaccine activist whom Trump has promised a significant role in healthcare, recently told NBC News, I’m not going to take away anybody’s vaccines.
On top of that, billionaire Elon Musk—who heads up SpaceX and Tesla and has been quite supportive of Trump—is being eyed for a position focused on cutting government waste and improving efficiency.