2024 United States presidential election

For related races, see 2024 United States elections.

2024 United States presidential election

November 5, 2024
538 members of the Electoral College 270 electoral votes needed to win
Opinion polls
Reporting	99% as of 12:55 p.m., December 11, 2024 EST
Nominee Donald Trump Kamala Harris Party Republican Democratic Home state Florida California Running mate JD Vance Tim Walz Projected electoral vote 312 226 States carried 31 + ME-02 19 + DC + NE-02 Popular vote 77,268,289 74,982,822 Percentage 49.9% 48.4%
Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Trump/Vance and blue denotes those won by Harris/Walz. Numbers indicate electoral votes cast by each state and the District of Columbia.
President before election Joe Biden Democratic Elected President Donald Trump Republican

Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party's ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, and JD Vance, the junior U.S. senator from Ohio—defeated the Democratic Party's ticket—Kamala Harris, the incumbent vice president, and Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota. Trump and Vance are scheduled to be inaugurated as the 47th president and the 50th vice president on January 20, 2025, after their formal election by the Electoral College.

The incumbent president, Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, initially ran for re-election as the party's presumptive nominee, facing little opposition and easily defeating Representative Dean Phillips; however, what was broadly considered a poor debate performance in June 2024 intensified concerns about his age and health, and led to calls within his party for him to leave the race. After initially declining to do so, Biden withdrew on July 21, becoming the first eligible incumbent president to withdraw since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. Biden endorsed Harris, who was voted the party's nominee by the delegates on August 5, 2024. Harris selected Walz as her running mate.

Trump, who lost in 2020 to Biden, ran for re-election again. He was nominated during the 2024 Republican National Convention along with his running mate, Vance, after winning the Republican primaries. The Trump campaign was noted for making many false and misleading statements, including the claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, engaging in anti-immigrant fearmongering, and promoting conspiracy theories. Trump's political movement was described by several historians and former Trump administration officials as authoritarian, featuring parallels to fascism, and using dehumanizing rhetoric toward his political opponents.

According to polls, the most important issues for voters were the economy, healthcare, democracy, foreign policy (notably U.S. support for Israel and for Ukraine), illegal immigration, abortion, and climate change. Education and LGBTQ rights were also prominent issues in the campaign. Polled voters consistently cited the economy as being the single most important issue in the election.

Trump achieved a decisive victory, winning 312 electoral votes to Harris' 226. Trump won every swing state in addition to holding on to all of the states that he won in 2020. Trump flipped six states that had voted Democratic in 2020: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Trump won the national popular vote with a plurality of 49.8%, making him the first Republican to do so since George W. Bush in 2004. Relative to the 2020 election, he improved his vote share among working class voters, particularly among young men, those without college degrees, and Hispanic voters. This was the second of two elections won by Trump, the first being in 2016 against Hillary Clinton, preceding his defeat by Biden in 2020. Thus, Trump became the first president since Grover Cleveland in 1892 to be elected to non-consecutive terms.

Background

Joe Biden, the incumbent president in 2024, whose term ends at noon on January 20, 2025

A general election ballot from Fairfax County, Virginia, listing the presidential and vice presidential candidates

Procedure

Main article: United States presidential election § Procedure

Article Two of the Constitution of United States states that for a person to serve as president, the individual must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years of age, and have been a United States resident for at least 14 years. The Twenty-second Amendment forbids any person from being elected president more than twice. Major party candidates seek the nomination through a series of primary elections that select the delegates who choose the candidate at the party's national convention. Each party's national convention chooses a vice presidential running mate to form that party's ticket. The nominee for president usually picks the running mate, who is then ratified by the delegates at the party's convention. If no candidate wins a majority of their party's delegates' votes, or (in this election) a party's presumptive nominee drops out of the race between the primaries and the convention, a brokered convention may be held: the delegates are then "released" and are free to switch their allegiance to a different candidate.

The general election in November is an indirect election, in which voters cast ballots for a slate of members of the Electoral College; these electors then directly elect the president and vice president. Election offices are dealing with increased workloads and public scrutiny. Officials in many states have sought additional funding to hire more personnel, improve security, and extend training. Numerous election offices are dealing with an increase in retirements and are overwhelmed with public records requests, owing in part to the electoral mistrust planted by former President Trump's loss in the 2020 election.

Trump is the first president in American history to be impeached twice, and the first to run again after impeachment. Trump was first impeached by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives in December 2019 for "abuse of power and obstruction of Congress" due to his attempts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, by withholding military aid. Trump's second impeachment by the House occurred on January 13, 2021, for "incitement of insurrection" owing to his role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. As Trump was acquitted by the Senate in both cases, he was not barred from seeking reelection to the presidency in 2024.

Election interference

Main article: Election interference

Further information: Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election, Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, and January 6 United States Capitol attack

Several state courts and officials, including the Colorado Supreme Court, a state Circuit Court in Illinois, and the Secretary of State of Maine, ruled that Trump was ineligible to hold office under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack, and thus attempted to disqualify him from appearing on the ballot. These attempts were unsuccessful, and on March 4, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Trump v. Anderson that states cannot determine eligibility for a national election under Section 3, and only Congress has the authority to disqualify candidates, or to pass legislation that allows courts to do so.

Donald Trump's false claims of interference

Further information: Big lie § Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen election, Election denial movement in the United States, and Republican Party efforts to disrupt the 2024 United States presidential election

To sow election doubt, Trump escalated use of "rigged election" and "election interference" statements in advance of the 2024 election compared to the previous two elections.

Trump made false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and continued denying the election results. Election security experts warned that officials who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election may attempt to impede the voting process, or refuse to certify the 2024 results. In July 2024, The New York Times reported that "the Republican Party and its conservative allies are engaged in an unprecedented legal campaign targeting the American voting system", by restricting voting for partisan advantage ahead of Election Day and preparing to mount "legally dubious" challenges against the certification process if Trump were to lose.

In the lead up to the 2024 election, the Republican Party made false claims of massive "noncitizen voting" by immigrants in an attempt to delegitimize the election in the event of a Trump defeat. The claims were made as part of larger Republican Party efforts to disrupt the 2024 election and election denial movement. Trump continued spreading his "big lie" of a stolen election and predicted without evidence that the 2024 election would be rigged against him. Trump also falsely accused Biden of "weaponizing" the Justice Department to target him in relation to his criminal trials. Trump and several Republicans stated they would not accept the results of the 2024 election if they believe they are "unfair".

Trump's previous comments suggesting he can "terminate" the Constitution to reverse his election loss, his claim that he would only be a dictator on "day one" of his presidency and not after, his promise to use the Justice Department to go after his political enemies, his plan to use the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy the military for law enforcement in cities and states with too much violent crime or drug cartels, attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, continued Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election, Trump's baseless predictions of voter fraud in the 2024 election, and Trump's public embrace and celebration of the January 6 United States Capitol attack, raised concerns over the state of democracy in the United States. Trump's political operation said that it planned to deploy more than 100,000 attorneys and volunteers to polling places across battleground states, with an "election integrity hotline" for poll watchers and voters to report alleged voting irregularities.

Interference by foreign nations

Main article: Foreign interference in the 2024 United States elections

Before the election, U.S. officials and former officials stated that foreign interference in the 2024 election was likely. Three major factors cited were "America's deepening domestic political crises, the collapse of controversial attempts to control political speech on social media, and the rise of generative AI". China, Russia, and Iran were identified as mounting influence operations and attempts to interfere with the 2024 election. U.S. intelligence officials described the efforts as part of broader efforts by authoritarian nations to use the internet to erode support for democracy.

China

Further information: Chinese interference in the 2024 United States elections

China was identified as interfering with the 2024 election through propaganda and disinformation campaigns linked to its Spamouflage operation. U.S. intelligence agencies described the effort as not targeting any particular candidate but focusing on issues important to the Chinese government, such as Taiwan, and "undermining confidence in elections, voting, and the U.S. in general". As early as April 1, 2024, The New York Times reported that the Chinese government had created fake pro-Trump accounts on social media "promoting conspiracy theories, stoking domestic divisions and attacking President Biden ahead of the election in November".

Russia

Further information: Russian interference in the 2024 United States elections

According to disinformation experts and intelligence agencies, Russia spread disinformation ahead of the 2024 election to damage Biden and Democrats, boost candidates supporting isolationism, and undercut support for Ukraine aid and NATO. On September 4, 2024, the United States publicly accused Russia of interfering in the 2024 election and announced several steps to combat Russian influence including sanctions, indictments, and seizing of web domains used to spread propaganda and disinformation. U.S. intelligence agencies assessed that Russia preferred Trump to win the election, viewing him as more critical of American support for Ukraine.

Iran

Further information: Iranian interference in the 2024 United States elections

Iran was identified as interfering with the 2024 presidential election through front companies connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and hacking attempts against the Trump, Biden, and Harris campaigns starting as early as May 2024. Iran launched propaganda and disinformation campaigns through fake news websites and accounts on social media to tip the election against former president Trump. The New York Times stated the efforts were an attempt at "sowing internal discord and discrediting the democratic system in the United States more broadly in the eyes of the world".

Voter roll purges

Further information: Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election

Multiple Republican-led administrations removed voters from their state's voter rolls in the lead up to the election, which critics argued violates the National Voter Registration Act. In July 2024, 160,000 inactive or infrequent voters were removed from Ohio's voter rolls. The Ohio chapters of Common Cause and the League of Women Voters threatened lawsuits against the state over the purge.

In August 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia signed an executive order removing 6,303 voters suspected of being non-citizens from Virginia's voter rolls. In October 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the Virginia Board of Elections and Virginia commissioner of elections over the voter purge, alleging that it violated the National Voter Registration Act. The suit also found a number of alleged non-citizens purged were actually citizens. District judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ruled that the removal was illegal, ordering the state to stop purging voter rolls and to restore the voter registration of more than 1,600 voters who had been removed. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals then upheld the order. The administration filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which sided with Virginia in a 6–3 decision along ideological lines, allowing the state to continue purging voter rolls.

In August 2024, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced a process for purging 3,251 registered Alabama voters and referred them to the state attorney general's office for criminal prosecution. In September 2024, the Department of Justice sued Alabama for violating the National Voter Registration Act. In October 2024, district judge Anna Manasco ruled in favor of the Department of Justice, ordering the state to restore the voter registrations. Alabama secretary of state's chief of staff Clay Helms testified that 2,000 of the purged voters were legally registered citizens.

Criminal trials and indictments against Donald Trump

Main article: Indictments against Donald Trump

Further information: Federal prosecution of Donald Trump (election obstruction case), Georgia election racketeering prosecution, Federal prosecution of Donald Trump (classified documents case), Prosecution of Donald Trump in New York, and Personal and business legal affairs of Donald Trump

Trump was found liable in civil proceedings for both sexual abuse and defamation in 2023 and defamation in 2024, while also being criminally convicted of 34 felonies related to falsifying business records, expected to be an issue during the campaign. As of December 2023, he had four criminal indictments totaling 86 felony counts and there are other lawsuits against Trump. On May 30, 2024, Trump was found guilty by a jury of all 34 felony counts in The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump over falsifying business records for hush money payments to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels, to ensure her silence about a sexual encounter between them, to influence the 2016 presidential election. This made Trump the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime in American history. Trump and many Republicans have made numerous false and misleading statements regarding Trump's criminal trials, including false claims that they are "rigged" or "election interference" orchestrated by Biden and the Democratic Party, of which there is no evidence.

Classified intelligence material found inside Mar-a-Lago

Trump faces an additional 52 felony counts: 4 counts in United States of America v. Donald J. Trump for his alleged role in attempting to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election and involvement in the January 6 United States Capitol attack; 8 counts in The State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump, et al. for his alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia; and 40 counts in United States of America v. Donald J. Trump, Waltine Nauta, and Carlos De Oliveira relating to his hoarding of classified documents and alleged obstruction of efforts to retrieve them. In addition to his indictments, Trump was found liable on May 9, 2023, by an anonymous jury, in E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump for sexual abuse/rape, and ordered to pay a total of $88.3 million combined for damages and defamation. In September 2023, Trump was found guilty of financial fraud in New York v. Trump and ordered to pay a $457 million judgement that he appealed.

According to an April 2024 Reuters/Ipsos poll, the percentage of registered voters who found Trump's charges somewhat to very serious in the federal elections case was 74%, 72% in the Georgia case, 69% in the classified documents case, and 64% in the New York hush money case. Nearly a quarter of Republican voters said they would not vote for Trump if found guilty of a felony by a jury. Following his hush money conviction, 15% of likely Republican voters and 49% of independents stated they wanted Trump to drop out, and 54% of registered voters approved of the jury's decision. Polling also found 56% of Republicans who were unchanged by the verdict, and 35% of Republicans and 18% of independents who stated they were more likely to vote for Trump.

Trump was noted for attempting to delay his trials until after the November election. On January 20, 2025, Trump could order a new attorney general to dismiss the federal charges he is facing, prevent the state charges from taking effect through a variety of methods, and issue a presidential self-pardon. On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court delivered its 6–3 decision in Trump v. United States, along ideological lines, ruling that Trump had absolute immunity for acts he committed as president within his core constitutional purview, at least presumptive immunity for official acts within the outer perimeter of his official responsibility, and no immunity for unofficial acts. Thus, Trump's sentencing date for his convictions in New York was delayed from July to September 2024, and then to November 26, and the trial dates in Trump's other cases would likely also be delayed to review the applicability of the Supreme Court's decision.

Age and health concerns

Joe Biden

Main article: Age and health concerns about Joe Biden

Former president Trump and mass media raised concerns about President Biden's age, including his cognitive state, during and after the 2020 United States presidential election. These concerns increased after a poor performance by Biden during a debate against Trump in the 2024 presidential election, which led a number of commentators and some Democratic lawmakers to call for Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. In July 2024, Biden withdrew his candidacy while stating that he would continue serving as president until the conclusion of his term. According to a February 2024 poll, Biden's age and health were major or moderate concerns for 86% of voters generally, up from 76% earlier in 2020. According to another 2024 poll, most of those who voted for Biden in 2020 believed he was too old to be an effective president; The New York Times noted that these concerns "cut across generations, gender, race and education".

Donald Trump

Main article: Age and health concerns about Donald Trump

According to polling released in July and August, a majority of voters polled after the first debate thought that Trump, who is 78 years old, was too old to serve a second term (51%, 57%, and 60%), with 80% unsure he would be able to finish out a second term. During and after Trump's presidency, comments on his age, weight, lifestyle, and history of heart disease raised questions about his physical health. In addition, numerous public figures, media sources, and mental health professionals speculated that Trump may have some form of dementia, which runs in his family. Experts for the science publication STAT who analyzed changes in Trump's speeches between 2015 and 2024 noted shorter sentences, more tangents, more repetition, and more confusion of words and phrases. Doctors suggested it could just be due to changes in mood or it could indicate the beginning of Alzheimer's. The sharp rise in all-or-nothing thinking is also linked to cognitive decline. The New York Times reported that Trump's 2024 speeches had grown "darker, harsher, longer, angrier, less focused, more profane and increasingly fixated on the past", and that experts considered this increase in tangential speech and behavioral disinhibition as a possible consequence of advancing age and cognitive decline. Trump was also criticized for his lack of transparency around his medical records and health.

Political violence and threats

Main article: Political violence in the 2024 United States presidential election

See also: Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign § Violent and dehumanizing statements

On July 14, Biden gave an address condemning political violence, including the attempted assassination of Trump, arguing for the need to "lower the temperature" in American politics.

Several scholars, lawmakers, intelligence agencies, and the members of the public expressed concerns about political violence surrounding the 2024 election. The fears came amidst increasing threats and acts of physical violence targeting public officials and election workers at all levels of government. Trump was identified as a key figure in increasing political violence in the United States both for and against him. Political violence was at its highest since the 1970s, and the most recent violence came from right-wing assailants. Trump increasingly embraced far-right extremism, conspiracy theories such as Q-Anon, and far-right militia movements to a greater extent than any modern American president. Trump also espoused dehumanizing, combative, and violent rhetoric, and promised retribution against his political enemies. Trump played down but refused to rule out violence following the 2024 election, stating "it depends". Trump also suggested using the military against "the enemy from within" on Election Day that he described as "radical left lunatics", Democratic politicians, and those opposeed to his candidacy.

Assassination attempts

Donald Trump standing alongside the fire department uniform of Corey Comperatore, who was killed during the attempted assassination of Trump

On July 13, 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt while addressing a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was shot and wounded on his right ear by Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who fired eight rounds with an AR-15–style rifle from the roof of a building located approximately 400 feet (120 metres) from the stage; the shots killed audience member Corey Comperatore and critically injured two other audience members. Seconds later, Crooks was shot and killed by the U.S. Secret Service's counter-sniper team. The motive and cause of the assassination attempt are still under investigation by authorities. On September 11, 2024, a bipartisan Senate report identified tech issues and other preventable mistakes by the Secret Service during the event. On September 15, 2024, Trump survived a separate assassination attempt at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The suspect did not fire his weapon, and no deaths or injuries were reported. The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, is in custody.

Violence towards election workers

Since the 2020 election and continuing into the 2024 election, the election denial movement prompted thousands of death threats directed at election workers, officials, and their families, with some receiving letters laced with fentanyl. As of March 2024, the Department of Justice's Election Threats Task Force had charged 20 people with threat-related crimes. In September 2024, suspicious packages were sent to state election officials in Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Wyoming, which resulted in evacuations in several states. The inclusion of white powder in most of the packages mirrored the 2001 anthrax attacks; the substance in the Oklahoma delivery was identified as flour. Threats led some election workers to resign, and affected recruitment of temporary poll workers. Efforts to protect election workers were diverse, and included active shooter training, provision of first aid kits and Narcan, bulletproof vests, bulletproof glass, metal detectors, physical barriers, armed guards, police snipers, drones, and security cameras; however, many locations lack the funds to implement such measures. During early voting in San Antonio, Texas, a voter was arrested and charged for allegedly assaulting an elderly poll worker. The worker reportedly asked the man multiple times to remove his MAGA hat at the polling location. In Texas, it is illegal to wear any clothing showing support of political candidates while in a polling location.

Violence towards voters

On October 30, 2024, an 18-year-old man in Jacksonville, Florida, was arrested for aggravated assault and improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon after brandishing a machete at two women outside an early voting center. He along with seven other teenagers, allegedly approached and antagonized members of the opposing political party as they were demonstrating. Neither the teenager's nor the women's political parties were disclosed, although later posts by the Duval Democratic Party described the teenager's party as a "group of young men carrying Trump flags". On November 1, 2024, a voter wearing a "Let's Go Brandon" hat was reportedly struck by a poll worker after a verbal altercation over his hat at an Orangeburg County, South Carolina, polling location. Although it is illegal to wear anything supporting a candidate whose name is on the ballot, wearing a general political message is permitted by South Carolina law. Also on November 1, a man in Bath, New York, was arrested for assaulting someone in a supermarket for wearing a Trump hat.

Arson of ballot boxes

In late October 2024, multiple fires were reported at ballot drop boxes in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. The fires damaged hundreds of ballots, requiring election officials to identify and offer new ballots to those affected by the fires. Prior to the fires, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security had issued a bulletin raising concerns that "election-related grievances" could motivate domestic extremist activity and that ballot drop boxes could potentially be "attractive targets". In Phoenix, Arizona, a fire was started in a mail collection box, destroying some ballots and other mail. A suspect was arrested and claimed that the fire was unrelated to the election.

Nominations

Republican Party

Main articles: 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries and 2024 Republican Party presidential candidates

Results of the 2024 Republican presidential primaries

  Nikki Haley

  Donald Trump

Trump, the then-incumbent president, was defeated by Biden in the 2020 election and was not term-limited to run again in 2024, making him the fifth ex-president to seek a second non-consecutive term. When he won, Trump became the second president to win a non-consecutive term, after Grover Cleveland in 1892. Trump filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on November 15, 2022, and announced his candidacy in a speech at Mar-a-Lago the same day. Trump was considered an early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. Trump had announced in March 2022 that his former vice president Mike Pence would not be his running mate.

Trump faced opposition in the primaries. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was initially viewed as the main challenger to Trump for the Republican nomination, having raised more campaign funds in the first half of 2022 and posting more favorable polling numbers than Trump by the end of 2022. On May 24, 2023, DeSantis announced his candidacy on Twitter in an online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk. DeSantis said: "American decline is not inevitable—it is a choice ... I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback." His campaign stated to have raised $1 million in the first hour following the announcement of his candidacy. Speaking on Fox & Friends, he stated that he would "destroy leftism" in the United States. At the end of July 2023, FiveThirtyEight's national polling average of the Republican primaries had Trump at 52 percent, and DeSantis at 15.

Following the Iowa caucuses, in which Trump posted a landslide victory, DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, leaving the former president and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served in Trump's cabinet, as the only remaining major candidates. Trump continued to win all four early voting contests while Haley's campaign struggled to gain momentum. On March 6, 2024, the day after winning only one primary out of fifteen on Super Tuesday, Haley suspended her campaign. On March 12, 2024, Trump officially became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Trump was injured in an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, when a bullet grazed his ear. This was the first time a president or major party presidential candidate was injured in an assassination attempt since Ronald Reagan in 1981. Trump faced another assassination attempt on September 15, 2024, although he was not injured. On July 15, 2024, the first day of the Republican National Convention, Trump officially announced that Senator JD Vance of Ohio would be his running mate. Vance became the first Marine and first Iraq War veteran to be elected as vice president. On July 18, 2024, Trump accepted the nomination from the Republican National Convention to become the Republican presidential nominee. This was the third consecutive election in which he was the Republican nominee.

Republican nominees

Main article: Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign

Republican Party (United States) 2024 Republican Party ticket
Donald Trump	JD Vance
for President	for Vice President
45th President of the United States (2017–2021)	U.S. Senator from Ohio (2023–present)
Campaign

Democratic Party

Main articles: 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries and 2024 Democratic Party presidential candidates

On April 25, 2023, President Biden officially announced his bid for re-election, confirming that Vice President Harris would remain his running mate. Following this announcement, Republicans increased their focus on Harris, intensifying criticism against her. During late 2021, amid Biden's declining approval ratings, speculation arose regarding whether he would seek re-election. Public figures, including former Representatives Carolyn Maloney, Tim Ryan, and Joe Cunningham, urged Biden not to run. On July 28, 2022, Representative Dean Phillips became the first incumbent Democratic member of Congress to say President Biden should not run for re-election and called for "generational change" pointing to Biden's age.

Concerns about Biden's age were prominent, given that he was the oldest person to assume the office at age 78, which would make him 82 at the end of his first term and 86 at the end of a potential second term. An April 2023 poll indicated that 70 percent of Americans, including 51 percent of Democrats, believed Biden should not seek a second term, with nearly half citing his age as the reason. Biden's approval rating stood at 41 percent, with 55 percent disapproving according to the FiveThirtyEight national polling average. Speculation also arose that Biden might face a primary challenge from the Democratic Party's progressive faction; however, after Democrats outperformed expectations in the 2022 midterm elections, many believed Biden's chances of securing the party's nomination had increased.

Author Marianne Williamson was the first to challenge Biden by announcing her candidacy in February 2023. In April 2023, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also entered the race but later shifted his campaign to an independent run on October 9, 2023. Representative Dean Phillips joined the race on October 26, 2023; he withdrew in March 2024 and endorsed Biden. Williamson initially withdrew from the race in February 2024 but later resumed her campaign, only to end it again on June 11, 2024. Jason Palmer, who surprised many by winning the American Samoa caucuses, became the first candidate to win a contested primary against an incumbent president since Ted Kennedy in 1980; however, he suspended his campaign on May 15, 2024. On March 12, 2024, Biden secured a majority of delegates, becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Biden addressing the nation from the Oval Office on his decision to withdraw from the race, July 24, 2024

Despite securing the nomination, Biden faced significant opposition from uncommitted voters and the Uncommitted National Movement, who collectively garnered more votes than several major contenders in the 2020 Democratic primaries and won 36 delegates. Following a widely panned debate performance against Trump on June 27, 2024, Biden withdrew from the race on July 21, endorsing Harris as his successor. Harris quickly announced her campaign and secured enough delegate endorsements by July 22 to become the presumptive nominee. Biden's withdrawal made him the first eligible incumbent president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 not to seek re-election, and the first to withdraw after securing enough delegates to win the nomination. Harris is the first nominee who did not participate in the presidential primaries since Vice President Hubert Humphrey, also in 1968, and the first since the modern Democratic Party primary procedure was created in 1972 (prior to which most states did not hold primary elections).

Following Biden's withdrawal, Tim Walz, Josh Shapiro, Mark Kelly, and Andy Beshear emerged as leading candidates in the veepstakes. Shapiro received pushback from pro-Palestine activists for comments on college protesters, as well as for claiming to volunteer for the IDF, while Kelly was criticized by labor groups. The Democratic Party conducted a virtual roll call vote on August 2, where Harris secured the majority of delegate votes and became the official nominee on August 5. She selected Walz as her running mate the following day.

Democratic nominees

Main article: Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign

Democratic Party (United States) 2024 Democratic Party ticket
Kamala Harris	Tim Walz
for President	for Vice President
49th Vice President of the United States (2021–present)	41st Governor of Minnesota (2019–present)
Campaign

Electoral map

Hexagonal cartogram of the number of electoral college votes. States with opposite outcomes from 2020 are hatched.

Main article: 2020 United States redistricting cycle

This is the first presidential election to occur after the reapportionment of votes in the Electoral College following the 2020 United States census and redistricting cycle.

Swing states

Further information: Red states and blue states and Swing state

Most states are not electorally competitive and are usually certain to vote for a particular party. Because of the winner-take-all selection of electors used by 48 states and Washington DC, this means that a limited number of swing states—competitive states that do not clearly lean towards one party over the other—are vital to winning the presidency. The U.S. states considered as such change over time. The seven swing states in the 2024 election were the Rust Belt states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, as well as the Sun Belt states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina. Trump secured victory in all seven states. The three Midwestern swing states had historically been part of the "blue wall" ever since Bill Clinton's win in 1992, but broke for Trump in 2016, when he had previously faced a female Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton.

Campaign issues

Campaign themes

See also: Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign § Platform, Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign § Platform, and 2024 United States elections § Issues

Harris campaign

Harris framed her campaign as "a choice between freedom and chaos" and based it around the ideals of "freedom" and "the future". The Harris campaign sought to highlight her experience as an attorney general and a prosecutor to "prosecute the case" against Trump by pointing out his 34 felony convictions and the impacts of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Harris ran as a moderate Democrat who moved towards the center on several policy positions since her 2019 primary run, embracing many of Biden's domestic policy stances. Harris focused her economic proposals on the cost of groceries, housing and healthcare. She also focused on the middle class, and small businesses. Harris' campaign was noted for having an optimistic and joyful tone.

Trump campaign

See also: Trumpism and Rhetoric of Donald Trump

A central campaign theme for Trump's second presidential bid was "retribution". Trump framed the 2024 election as "the final battle", and openly promised to leverage the power of the presidency for political reprisals. Trump heavily ran on immigration as a central campaign focus. Trump's campaign focused on dark and apocalyptic rhetoric about the state of the country and predicting doom if he did not win. The Associated Press stated that "Trump's rallies take on the symbols, rhetoric and agenda of Christian nationalism." During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump made numerous false and misleading statements. The large number of lies and false statements have been attributed to Trump's rhetorical style described as using the "big lie" and firehose of falsehood propaganda technique. Trump also made many personal attacks against Harris, several of which were sexual in nature, were characterized as racist and misogynistic, and were considered a further breach of political norms. Trump's harsher rhetoric against his political enemies has been described by historians, scholars, commentators and former generals as populist, authoritarian, fascist, and unlike anything a political candidate has ever said in American history.

Abortion

Main article: Abortion in the United States

Abortion-rights protesters in Washington, D.C., on May 14, 2022, as part of the Bans Off Our Bodies protest following the leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade

Trump speaking at the 2020 March for Life in Washington, D.C.

Abortion access was a key topic during the campaign. This was the first presidential election to be held in the aftermath of the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, in which the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion law entirely to the states, including bans on abortion. The three justices appointed by former president Trump—Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch—all voted to overturn the federal right to an abortion in Dobbs. By April 2023, most Republican-controlled states had passed near-total bans on abortion, rendering it largely illegal throughout much of the southern United States. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, there are 15 states with de jure early-stage bans on abortion without exceptions for rape or incest.

Abortion was on the ballot in up to ten states in 2024, including the swing states of Arizona and Nevada. Some pundits argued abortion-rights referenda could help Harris in November. Democrats predominantly advocate for abortion access as a right, while Republicans generally favor significantly restricting the legality of abortion. Since becoming the presumptive nominee, Harris indicated her support for passing legislation which would restore the federal abortion right protections previously guaranteed by Roe. She argued Trump would let his anti-abortion allies implement Project 2025 proposals to restrict abortion and contraception throughout the United States.

Trump claimed credit for overturning Roe but criticized Republicans pushing for total abortion bans. Trump said he would leave the issue of abortion for the states to decide but would allow red states to monitor women's pregnancies and prosecute them if they have an abortion. In his home state of Florida, Trump announced he would vote "No" on Amendment 4, an abortion rights referendum, preserving the six-week ban. The announcement came one day after he initially criticized the six-week ban for being "too short" and said he would vote to lengthen it. Trump repeated a false claim that Democrats support abortions after birth and "executing" babies.

Border security and immigration

Main articles: Mexico–United States border crisis and Border security in the United States

Further information: Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign § Immigration, and Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign § Immigration

Harris as Attorney General of California at the border in 2011 to discuss strategies to combat transnational gang crime

Border security and immigration were among the top issues concerning potential voters in the election. Polling showed that most Americans want to reduce immigration, and that a substantial minority of White Republicans were concerned about White demographic decline. In 2023 and early 2024, a surge of migrants entering through the border with Mexico occurred. By June 2024, illegal crossings reached a three-year low following four consecutive monthly drops, which senior officials attributed to increased enforcement between the United States and Mexico, the weather, and Biden's executive order (A Proclamation on Securing the Border) increasing asylum restrictions.

Harris promised to fight for "strong border security" coupled with an earned pathway to citizenship. Harris highlighted her work in combating transnational gangs, drug cartels, and human traffickers while attorney general. As vice president, Harris announced in 2023 that she pledged of US$950 million from private companies into Central American communities to address the causes of mass migration, such as poverty. Harris stated she believes the immigration system is "broken" and needs to be fixed, and she said most Americans believe this. Harris also advocated for stricter asylum rules than President Biden. Harris supported increasing the number of U.S. Border Patrol agents and accused Trump of being unserious on border security. As vice president, Harris also supported a bipartisan bill that would have funded additional border agents and closed the border if too crowded; the bill was rejected by Trump. Trump called on House and Senate Republicans to kill the bill arguing it would hurt his and Republican's reelection campaigns and deny them the ability to run on immigration as a campaign issue. Harris criticized Trump for his opposition to the bill on the campaign trail, and promised to sign the bill into law as president.

Trump pledged to finish the wall on the southern border if elected.

Trump stated that if he were elected, he would increase deportations, send the U.S. military to the border, expand U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions through workplace raids, deputize local law enforcement to handle border security, increase U.S. Customs and Border Patrol funding, as well as finish building the wall on the southern border. Trump has said he will deport both legal and illegal immigrants. The New York Times reported that Trump was considering "an extreme expansion of his first-term crackdown on immigration", such as "preparing to round up undocumented people already in the United States on a vast scale and detain them in sprawling camps while they wait to be expelled". Trump stated his intention to deport 11 million people through the construction of detention camps and deploy the military, relying on presidential wartime powers under the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act. Trump made false claims of a "migrant crime wave" that are not supported by data, and provided no evidence to back up his claims.

In regards to his anti-immigrant nativism, Trump's tone grew harsher from his previous time as president, and used fearmongering, racial stereotypes, and more dehumanizing rhetoric when referring to illegal immigrants. Trump repeatedly called some immigrants subhuman, stating they are "not human", "not people", and "animals", who will "rape, pillage, thieve, plunder and kill" American citizens, that they are "stone-cold killers", "monsters", "vile animals", "savages", and "predators" that will "walk into your kitchen, they'll cut your throat", and "grab young girls and slice them up right in front of their parents". Other rhetoric includes false statements that foreign leaders are deliberately emptying insane asylums to send "prisoners, murderers, drug dealers, mental patients, terrorists" across the southern border as migrants, that they are "building an army" of "fighting age" men to attack Americans "from within", and are the "enemy from within" who are ruining the "fabric" of the country. Since fall 2023, Trump claimed that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country", which drew comparisons to racial hygiene rhetoric used by White supremacists and Adolf Hitler. In the 20 rallies since Trump's debate with Harris, Politico found his rhetoric, especially around immigrants, getting darker, citing experts who found it strongly echoed authoritarian and Nazi ideology, including claims that immigrants are genetically predisposed to commit crimes and have "bad genes". Trump's comments came as part of violent, dehumanizing rhetoric Trump had increasingly used during his campaign.

Climate change

Main article: Climate change in the United States

Further information: Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign § Climate change and energy; and Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign § Energy, environment, and climate change

See also: Environmental policy of the first Donald Trump administration, Climate change denial, and Inflation Reduction Act

Climate change and energy policy played a role in the 2024 presidential campaign. In 2023, the United States saw a record in crude oil production with over 13.2 million barrels of crude per day, beating the 13 million barrels per day produced at the peak of Trump's presidency. The United States also dealt with supply shocks caused by the 2021–2024 global energy crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russian invasion of Ukraine. An advocate for environmental justice to address the impact of climate change on lower-income areas and people of color, Harris supported Biden's climate legislation. In 2022, Harris helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in addressing climate change and clean energy in American history, putting the United States on track to meet emissions reduction targets by 50–52% below 2005 levels by 2030. Harris' campaign stated that she does not support a ban on fracking.

Trump ridiculed the idea of man-made climate change, and repeatedly referred to his energy policy under the mantra "drill, baby, drill". Trump said he would increase oil drilling on public lands and offer tax breaks to oil, gas, and coal producers, and stated his goal for the United States to have the lowest cost of electricity and energy of any country in the world. Trump also promised to roll back electric vehicle initiatives, proposed once again the United States withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, and rescind several environmental regulations. Trump stated his intention to roll back parts of the Inflation Reduction Act. The implementation of Trump's plans would add around 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by 2030, also having effects on the international level. If the policies do not change further, it would add 15 billion tons by 2040 and 27 billion by 2050. Although the exact calculation is difficult, researchers stated: "Regardless of the precise impact, a second Trump term that successfully dismantles Biden's climate legacy would likely end any global hopes of keeping global warming below 1.5C."

Democracy

Main articles: Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, Democratic backsliding in the United States, and Election denial movement in the United States

See also: Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign § Authoritarian and antidemocratic statements, Donald Trump and fascism, Indictments against Donald Trump, and Project 2025

The election was the first presidential election following Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election and the January 6 United States Capitol attack. It also came amidst Trump's federal indictment for attempting to overturn the 2020 election and involvement in the attack and racketeering charges for attempting to overturn Biden's victory in Georgia.

Polling before the election indicated profound dissatisfaction with the state of American democracy. Liberals tend to believe that conservatives are threatening the country with Christian nationalist autocratic tendencies and their attempts to overturn the 2020 election. According to an October 25 ABC/Ipsos poll, 49% of Americans saw Trump as a fascist, described as "a political extremist who seeks to act as a dictator, disregards individual rights and threatens or uses force against their opponents". Meanwhile, only 22% saw Harris as a fascist by this definition. Some Republicans were concerned that Trump's former impeachment and four criminal indictments were attempts to influence the election and keep him from office; however, there is no evidence that Trump's criminal trials were "election interference" orchestrated by Biden and the Democratic Party, and Trump also continued to repeat false claims that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen from him.

Trump's 2024 presidential campaign was criticized by legal experts, historians, and political scientists for making increasingly dehumanizing, violent, and authoritarian statements, which some believe the Trump campaign was intentionally leaning into. Trump's platform calls for the vast expansion of presidential powers and the executive branch over every part of the federal government. Trump called for stripping employment protections for thousands of career civil service employees (a provision known as Schedule F appointment that had been adopted by Trump at the end of 2020) and replacing them with political loyalists if deemed an "obstacle to his agenda" within federal agencies, the United States Intelligence Community, State Department, and Department of Defense. Trump repeatedly stated his intention to have the Justice Department investigate and arrest his domestic political rivals, judges, prosecutors, and witnesses involved in his criminal trials.

A large number of scholars, historians, commentators, former Trump officials and generals described Trump as a fascist. Trump said his political opponents are a greater threat to the United States than countries such as Russia, China, and North Korea, and urged deploying the military on American soil to fight "the enemy from within", which he describes as "radical left lunatics" and Democratic politicians such as Adam Schiff. Trump repeatedly voiced support for outlawing political dissent and criticism he considers misleading or challenges his claims to power. Trump previously tried to prosecute his political rivals and would have fewer checks on his power in a second term.

Project 2025 is a proposed plan by the Heritage Foundation to centralize power into the U.S. executive branch for conservative policies to be enacted without input from the judicial branch, legislative branch, or local government. The plan received some support from the Republican Party. The document was written in part by former members of the Trump administration, such as Russell Vought and John McEntee, while Trump stated he is unfamiliar with parts of the plan. Trump's campaign was noted for using increasingly dehumanizing and violent rhetoric against his political opponents. Calling the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack a "day of love", Trump promised to pardon those charged for their involvement and called them "hostages" and "great, great patriots". Trump played down but did not rule out violence after the 2024 election if he were not to win, stating "it depends". Harris was tasked by Biden with protecting democracy through voting rights legislation through her work on the For the People Act. Harris supported efforts to defend election workers and counter Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election. Harris also stated her support to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Rights Voting Rights Advancement Act if elected.

Economic issues

Main article: Economy of the United States

Further information: Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign § Economy, Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign § Economy and trade, and U.S. federal government response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Post-COVID inflation spike in the United States, with the gray column indicating the COVID-19 recession

Voters consistently cited the economy as their top issue in the 2024 election. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, a global surge in inflation ensued that raised prices on many goods, although the U.S. inflation rate had declined significantly during 2023 and 2024. The New York Times reported that both candidates "embraced a vision of a powerful federal government, using its muscle to intervene in markets in pursuit of a stronger and more prosperous economy". The Wall Street Journal reported that economists found Trump's proposed policies created a greater risk of stoking inflation and generating higher budget deficits, relative to the Harris plan. Twenty-three Nobel Prize-winning economists signed a letter characterizing the Harris economic plan as "vastly superior" to the Trump plan. Trump's designated government efficiency leader Elon Musk said in October that he expected Trump's plan would involve more than $2 trillion in federal spending cuts and would cause "some temporary hardship." Harris ran on a pro-union platform. She promoted the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, funding for small business, and previously supported an act as senator to provide a $6,000 tax credit for middle and low-income families. Harris promised to address price gouging, bring down costs, ban hidden fees and late charges from financial institutions, limit "unfair" rent increases and cap prescription drug costs, which she said would "lower costs and save many middle-class families thousands of dollars a year".

The New York Times described Harris' economic policy as embracing "the idea that the federal government must act aggressively to foster competition and correct distortions in private markets". Harris proposed raising taxes on corporations and high-earners to fund services for the lower and middle classes and reduce the deficit. Harris stated she supported increasing the top tier capital gains tax rate to 28%, up from 20% and lower than Biden's proposed 39.6%. Harris stated her support for a Billionaire Minimum Income Tax, increasing the tax on stock buybacks to 4%, and a ten-fold tax reduction for small business ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 in relief. Harris also supported efforts to create a tax on unrealized gains for those with more than a $100 million in net worth if they do not pay a minimum 25% tax rate on their income inclusive of unrealized gains so long as 80% of said wealth is in tradeable assets. The plan would impact a small percentage of the wealthy in the United States, and Axios reported most tech founders and investors would be spared. Harris also announced support for restoring the corporate tax rate to 28% among several other tax proposals to raise taxes and close loopholes for corporations and the wealthy that would bring in $5 trillion in additional revenue over 10 years. Harris proposed tax breaks to companies delivering economic benefit, such as manufacturing technologies that mitigate climate change and building affordable housing, and proposed a ban on corporate price gouging to "help the food industry become more competitive". Harris also expressed support for student debt relief, and said she supported raising the minimum wage.

In response to the housing crisis in the United States, Harris said she would increase home construction to reduce housing costs, arguing that it negatively impacts the economy and hurts working-class families. Harris proposed directing $40 billion to construction companies to build starter homes, and promised to send $25,000 in down-payment assistance to every first time home buyer. Harris said she would urge Congress to enforce fair housing laws and pass a bill to bar property owners from using services that "coordinate" rents through the passage of the Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act, and also call on Congress to pass the Stop Predatory Investing Act by removing tax benefits to Wall Street firms that buy up large numbers of single-family homes. Trump proposed further individual and corporate tax cuts beyond the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Trump argued that keeping taxes low for the wealthy increases job creation, and that these policies coupled with a crackdown in illegal immigration and reduction in inflation would help the middle class. Trump said he would reduce regulation of business through the creation of an efficiency commission led by Musk, along with reducing environmental regulation. By October 2024, Musk was Trump's second-largest individual campaign donor. Trump said deporting millions of immigrants would bring housing prices down, although most economists argue it could raise prices by removing construction workers who use less real estate. Trump and Harris support not taxing tips for at least hospitality and service workers. Trump suggested that he would abolish the federal income tax and replace it with tariffs. In June 2024, Trump discussed the idea of eliminating the income tax in a private meeting with Republican politicians. In October 2024, Trump suggested that he would scrap the income tax if he wins, pointing out that tariffs were the main sources of revenue in the 19th century.

Trump's stated trade policy involves the United States decoupling from the global economy and having the country become more self-contained and exerting its power through individual trade dealings. This would be attempted largely through a universal baseline tariff, set from 10% to 20% on all imports, with increased penalties if trade partners manipulate their currency or engage in unfair trade practices. Trump called for 100% tariffs on cars made outside the United States and a minimum 60% tariff on Chinese goods. Trump stated his plans to urge Congress to pass a Trump Reciprocal Trade Act to bestow presidential authority to impose a reciprocal tariff on any country that imposed one on the United States. The Washington Post reported in January 2024 that Trump was preparing for a massive trade war. Trump's trade policies were described as protectionist, neo-mercantilist, or autarkist, and increasing inflation became a more common critique of Trump's economic plans. In June 2024, 16 Nobel Prize in Economics laureates signed an open letter arguing that Trump's fiscal and trade policies coupled with efforts to limit the Federal Reserve's independence would reignite inflation in the United States. Moody's, as well as most economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal in July 2024, predicted that inflation would be worse under Trump than Biden, a result due in part to tariffs, a crack down on illegal immigration, and larger deficits. Trump incorrectly insisted foreign exporters pay tariffs imposed by the U.S. government; American importers pay tariffs on goods upon arrival at U.S. ports, meaning tariffs are taxes that raise prices for imported products Americans buy. One non-partisan analysis estimated the proposed tariffs would cost $1,700 per year for the average household. The China–United States trade war Trump initiated in 2018 by imposing tariffs on China was widely characterized as a failure for the United States by the end of Trump's presidency. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that Trump's plans would grow that national debt at roughly twice the rate of Harris' plan, while the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found Trump's plan would only benefit the top 5% of earners.

Education

Main article: Education in the United States

Further information: Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign § Education, 2020s controversies around critical race theory, and Parental rights movement

Trump pledged to terminate the U.S. Department of Education, claiming it has been infiltrated by "radical zealots and Marxists". At the American Federation of Teachers national convention, Harris attacked recent efforts to ban books in school libraries. She also previously called for raising teachers' wages.

Healthcare issues

Further information: Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign § Healthcare, and Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign § Healthcare and social services

Healthcare and drug policy have been discussed during the 2024 presidential election, such as around the future of the Affordable Care Act. Harris supported efforts to strengthen coverage under the Obamacare, including setting caps on seniors' out-of-pocket prescription drug prices at $2,000 and limiting the cost of insulin for those on Medicare to $35 enacted as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Harris was a proponent of White House efforts to ban medical debt from credit reports, and stated she no longer supported a single-payer healthcare system. Harris supported the expanded child tax credit enacted in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that reduced child poverty by 20%. Harris also expressed support for making child care and elder care more affordable and enacting paid family leave. On August 16, 2024, Harris announced the proposal of a $6,000 child tax credit, expanding her populist economic agenda. Other policies including broadening a cap on prescription drug costs and permanently reinstating the expanded child tax credit.

Trump continued to advocate his call for repealing the Affordable Care Act during the 2024 election, as he did while in office. During an interview on March 11, 2024, Trump suggested he was open to cutting entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, which the Trump campaign later claimed was merely referring to "cutting waste" and that he would protect the programs. Trump previously suggested while president in 2020 that he would "at some point" look into cutting entitlement programs, and Trump's previous budget proposals have suggested some cuts to the programs. Vance and Mike Johnson also suggested cuts to the Affordable Care Act, including around pre-existing conditions, were part of Trump's plan. On the issue of subsidized care, Harris stated she would "maintain and grow" the Affordable Care Act. Trump collaborated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda and appointed some Kennedy allies to his transition team. The Trump campaign has said that he would form a panel of experts and would charge them with looking into the causes of the upward trend in chronic disease patients. In October 2024, Trump said that he would let Kennedy "go wild" when it comes to policies on food, medicine, and health.

Foreign policy

Further information: Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign § Foreign policy, and Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign § Foreign policy

Joe Biden signing Executive Order 14065 in February 2022 in response to Russia's imminent invasion of Ukraine. The United States has given billions worth of military aid to Ukraine following the Russian invasion of the country in 2022.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Israel–Hamas war, and Chinese expansionism were some of the main foreign policy issues of the election. Harris signaled she would generally follow Biden's foreign policy on NATO and Ukraine, supporting both in the aftermath of the Russian invasion. A supporter of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Harris was expected to continue Biden's approach; she was seen as tougher on Israel and more sympathetic to Palestinians than Biden or Trump. Harris advocated for "de-risking" from China, a policy that encourages reducing Western economic dependence on China. Harris was expected to continue deepening American alliances in Asia and the Pacific with the intention of curbing China's rising power both economically and militarily.

Trump's 2024 campaign promoted an isolationist foreign policy based on "America First". Trump said that America's allies "treat us actually worse than our so-called enemies", and added: "We protect them and then they screw us on trade." He also vowed to impose tariffs on trade partners; economists said this could spark trade wars. He promised to "fundamentally reevaluate" NATO, shifting the country's defense spending from Europe towards Asia. Although NATO members are obliged to defend any other member who is attacked, Trump said he would encourage Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to NATO allies that did not spend enough on defense. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg responded: "Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security." Trump vowed that even before he was inaugurated, he would negotiate an end to the Russo-Ukrainian War in one day, He promised to quickly cut the amount of military and financial aid to Ukraine, and make Europeans reimburse the United States the cost of rebuilding its old stockpiles; however, most of the money for Ukraine actually goes to American factories that make weapons and military equipment. Trump previously said he might recognize Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, and suggested the 2022 invasion could have been prevented by Ukraine giving up parts of its own country to Russia. Trump was seen as more pro-Israel and less sympathetic to Palestine than Biden or Harris. Trump promised a tougher stance against China, and at the same time questioned whether the United States should defend Taiwan. Trump suggested withdrawing troops from South Korea if it does not pay more to support American troops there.

Israel–Hamas war views

Demonstrators at the March on Washington for Gaza on January 13, 2024

Further information: Israel–Hamas war protest vote movements and Israel–Hamas war protests in the United States

Polling indicated that the majority of voters support a ceasefire and American mediation in the Israel–Hamas war. According to a YouGov poll in March 2024, 52% of Americans supported stopping weapons shipments to Israel, coming largely from Americans who voted for Biden in 2020 (62% support) and people who did not vote in 2020 (60%). Republicans opposed halting weapons shipments by 25 points. Republicans generally supported arms to Israel, while Democrats were divided on the issue.

Harris was expected to largely continue Biden's approach to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, although she is seen as tougher on Israel and more sympathetic to Palestinians than Biden or Trump. Following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Harris at first supported Israel's offensive, saying "the threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated". Since then, she criticized Israel's actions and the Gaza humanitarian crisis. In March 2024, Harris opposed Israel's invasion of Rafah, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and called the situation in Gaza a "humanitarian catastrophe". Harris supported continued aid to Israel and Palestine but insisted that Israel should agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal and both sides should move towards a two-state solution. In the Democratic primaries, the Uncommitted National Movement led a protest campaign against Biden over the war, calling for a ceasefire and arms embargo on Israel. It received over 700,000 votes and 36 delegates. Harris was seen as more sympathetic to Palestinians, and she and her campaign interacted more with Arab-American and Uncommitted leaders; however, Harris refused to halt weapons shipments to Israel or shift policy much from Biden, saying Israel has a right to defend itself. By October, Uncommitted encouraged its members to vote for Harris.

During his first term as president, Trump brought in more pro-Israel policies than any president before. He presented himself as a stronger defender of Israel, and was seen as less sympathetic to Palestine than Biden or Harris. Trump is expected to continue arming Israel, likely with "no strings attached" for humanitarian concerns. He voiced strong support for Israel's war on Hamas and Gaza, saying that Israel must "finish the problem". Trump told donors he would "crush" pro-Palestinian protests, deport non-citizen protesters, and "set the movement back 25 or 30 years". Trump said he would ban Gaza residents from entering the United States. At times, he was critical of Israel's war in Gaza, saying Israel should "get it over with ... get back to peace and stop killing people".

LGBTQ rights

Main articles: LGBTQ rights in the United States and Transgender rights in the United States

Further information: Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign § LGBTQ rights, Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign § LGBTQ rights and civil rights, and 2020s anti-LGBTQ movement in the United States

In the 2020s, conservative politicians in state legislatures introduced a growing number of bills that restrict the rights of LGBTQ people, especially transgender people. A strong supporter of LGBTQ people's rights, Harris denounced legislative attacks on transgender rights in states across the country. Trump promised to roll back policies regarding transgender individuals. Trump stated he would rescind Biden's Title IX protections "on day one" for transgender students using bathrooms, locker rooms, and pronouns that align with their gender identities. Trump stated he would enact a federal law that would recognize only two genders and claimed that being transgender is a concept only recently manufactured by "the radical left". Trump pledged "severe consequences" for teachers who "suggest to a child that they could be trapped in the wrong body". Trump previously withdrew Title IX provisions that allowed transgender youth to have access to the bathrooms of their choice, and he attempted to roll-back several transgender-related policies in the Affordable Care Act. Trump repeated a false claim that children undergo transgender surgery while at school, without parental knowledge or consent.

Exit poll

2024 presidential election exit poll

Response category	Trump	Harris	% of total vote
Biden job approval
Strongly disapprove	94	4	45
Somewhat disapprove	42	54	14
Somewhat approve	4	95	24
Strongly approve	1	98	15
Feeling about the way things are going in U.S.
Angry	73	26	31
Dissatisfied	55	42	42
Satisfied	16	83	19
Enthusiastic	9	91	6
America's best days are
In the future	40	58	61
In the past	67	31	34
Quality of candidate that mattered most
Has ability to lead	66	33	30
Can bring needed change	74	24	28
Has good judgment	15	83	20
Cares about people like me	25	72	18
Vote for president mainly
For your candidate	55	44	73
Against their opponent	36	60	24
Candidate viewed as too extreme
Trump is too extreme	2	97	45
Harris is too extreme	99	1	39
Both Harris and Trump are too extreme	67	22	8
Neither Harris or Trump is too extreme	67	27	4
Decided on presidential vote
Before September	51	49	80
In September	46	52	6
In October	42	49	5
In last week	56	42	3
In last few days	47	42	3
Issue regarded as most important
Democracy	18	80	34
Economy	81	18	32
Abortion	24	76	14
Immigration	89	9	12
Foreign policy	56	39	4
Democracy threatened in the United States
Democracy in U.S. very threatened	52	47	39
Democracy in U.S. somewhat threatened	48	50	34
Democracy in U.S. somewhat secure	47	50	17
Democracy in U.S. very secure	54	44	8
Confident election being conducted fairly and accurately
Very confident	13	84	35
Somewhat confident	59	39	32
Not very confident	82	16	21
Not at all confident	80	18	10
Concerned about violence as result of election
Yes	42	56	70
No	69	29	28
Condition of the nation's economy
Poor	88	10	33
Not so good	52	46	35
Good	7	92	27
Excellent	11	89	5
Family's financial situation today
Worse than four years ago	82	16	47
About the same	27	71	29
Better than four years ago	14	83	24
Inflation caused family hardship within past year
Severe hardship	76	23	22
Moderate hardship	52	46	53
No hardship	21	78	24
Candidate trusted more to handle the economy
Trump	93	5	53
Harris	1	98	46
Abortion should be
Legal in all cases	9	88	33
Legal in most cases	49	49	33
Illegal in most cases	92	7	25
Illegal in all cases	88	11	5
Candidate trusted more to handle abortion
Trump	96	2	46
Harris	5	93	49
Opinion of Supreme Court
Approve	85	14	36
Disapprove	27	72	59
Most undocumented immigrants in the U.S. should be
Offered chance at legal status	22	76	56
Deported	87	11	40
Candidate trusted more to handle immigration
Trump	91	7	53
Harris	1	97	44
U.S. support for Israel is
Too strong	30	67	31
About right	39	60	30
Not strong enough	82	18	31
Candidate trusted more to handle crime and safety
Trump	95	4	52
Harris	1	98	47
Candidate trusted more to handle a crisis
Trump	95	3	51
Harris	1	97	47

Third-party and independent candidates

Main article: Third-party and independent candidates for the 2024 United States presidential election

A number of independent candidates announced presidential runs, most notably Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West. Several third parties, including the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Constitution Party, and the American Solidarity Party also announced presidential nominees. Kennedy dropped out of the race in August 2024, although he remained on the ballot in many states. The No Labels organization abandoned its efforts to run a centrist candidate in April 2024.

With majority ballot access

Libertarian Party

Main articles: 2024 Libertarian Party presidential primaries and Chase Oliver 2024 presidential campaign

Chase Oliver was chosen by the Libertarian Party as its presidential nominee on May 26, 2024, at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention. Oliver was the party's nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia. Oliver achieved ballot access in 47 states, and was eligible to receive write-in votes in the District of Columbia, Illinois, New York, and Tennessee.

2024 Libertarian Party ticket
Chase Oliver	Mike ter Maat
for President	for Vice President
Sales account executive from Georgia	Economist from Virginia

Green Party

Main articles: 2024 Green Party presidential primaries and Jill Stein 2024 presidential campaign

The party's nominee in 2012 and 2016, Stein is a physician and a former member of the Lexington Town Meeting. On August 16, Stein selected academic Butch Ware as her running mate. Stein achieved ballot access in 38 states, and was eligible to receive write-in votes in seven states. She was not eligible to receive write-in votes in the remaining states or the District of Columbia.

2024 Green Party ticket
Jill Stein	Butch Ware
for President	for Vice President
Physician from Massachusetts	Academic from California

With partial ballot access

These third-party candidates had ballot access in some states, but not enough to get 270 votes needed to win the presidency, without running a write-in campaign.

• American Solidarity Party: Peter Sonski, Connecticut school board member
• Approval Voting Party: Blake Huber, activist and nominee for president in 2020
• Constitution Party: Randall Terry, anti-abortion activist and perennial candidate
• Independent American Party: Joel Skousen, survivalist and consultant
• Natural Law Party: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., environmental lawyer, anti-vaccine activist, and conspiracy theorist, the party's nominee in addition to his run as an independent before he withdrew from the race ahead of the election but was not removed from ballots
• Prohibition Party: Michael Wood, businessman
• Party for Socialism and Liberation: Claudia De la Cruz, political activist
• Socialist Equality Party: Joseph Kishore, writer and SEP nominee in 2020
• Socialist Workers Party: Rachele Fruit, hotel worker and trade unionist
• Socialist Party USA: Bill Stodden, nonprofit executive

Independent candidates

The following notable individuals ran independently for president.

• Cornel West, academic, anti-war activist, and public intellectual, previously a People's Party and Green Party primaries candidate, who launched an independent campaign

Withdrawn candidates

The following notable individual(s) announced and then suspended their campaigns before the election:

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr., environmental lawyer, anti-vaccine activist, and conspiracy theorist, 2024 Democratic presidential candidate and 2024 independent presidential candidate (endorsed Trump)

Timeline

Main article: Timeline of the 2024 United States presidential election

Opinion polling and forecasts

Opinion polling aggregation

Main article: Nationwide opinion polling for the 2024 United States presidential election

See also: Statewide opinion polling for the 2024 United States presidential election

Harris and Trump

Source of poll aggregation	Dates administered	Dates updated	Kamala Harris Democratic	Donald Trump Republican	Others/ Undecided	Margin
270toWin	through November 4, 2024	November 5, 2024	48.4%	47.2%	4.4%	Harris +1.2%
538	through November 4, 2024	November 5, 2024	48.0%	46.8%	5.2%	Harris +1.2%
Cook Political Report	through November 4, 2024	November 5, 2024	48.7%	47.8%	3.5%	Harris +0.9%
Decision Desk HQ/The Hill	through November 5, 2024	November 5, 2024	48.4%	48.4%	3.2%	Tie
Silver Bulletin	through November 4, 2024	November 5, 2024	48.6%	47.6%	3.8%	Harris +1.0%
Real Clear Politics	through November 5, 2024	November 5, 2024	48.7%	48.6%	2.7%	Harris +0.1%
Average			48.5%	47.7%	3.8%	Harris +0.8%

Harris vs. Trump vs. Kennedy Jr. vs. Stein vs. Oliver vs. West

Source of poll aggregation	Dates administered	Dates updated	Kamala Harris Democratic	Donald Trump Republican	Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Independent	Jill Stein Green	Chase Oliver Libertarian	Cornel West Independent	Others/ Undecided	Margin
Race to the WH	through November 3, 2024	November 4, 2024	47.8%	47.1%	1.3%	0.8%	0.9%	0.6%	1.5%	Harris +0.7%
270toWin	through November 4, 2024	November 4, 2024	47.5%	46.9%	1.2%	1.2%	0.7%	0.4%	2.1%	Harris +0.6%
Average			47.7%	47.0%	1.3%	1.0%	0.8%	0.5%	1.7%	Harris +0.7%

Electoral College forecasts

Elections analysts and political pundits issue probabilistic forecasts of the composition of the Electoral College. These forecasts use a variety of factors to estimate the likelihood of each candidate winning the Electoral College electors for that state. Most election predictors use the following ratings:

• "tossup": no advantage
• "tilt" (used by some predictors): advantage that is not quite as strong as "lean"
• "lean" or "leans": slight advantage
• "likely": significant, but surmountable, advantage
• "very likely" (used by some predictors): massive advantage that is stronger than "likely"
• "safe" or "solid": near-certain chance of victory

Below is a list of states considered by one or more forecast to be competitive; states that are deemed to be "safe" or "solid" by forecasters The Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, Inside Elections, CNalysis, Decision Desk HQ, and YouGov are omitted for brevity.

State	EVs	PVI	2020 result	2020 margin	IE Nov 3	Cook Nov 4	CNalysis Nov 4	Sabato Nov 4	CNN Oct 8	DDHQ Nov 5	538 Nov 5	Economist Nov 5	YouGov Nov 1	2024 Result
Colorado	10	D+4	55.4% D	13.50%	Solid D	Solid D	Solid D	Safe D	Lean D	Likely D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D	Harris 54.4% D
New Mexico	5	D+3	54.3% D	10.79%	Solid D	Likely D	Very Likely D	Likely D	Lean D	Likely D	Likely D	Likely D	Safe D	Harris 51.9% D
Virginia	13	D+3	54.1% D	10.11%	Likely D	Likely D	Solid D	Likely D	Lean D	Likely D	Likely D	Likely D	Safe D	Harris 51.8% D
Maine	2	D+2	53.1% D	9.07%	Likely D	Likely D	Solid D	Likely D	Solid D	Safe D	Likely D	Likely D	Safe D	Harris 52.4% D
New Hampshire	4	D+1	52.7% D	7.35%	Lean D	Likely D	Solid D	Likely D	Lean D	Likely D	Likely D	Likely D	Safe D	Harris 50.7% D
Minnesota	10	D+1	52.4% D	7.11%	Lean D	Likely D	Solid D	Likely D	Lean D	Lean D	Likely D	Likely D	Likely D	Harris 50.9% D
NE–02	1	EVEN	52.0% D	6.50%	Lean D	Likely D	Solid D	Likely D	Lean D	Likely D	Likely D	Likely D	Tossup	Harris 51.3% D
Michigan	15	R+1	50.6% D	2.78%	Tossup	Tossup	Likely D	Lean D	Tossup	Tossup	Lean D	Lean D	Lean D	Trump 49.7% R (flip)
Nevada	6	R+1	50.1% D	2.39%	Tossup	Tossup	Tilt D	Lean D	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Trump 50.7% R (flip)
Pennsylvania	19	R+2	50.0% D	1.16%	Tossup	Tossup	Lean D	Lean D	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Trump 50.4% R (flip)
Wisconsin	10	R+2	49.5% D	0.63%	Tossup	Tossup	Lean D	Lean D	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Trump 49.6% R (flip)
Arizona	11	R+2	49.4% D	0.31%	Tossup	Tossup	Tilt R (flip)	Lean R (flip)	Tossup	Tossup	Lean R (flip)	Lean R (flip)	Tossup	Trump 52.1% R (flip)
Georgia	16	R+3	49.5% D	0.24%	Tossup	Tossup	Likely D	Lean R (flip)	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Trump 50.7% R (flip)
North Carolina	16	R+3	49.9% R	1.35%	Tossup	Tossup	Tilt D (flip)	Lean R	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Trump 50.9% R
Florida	30	R+3	51.2% R	3.36%	Lean R	Likely R	Likely R	Likely R	Lean R	Likely R	Likely R	Likely R	Lean R	Trump 56.1% R
Texas	40	R+5	52.1% R	5.58%	Likely R	Likely R	Lean R	Likely R	Solid R	Likely R	Likely R	Likely R	Lean R	Trump 56.1% R
ME–02	1	R+6	52.3% R	7.44%	Lean R	Likely R	Very Likely R	Likely R	Lean R	Likely R	Likely R	Likely R	Tossup	Trump 53.7% R
Ohio	17	R+6	53.3% R	8.03%	Likely R	Solid R	Likely R	Safe R	Solid R	Likely R	Likely R	Safe R	Safe R	Trump 55.1% R
Iowa	6	R+6	53.1% R	8.20%	Tilt R	Likely R	Tilt R	Likely R	Solid R	Likely R	Likely R	Likely R	Safe R	Trump 55.7% R
Alaska	3	R+8	52.8% R	10.06%	Solid R	Solid R	Very Likely R	Safe R	Solid R	Solid R	Likely R	Safe R	Safe R	Trump 54.5% R
NE–01	1	R+9	54.3% R	11.00%	Solid R	Solid R	Solid R	Likely R	Solid R	Solid R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R	Trump 55.5% R
Kansas	6	R+10	56.14% R	14.63%	Solid R	Solid R	Very Likely R	Safe R	Solid R	Solid R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R	Trump 57.2% R
Overall					D – 226 R – 219 93 tossups	D – 226 R – 219 93 tossups	D – 308 R – 230 0 tossups	D – 276 R – 262 0 tossups	D – 226 R – 219 93 tossups	D – 226 R – 219 93 tossups	D – 241 R – 230 67 tossups	D – 241 R – 230 67 tossups	D – 240 R – 218 80 tossups	R – 312 D – 226

Debates

Main article: 2024 United States presidential debates

In April 2022, the Republican National Committee voted unanimously to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). In May 2024, the Biden campaign proposed hosting two debates outside of the CPD timetable and refusing to participate in CPD-hosted debates. Biden and Trump agreed to debates on CNN on June 27 and ABC News on September 10. The Harris camp suggested that another debate could be held in October after the September 10 debate with Trump. On September 12, Trump announced that there would be no third presidential debate.

June 27 presidential debate: Biden vs. Trump

Main article: 2024 Joe Biden–Donald Trump presidential debate

CNN hosted the first major debate of the election on June 27 in Atlanta, with 51 million viewers watching. Media outlets characterized Biden's debate performance as a "disaster". Some pundits noted that he frequently lost his train of thought and gave meandering, confused answers. G. Elliott Morris and Kaleigh Rogers of ABC News' 538 argued that, although he had won the debate on policy, Biden had failed to reassure voters that he was capable of serving as president for another four years. After the debate, elected officials, party strategists, and fundraisers conversed about replacing Biden as the party's candidate, including whether prominent Democrats should make a public statement asking him to step aside. In response, Biden initially stated that he would not be dropping out, and prominent Democratic politicians, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, reiterated their support for Biden following the debate. The debate performance led to Biden ultimately withdrawing his bid for re-election on July 21.

September 10 presidential debate: Harris vs. Trump

Further information: 2024 United States presidential debates § September 10: Second presidential debate (ABC, Philadelphia)

The second presidential debate was held on Tuesday, September 10, by ABC News; 67.1 million viewers watched it. Although Trump had proposed a debate on Fox News, he later accepted the debate on ABC. The debate was held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and lasted for about 100 minutes. ABC's debate topics included abortion, the economy, foreign policy, and immigration. Most news organizations declared Harris the winner of the debate, and polling showed voters thought Harris won the debate by what The Washington Post described as a "historically large" margin. During the debate, Trump made numerous false assertions and extreme statements, including false claims about immigrants eating pets and Democrats supporting infanticide. CNN found that Trump made over 30 false claims during the debate, while Harris only made one. Republicans attributed Trump's low debate performance to their perception of biased debate moderation by ABC News because the moderators fact-checked him more than four times but did not fact-check Harris.

October 1 vice presidential debate: Vance vs. Walz

Further information: 2024 United States presidential debates § October 1: Vice presidential debate (CBS, New York City)

Vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz participated in a debate hosted by CBS News on October 1 at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. Topics discussed during the debate included immigration, abortion, and the economy. Fact checking was primarily done online only, with Vance making more false and misleading claims than Walz. Forty-three million viewers watched the debate. Many debate watchers viewed the debate as "positive" and "civil". According to polling, both candidates polled about even among viewers who were asked who won the debate, while Vance was considered the winner by a majority of columnists.

Minor debates and forums

Main article: Third-party and independent candidates for the 2024 United States presidential election § Debates and forums

Various debates and forums were held, sponsored by the Free & Equal Elections Foundation. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. organized a separate debate, taking place during the Trump–Harris event.

Results

Electoral results

As of December 10, 2024

Preliminary results with 99.9% of the expected vote counted.

Electoral results

Presidential candidate	Party	Home state	Popular vote		Electoral vote	Running mate
			Count	Percentage		Vice-presidential candidate	Home state	Electoral vote
Donald Trump	Republican	Florida	77,302,169	49.74%	312	JD Vance	Ohio	312
Kamala Harris	Democratic	California	75,015,834	48.27%	226	Tim Walz	Minnesota	226
Jill Stein	Green	Massachusetts	861,141	0.55%	0	Butch Ware	California	0
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.	Independent	California	756,377	0.49%	0	Nicole Shanahan	California	0
Chase Oliver	Libertarian	Georgia	650,142	0.42%	0	Mike ter Maat	Virginia	0
Other			833,975	0.54%	—	Other		—
Total			155,419,638	100%	538			538
Needed to win					270			270

Popular vote

Trump		​	49.74%
Harris		​	48.27%
Stein		​	0.55%
Kennedy		​	0.49%
Oliver		​	0.42%
Others		​	0.54%

Electoral vote—pledged

Trump		​	57.99%
Harris		​	42.01%

Results by state

Preliminary results; only states reported by the Associated Press as being more than 99% complete counting are included.

Legend

States won by Trump/Vance
States won by Harris/Walz
EV	Electoral votes
†	At-large results (for Maine and Nebraska, which both split electoral votes)

State or district	Trump/Vance Republican			Harris/Walz Democratic			Stein/Ware Green			Kennedy/Shanahan Independent			Oliver/Maat Libertarian			Others			Margin		Margin swing	Total votes
	Votes	%	EV	Votes	%	EV	Votes	%	EV	Votes	%	EV	Votes	%	EV	Votes	%	EV	Votes	%	%
Alabama	1,462,616	64.6%	9	772,412	34.1%	–	4,319	0.2%	–	12,075	0.5%	–	4,930	0.2%	–	8,738	0.4%	–	690,204	30.5%		2,265,090
Alaska	184,458	54.5%	3	140,026	41.4%	–	2,342	0.7%	–	5,670	1.7%	–	3,040	0.9%	–	2,641	0.5%	–	44,432	13.1%		340,981
Arizona	1,770,242	52.2%	11	1,582,860	46.7%	–	18,319	0.5%	–	–	–	–	17,898	0.5%	–	842	0.03%	–	187,382	5.5%		3,390,161
Arkansas	759,241	64.2%	6	396,905	33.6%	–	4,275	0.4%	–	13,255	1.1%	–	5,715	0.5%	–	3,285	0.3%	–	362,336	30.6%		1,182,676
California	6,081,697	38.3%	–	9,276,179	58.5%	54	167,814	1.1%	–	197,645	1.2%	–	66,662	0.4%	–	72,539	0.5%	–	-3,194,482	-20.2%		15,862,536
Colorado	1,377,441	43.2%	–	1,728,159	54.2%	10	17,344	0.5%	–	35,623	1.1%	–	21,439	0.7%	–	10,867	0.3%	–	-350,718	-11.0%		3,190,873
Connecticut	736,918	41.9%	–	992,053	56.4%	7	14,281	0.8%	–	8,448	0.5%	–	6,729	0.4%	–	581	0.04%	–	-255,135	-14.5%		1,759,010
Delaware	214,351	41.9%	–	289,758	56.6%	3	–	–	–	4,636	0.9%	–	2,038	0.4%	–	914	0.2%	–	-75,407	-14.7%		511,697
District of Columbia	21,076	6.5%	–	294,185	90.3%	3	–	–	–	2,778	0.9%	–	–	–	–	7,830	2.4%	–	-273,109	-83.8%		325,869
Florida	6,110,125	56.1%	30	4,683,038	43.0%	–	43,155	0.4%	–	–	–	–	31,972	0.3%	–	25,462	0.2%	–	1,427,087	13.1%		10,893,752
Georgia	2,663,117	50.7%	16	2,548,017	48.5%	–	18,229	0.4%	–	–	–	–	20,684	0.4%	–	–	–	–	115,100	2.2%		5,250,047
Hawaii	193,661	37.5%	–	313,044	60.6%	4	4,387	0.8%	–	–	–	–	2,733	0.5%	–	2,876	0.6%	–	-119,383	-22.8%		516,701
Idaho	605,246	66.9%	4	274,972	30.4%	–	2,973	0.3%	–	12,812	1.4%	–	4,462	0.5%	–	4,347	0.5%	–	330,274	36.5%		904,812
Illinois	2,449,079	43.5%	–	3,062,863	54.4%	19	31,023	0.6%	–	80,426	1.4%	–	3,510	0.1%	–	6,409	0.1%	–	-613,784	-10.9%		5,633,310
Indiana	1,720,347	58.6%	11	1,163,603	39.6%	–	–	–	–	29,325	1.0%	–	20,425	0.7%	–	2,977	0.1%	–	556,744	19.0%		2,936,677
Iowa	927,019	55.7%	6	707,278	42.5%	–	–	–	–	13,122	0.8%	–	7,218	0.4%	–	8,869	0.5%	–	219,741	13.2%		1,663,506
Kansas	758,802	57.2%	6	544,853	41.0%	–	–	–	–	16,322	1.2%	–	7,614	0.6%	–	–	–	–	213,949	16.2%		1,327,591
Kentucky	1,336,230	64.5%	8	700,921	33.9%	–	7,538	0.4%	–	16,753	0.8%	–	6,409	0.3%	–	2,250	0.1%	–	635,309	30.7%		2,070,101
Louisiana	1,208,505	60.2%	8	766,870	38.2%	–	7,138	0.4%	–	6,641	0.3%	–	6,835	0.3%	–	10,986	0.6%	–	441,635	22.0%		2,006,975
Maine †	377,837	45.5%	–	435,351	52.4%	2	8,973	1.1%	–	–	–	–	5,304	0.6%	–	3,524	0.4%	–	-57,514	-6.9%		830,989
ME-1Tooltip Maine's 1st congressional district	164,616	38.3%	–	255,427	59.5%	1	4,750	1.1%	–	–	–	–	2,800	0.7%	–	1,984	0.5%	–	-90,811	-21.2%		429,577
ME-2Tooltip Maine's 2nd congressional district	213,221	53.1%	1	179,924	44.8%	–	4,223	1.1%	–	–	–	–	2,504	0.6%	–	1,540	0.4%	–	33,297	8.3%		401,412
Maryland	1,035,550	34.1%	–	1,902,577	62.6%	10	33,134	1.1%	–	28,819	1.0%	–	15,570	0.5%	–	22,684	0.7%	–	-867,027	-28.5%		3,038,334
Massachusetts	1,251,308	36.0%	–	2,126,545	61.2%	11	26,544	0.8%	–	–	–	–	17,734	0.5%	–	51,522	1.5%	–	-875,237	-25.2%		3,473,653
Michigan	2,816,636	49.7%	15	2,736,533	48.3%	–	44,607	0.8%	–	26,785	0.5%	–	22,440	0.4%	–	17,185	0.3%	–	80,103	1.4%		5,664,186
Minnesota	1,519,032	46.7%	–	1,656,979	50.9%	10	16,275	0.5%	–	24,001	0.7%	–	15,155	0.5%	–	22,478	0.7%	–	-137,947	-4.2%		3,253,920
Mississippi	747,744	60.9%	6	466,668	38.0%	–	1,873	0.2%	–	5,387	0.4%	–	2,536	0.2%	–	3,800	0.3%	–	281,076	22.9%		1,228,008
Missouri	1,751,986	58.5%	10	1,200,599	40.1%	–	17,135	0.6%	–	–	–	–	23,876	0.8%	–	1,731	0.1%	–	551,387	18.4%		2,995,327
Montana	352,079	58.4%	4	231,906	38.5%	–	2,878	0.5%	–	11,825	2.0%	–	4,275	0.7%	–	21	0.004%	–	120,173	19.9%		602,984
Nebraska †	564,816	59.3%	2	369,995	38.9%	–	2,877	0.3%	–	–	–	–	6,399	0.7%	–	8,085	0.9%	–	194,821	20.4%		952,182
NE-1Tooltip Nebraska's 1st congressional district	177,666	55.5%	1	136,153	42.5%	–	1,011	0.3%	–	–	–	–	2,420	0.8%	–	2,944	0.9%	–	41,513	13.0%		320,194
NE-2Tooltip Nebraska's 2nd congressional district	148,905	46.7%	–	163,541	51.3%	1	1,110	0.4%	–	–	–	–	2,001	0.6%	–	3,089	1.0%	–	-14,636	-4.6%		318,646
NE-3Tooltip Nebraska's 3rd congressional district	238,245	76.0%	1	70,301	22.4%	–	766	0.3%	–	–	–	–	1,978	0.6%	–	2,052	0.7%	–	167,944	53.6%		313,342
Nevada	751,205	50.6%	6	705,197	47.5%	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	6,059	0.4%	–	22,379	1.5%	–	46,008	3.1%		1,484,840
New Hampshire	395,523	47.9%	–	418,488	50.7%	4	3,680	0.5%	–	–	–	–	4,425	0.5%	–	4,073	0.5%	–	-22,965	-2.8%		826,189
New Jersey	1,968,215	46.1%	–	2,220,713	52.0%	14	39,041	0.9%	–	23,479	0.6%	–	10,500	0.3%	–	10,777	0.3%	–	-252,498	-5.9%		4,272,725
New Mexico	423,391	45.9%	–	478,802	51.9%	5	4,611	0.5%	–	9,553	1.0%	–	3,745	0.4%	–	3,301	0.4%	–	-55,411	-6.0%		923,403
New York	3,578,899	43.3%	–	4,619,195	55.9%	28	46,698	0.6%	–	–	–	–	5,338	0.1%	–	12,365	0.2%	–	-1,040,296	-12.6%		8,262,495
North Carolina	2,898,424	50.9%	16	2,715,378	47.7%	–	24,762	0.4%	–	–	–	–	22,125	0.4%	–	38,456	0.7%	–	183,046	3.2%		5,699,145
North Dakota	246,505	67.0%	3	112,327	30.5%	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	6,227	1.7%	–	3,096	0.8%	–	134,178	36.5%		368,155
Ohio	3,180,116	55.1%	17	2,533,699	43.9%	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	28,200	0.5%	–	25,773	0.5%	–	646,417	11.2%		5,767,788
Oklahoma	1,036,213	66.2%	7	499,599	31.9%	–	–	–	–	16,020	1.0%	–	9,198	0.6%	–	5,143	0.3%	–	536,614	34.3%		1,566,173
Oregon	919,480	41.0%	–	1,240,600	55.3%	8	19,099	0.9%	–	33,733	1.5%	–	9,061	0.4%	–	22,520	1.0%	–	-321,120	-14.3%		2,244,493
Pennsylvania	3,543,308	50.4%	19	3,423,042	48.7%	–	34,538	0.5%	–	–	–	–	33,318	0.5%	–	–	–	–	120,266	1.7%		7,034,206
Rhode Island	214,406	41.8%	–	285,156	55.5%	4	2,900	0.6%	–	5,045	1.0%	–	1,617	0.3%	–	4,262	0.8%	–	-70,750	-13.7%		513,386
South Carolina	1,483,747	58.2%	9	1,028,452	40.4%	–	8,117	0.3%	–	–	–	–	12,669	0.5%	–	15,155	0.6%	–	455,295	17.8%		2,548,140
South Dakota	272,081	63.4%	3	146,859	34.2%	–	–	–	–	7,204	1.7%	–	2,778	0.7%	–	–	–	–	125,222	29.2%		428,922
Tennessee	1,966,865	64.2%	11	1,056,265	34.5%	–	8,967	0.3%	–	21,535	0.7%	–	–	–	–	10,310	0.3%	–	910,600	29.7%		3,063,942
Texas	6,393,597	56.1%	40	4,835,250	42.5%	–	82,701	0.7%	–	–	–	–	68,577	0.6%	–	8,569	0.1%	–	1,558,347	13.6%		11,388,674
Utah	883,818	59.4%	6	562,566	37.8%	–	8,222	0.6%	–	–	–	–	16,902	1.1%	–	16,502	1.1%	–	321,252	21.6%		1,488,043
Vermont	119,395	32.0%	–	235,791	63.2%	3	–	–	–	5,905	1.6%	–	1,828	0.5%	–	6,503	1.8%	–	-116,396	-31.2%		369,422
Virginia	2,075,085	46.1%	–	2,335,395	51.8%	13	34,888	0.8%	–	–	–	–	19,814	0.4%	–	40,759	0.9%	–	-260,310	-5.7%		4,505,941
Washington	1,530,923	39.0%	–	2,245,849	57.2%	12	29,754	0.8%	–	54,868	1.4%	–	16,428	0.4%	–	46,421	1.2%	–	-714,926	-18.2%		3,924,243
West Virginia	533,556	70.0%	4	214,309	28.1%	–	2,531	0.3%	–	8,947	1.2%	–	3,047	0.4%	–	–	–	–	319,247	41.9%		762,390
Wisconsin	1,697,626	49.6%	10	1,668,229	48.7%	–	12,275	0.4%	–	17,740	0.5%	–	10,511	0.3%	–	16,537	0.5%	–	29,397	0.9%		3,422,918
Wyoming	192,633	71.6%	3	69,527	25.8%	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	4,193	1.6%	–	2,695	1.0%	–	123,106	45.8%		269,048
Total			312			226			–			–			–			–
	Trump/Vance Republican			Harris/Walz Democratic			Stein/Ware Green			Kennedy/Shanahan Independent			Oliver/Maat Libertarian			Others			Margin		Margin swing	Total votes

States that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Arizona
• Georgia
• Michigan
• Nevada
• Pennsylvania
• Wisconsin

Territorial straw polls

Non-binding straw polls on the day of the Presidential general election to gauge the preference for President were held in the US territories of Guam and Puerto Rico. These polls, however, have no official say in the election.

Winners of the territory are in bold.

Election results

Territory	Winner				Runner-up				Other candidate				Ref.
	Candidate		Votes	%	Candidate		Votes	%	Candidate		Votes	%
Guam		Kamala Harris (D)	13,510	49.46		Donald Trump (R)‡	12,624	46.22		Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (I)	938	3.43
Puerto Rico		Kamala Harris (D)	724,947	63.62		Donald Trump (R)‡	263,270	23.10		Write in candidates	18,285	1.60

Close states

States where the margin of victory was under 1% (10 electoral votes; all won by Trump):

1. Wisconsin, 0.86% (29,397 votes) – 10 electoral votes

States where the margin of victory was between 1% and 5% (87 electoral votes; 72 won by Trump, 15 won by Harris):

1. Michigan, 1.41% (80,103 votes) – 15 electoral votes
2. Pennsylvania, 1.71% (120,266 votes) – 19 electoral votes (tipping-point state)
3. Georgia, 2.19% (115,100 votes) – 16 electoral votes
4. New Hampshire, 2.78% (22,965 votes) – 4 electoral votes
5. Nevada, 3.10% (46,008 votes) – 6 electoral votes
6. North Carolina, 3.21% (183,046 votes) – 16 electoral votes
7. Minnesota, 4.24% (137,947 votes) – 10 electoral votes
8. Nebraska's 2nd congressional district, 4.59% (14,636 votes) – 1 electoral vote

States/districts where the margin of victory was between 5% and 10% (46 electoral votes; 12 won by Trump, 34 by Harris):

1. Arizona, 5.53% (187,382 votes) – 11 electoral votes
2. Virginia, 5.78% (260,310 votes) – 13 electoral votes
3. New Jersey, 5.89% (252,450 votes) – 14 electoral votes
4. New Mexico, 6.00% (55,411 votes) – 5 electoral votes
5. Maine, 6.92% (57,514 votes) – 2 electoral votes
6. Maine's 2nd congressional district, 8.99% (35,425 votes) – 1 electoral vote

Red denotes states or congressional districts won by Republican Donald Trump; Blue denotes those won by Democrat Kamala Harris.

County statistics

Counties with highest percentage of Democratic vote:

1. Washington, D.C. – 90.27%
2. Prince George's County, Maryland – 86.04%
3. Petersburg, Virginia – 85.52%
4. Baltimore, Maryland – 84.55%
5. Clayton County, Georgia – 84.31%

Counties with highest percentage of Republican vote:

1. Grant County, Nebraska – 95.90%
2. Roberts County, Texas – 95.63%
3. Borden County, Texas – 95.61%
4. King County, Texas – 95.56%
5. Hayes County, Nebraska – 95.55%

Maps

• 
  Results of Electoral College votes won by each state and the District of Columbia. Note that these counts are tentative because the Electoral College has not yet convened.
• 
  Results by vote share in each state. Darker shades denote a higher vote share for the winning candidate. This map does not depict the results in Maine or Nebraska's congressional districts, which vote by congressional district and not at-large.
• 
  A discontinuous cartogram of state results, scaled by their Electoral College contribution.
• 
  Results by county, shaded by winner. Results are currently incomplete and will be updated as returns come in.
• 
  Results by county, shaded by winner's vote share. Results are currently incomplete and will be updated as returns come in.
• 
  Results by margin of victory in each state.
• 
  Swing in county margins from 2020 to 2024 presidential election.
• 
  Results by congressional district, shaded by winner. Results are currently incomplete and will be updated.

Analysis of results

As of 2024, Trump was the eighth presidential nominee to win non-faithless electoral votes in at least three elections, after Thomas Jefferson, Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, Grover Cleveland, William Jennings Bryan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Richard Nixon. Nixon and Trump are the only presidential candidates to win a significant number of electoral votes in three presidential elections since term limits were enacted with the ratification of the Twenty-second Amendment; Trump is the only one of those eight that won the popular vote exactly once (Clay and Bryan never won it). Trump is also the first president since Cleveland in 1892 to win non-consecutive terms, and the only president to win non-consecutive terms since the ratification of the Twenty-second Amendment, as well as the first Republican to do so. Trump is the first Republican since George W. Bush in 2004 to win the popular vote, the same year a Republican last secured a second term. Trump is the first non-incumbent Republican to have won the popular vote since George H. W. Bush in 1988. Trump improved his percentage of the vote in every state and DC compared to the 2020 election; 2024 was the first presidential election since 1976 in which all 50 states and DC shifted to the same party. Trump numerically performed with 49.8% of the vote, one of the smallest margins of victory since 1888, with his 1.58% victory smaller than every winning president other than two: John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Richard Nixon in 1968. While winning the popular vote, Trump did not win a majority of the popular vote, with his final tally roughly a half-percent smaller than Hillary Clinton's national popular-vote margin over Trump in 2016. Thus, Trump is the first Republican since Nixon in 1968 to win the popular vote with a plurality. This was the first election since 1944 in which a presidential candidate won two elections with a different vice presidential candidate, as Trump replaced Mike Pence with JD Vance. This was the third election in which the losing party failed to flip any states from the previous election, in 2012 Romney was able to flip Indiana and North Carolina despite losing.

Around 90% of counties swung towards Trump between the 2020 and 2024 elections, encompassing both rural and urban areas, and it was the first time since 1932 in which a candidate failed to flip a single county. All 50 states and DC swung towards Trump from 2020, making this the first time that all states and DC swung in the same direction since 1976. Nebraska's 1st congressional district was the only electoral jurisdiction that swung away from Trump. While most suburban areas also swung towards Trump, notable exceptions included those with large numbers of white college-educated voters, such as the suburbs of Atlanta, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee. Trump made substantial gains among Hispanic voters, most notably in South Florida and the Rio Grande Valley. Even among states that voted heavily for Biden in the 2020 election, Trump's gains were significant. The states of New York and New Jersey swung over ten points toward Trump, and Trump gained in Harris' home state of California. While there had been significant speculation prior to the election of Trump increasing his support among black voters, particularly black men, exit polling data showed only a marginal increase in black support for Trump (from 12% to 13%). Trump's gain was limited by the fact he lost ground among black women, only garnering 7% of their vote, compared to 9% in 2020. Democrats performed better in the downballot races, where they kept Republican margins extremely narrow in the House of Representatives and won Senate elections in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin despite Trump carrying those states. Post-election research by the Brookings Institution found that while Trump made inroads with minority voters, the Republican Party had "hardly" created a multiracial coalition, arguing that saying so was premature and that such support "could very well be a blip" based more on economic concerns.

Decline in Democratic turnout also was a major contributor to Trump winning the popular vote. Comparisons to 2020 and 2024 votes cast in heavily populated Democratic urban centers showed Harris losing millions of votes. New York City cast 573,000 fewer votes for Harris than Biden, Miami-Dade County 137,000, Cook County 295,000, Los Angeles County 620,000, and Harris County 115,000. Statewide, the only states that Harris received more votes than Biden were Maine, Utah, Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia and Wisconsin. Harris lost votes in critical battlegrounds Pennsylvania, Arizona and Michigan. Trump managed to gain another 2.5 million votes, mostly coming out of urban centers, but still garnering a couple hundred to thousands in rural and exurban counties across the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast and Mountain regions.

Harris won 226 Electoral College votes, the worst performance for a Democratic presidential ticket since that of Michael Dukakis in 1988. Trump won 312 electoral college votes, carrying 31 of 50 states. By winning, Trump, aged 78, is the oldest person ever to be elected U.S. president; Vance, aged 40, is the first Millennial to be elected vice president. In addition, this was the most recent of two elections in the 21st century in which a candidate from either party won fewer than 20 states, with the other being 2004, where John Kerry also won only 19 states.

Voter demographics

Exit poll

2024 presidential election exit poll

Demographic subgroup	Trump	Harris	% of total vote
Ideology
Liberals	7	91	23
Moderates	40	58	42
Conservatives	90	9	35
Party
Democrats	4	95	31
Republicans	94	5	35
Independents	46	49	34
Gender
Men	55	43	47
Women	45	53	53
Marital status
Married	56	42	54
Unmarried	42	55	46
Gender by marital status
Married men	60	38	28
Married women	52	47	26
Unmarried men	48	48	19
Unmarried women	38	61	26
Race/ethnicity
White	57	42	71
Black	13	86	11
Latino	46	51	11
Asian	40	55	3
Native American/American Indian	68	31	1
Other	52	44	2
Gender by race/ethnicity
White men	60	38	34
White women	53	46	37
Black men	21	77	5
Black women	7	92	7
Latino men	54	44	6
Latina women	39	58	6
Other	47	49	6
Religion
Protestant/Other Christian	63	36	43
Catholic	59	39	21
Jewish	22	78	2
Other religion	34	61	10
No religious affiliation	27	71	24
Religion by race
White Protestant	72	26	31
White Catholic	63	35	15
White Jewish	20	79	2
White other religion	42	55	5
White no religious affiliation	26	71	17
White evangelical or born again Christian
Yes	82	17	23
No	40	58	77
Age
18–24 years old	43	54	8
25–29 years old	45	53	5
30–39 years old	45	51	15
40–49 years old	49	49	15
50–64 years old	56	43	27
65 and older	50	49	28
Age by gender
Men 18–29 years old	49	48	7
Men 30–44 years old	52	45	11
Men 45–64 years old	59	39	16
Men 65 and older	56	43	12
Women 18–29 years old	38	61	7
Women 30–44 years old	41	56	12
Women 45–64 years old	50	49	19
Women 65 years and older	46	53	16
Age by race
White 18–29 years old	49	49	8
White 30–44 years old	54	44	15
White 45–64 years old	61	37	25
White 65 and older	56	43	23
Black 18–29 years old	16	83	2
Black 30–44 years old	15	83	3
Black 45–64 years old	14	84	4
Black 65 and older	6	93	3
Latino 18–29 years old	45	51	2
Latino 30–44 years old	45	52	3
Latino 45–64 years old	48	51	4
Latino 65 and older	41	58	2
Others	47	49	6
Sexual orientation
LGBT	12	86	8
Non-LGBT	53	45	92
First time voter
Yes	55	44	8
No	49	49	92
Education
High school or less	62	36	15
Some college education	51	47	26
Associate degree	57	41	16
Bachelor's degree	45	53	24
Postgraduate degree	38	59	19
Education by race
White college graduates	45	53	33
White no college degree	66	32	38
Non-White college graduates	32	65	10
Non-White no college degree	34	64	18
Education by race/gender
White women with college degrees	41	58	17
White women without college degrees	63	35	20
White men with college degrees	50	48	16
White men without college degrees	69	29	18
Non-White	33	64	29
Income
Under $30,000	46	50	11
$30,000–49,999	52	46	16
$50,000–99,999	52	46	32
$100,000–199,999	46	51	28
Over $200,000	46	52	13
Union households
Yes	45	53	19
No	51	47	81
Military service
Veterans	65	34	13
Non-veterans	48	50	87
Region
East	44	54	20
Midwest	52	46	22
South	56	43	35
West	43	54	22
Area type
Urban	38	60	29
Suburban	51	47	52
Rural	64	34	19
White suburban voters by gender
White suburban women	53	46	20
White suburban men	62	36	18
Other voters	45	52	62

Polling accuracy

After the 2020 misses, pollsters took steps to avoid similar errors. Despite this, national polls underestimated Trump a third time, albeit by less than in 2016 and 2020, and within the realm of a normal polling error; most polls going into the election showed essentially a tie, "within the poll's margin of error", and thus both Harris and Trump were a normal polling error away from the win, although this did not preclude either Harris or Trump achieving a sweep of the battleground states. In every swing state, Trump outperformed his final polling numbers by around 3%, which is in line with a normal margin of error. In 2016, the national polls were fairly accurate but Trump overperforming the polls in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin led to his Electoral College victory. In 2020, polls overestimated Biden's margin over Trump by about 4% in competitive states. In 2024, compared to 2020, the margin of error in swing states was less, and high-quality national polls were more accurate. There was also much discussion about the Electoral College bias, and the margin Harris had to achieve over Trump nationally to win in the Electoral College, which was lower than in 2020; in 2016 and 2020, the Electoral College bias in favor of Republicans was 2.9% and 3.8%, and according to late September 2024 polls it had been reduced to 0.7%, with the unlikely but not impossible outcome of Harris losing the national vote but winning the Electoral College.

As polling generally does not underestimate a party three cycles in a row, several pundits and media outlets had suggested that Harris was being underestimated by polls, and discussed the possibility of "shy Harris voters", referencing the shy Tory factor. The results of the 2022 midterms had also lent more legitimacy to this theory as predictions of a red wave election had evaporated on election day, with some accusing Republicans of "flooding the zone" with pollsters biased in their favor, although this did not seem to affect polling aggregators.

Polling averages were more accurate in swing states but vastly underestimated Trump's strength in both safe red and blue states, which helped to reduce the Electoral College bias. Florida and Texas were both projected to go for Trump by about 7%; he won them by about 13%. Pollster Ann Selzer released a poll in Iowa that had Harris winning the state by 3%, only for Trump to take the state by 13%. On the other hand, New Jersey was projected to be a safe state for Harris but most news stations waited until 90% of the vote was in before calling it for Harris, as she was only leading by 5%. Historian Allan Lichtman incorrectly predicted a Harris win using The Keys to the White House system.

Aftermath

Election night

A Voice of America report on Trump's victory

MCC-CFR Election Night with Peter Boghossian, Gladden Pappin, and Miklós Szánthó

NewsNation was the first TV network to call the race for Trump; the network relied on data from Decision Desk HQ, and the projection was made at 1:22 am. EST on November 6. Fox News projected Trump as the winner at 1:47 a.m. before ABC, the Associated Press, CBS, CNN, and NBC called the race a few hours later. In a convention center in West Palm Beach, Florida, he was greeted with cheers by supporters, chanting, "USA! USA! USA!" when Fox News declared him the winner. Trump claimed victory in a speech to his supporters, where he was joined on stage by his family and his running mate, JD Vance, saying: "America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate." Harris did not speak to her supporters, who had gathered at Howard University, her alma mater. Her campaign co-chair, Cedric Richmond, briefly addressed the crowd, saying Harris would speak publicly on Wednesday. A few hours later, other media outlets also projected Trump as the 47th president of the United States, with the Associated Press describing it as an "extraordinary comeback for a former president".

Reactions

Crisis services for the LGBTQ+ community saw a sharp increase in usage during the election week. The Trevor Project's crisis lines saw a 125% increase since around midnight on election night according to a statement by CEO Jaymes Black on November 6, and followed an about 200% increase in election related conversations that had been seen between November 3–4. By November 8, it was reported that the organization saw an overall increase by 700%. The Crisis Text Line also reported that 56% of their users reported as LGBTQ+ on election day.

Google search trends after Trump was announced as the winner also saw spikes in specific searches, with the term "tariff" and "Trump's tariff plan" showing an increase by 1,650% since the election. A similar search of "who pays tariffs" saw an increase of 350%. Other google search trend spikes were seen with "How to change my vote" spiking the morning of November 5 specifically in Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska and Alabama. Moving to other countries from the United States also saw a surge in searches after the election with an overall 1,514% increase in Google searches overall. The highest increase was seen in searches about moving to New Zealand, Germany, and the Netherlands, which respectively saw increases of 7,600%, 4,200%, and 3,233%. A company that assists wealthy Americans in securing foreign citizenship saw a 200× jump in inquiries.

Political

Harris conceded victory to Trump on November 6, 2024.

Democrats had split reactions to the loss, with differing views on why Harris lost the election. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders criticized the Democratic campaign afterward, saying the party "abandoned working class people" and found that "the working class has abandoned them". He further blamed "big money" and "well-paid consultants" for the loss, and argued against sending billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. While expressing respect for Sanders and his views, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi disagreed with the claim that the "Democratic Party has abandoned the working-class families", instead blaming the party's loss on Biden's late exit and the lack of an open Democratic primary. The New York Times reported Pelosi felt cultural issues were more to blame for the party's losses among working-class voters.

Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison dismissed Sanders' criticism as "straight-up BS". Sanders also wrote an article in The Boston Globe, in which he offered a list of "working class priorities" that Democrats should fight for. In it, he acknowledged some positive changes achieved by Biden but said that they were "almost never discussed within the context of a grossly unfair economy that continues to fail ordinary Americans" and did not address the anger of the working class.

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) believed that the Democrats couldn't connect to a large amount of voters, and should embrace populism going forward. Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY), who represents the Bronx, said he wasn't surprised by Harris' loss. Torres attributed Trump's victory to public discontent over inflation and immigration, and believed that Harris ran an effective campaign, but could not overcome the difficult electoral environment.

Representative Lloyd Doggett, who was the first sitting Democrat in Congress to openly call for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential election after the first presidential debate, stated, “I only regret I didn’t do it earlier. I think it’s unfortunate that he took three weeks to decide. I believe that the only person in our caucus who doesn’t share some responsibility for the outcome is Dean Phillips, who came out early. I accept responsibility as well that there’s more that we could have done.”

Former Republican president George W. Bush, who had declined to endorse either candidate, offered his congratulations to Trump and said that what he defined as a "strong turnout" in the election was a "sign of the health of our republic and the strength of our democratic institutions". Former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle released a statement admitting their "profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues", and lauded Harris and Walz's efforts yet emphasized "recognizing that our point of view won't always win out, and being willing to accept the peaceful transfer of power" concerning the incoming Trump administration. On November 6, the day after Trump's victory, Harris publicly conceded her loss.

International reactions

Several reactions from governments, individuals, organizations, and multi-nation institutions around the world emerged for the re-election of Trump with, generally, most world governments congratulating Trump on his victory in the election.

Financial

Wall Street's main indexes reported record highs on the day after election night, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 3.57%, the S&P 500 up 2.53%, and Nasdaq up 2.95%. Elon Musk, a prominent Trump supporter and the CEO of Tesla, saw a nearly $20 billion increase in his fortune following a post-election surge in the company's stock by 12% to a high of $288 per share. On the Friday after, November 8, Tesla's shares surged more than 6%, bringing the company's market cap to $1 trillion. Its growth started from $807.1 billion through Tuesday's close, rallying a total of 27% during election week. By Friday, the stock was up about 26% year to date.

"Stolen election" conspiracy theories

Following Trump's victory, some Harris supporters on X shared election denial conspiracy theories, claiming that millions of ballots were "left uncounted" and there being something "not right" with the election. Such posts falsely claiming Trump "stole" the election peaked at noon the day after at 94,000 posts per hour, with many receiving amplification and gaining over a million views each. According to Gordon Crovitz, the CEO of the media rating system NewsGuard, the phrase "Trump cheated" received 92,100 mentions on the platform from midnight until the Wednesday morning after. Besides the claims from Harris' supporters, some Trump supporters baselessly claimed the disparity between other years, the 2020 election, and a then-incomplete 2024 voting total indicated voter fraud in the 2020 election.

One major "basis" these false claims were founded upon was a claim that Biden won 20 million more votes in his prior election bid than Harris did in hers. American journalist and conspiracy theorist Wayne Madsen commented on Threads: "I'm beginning to believe our election was massively hacked just like happened a few weeks ago in the Republic of Georgia." At the time these fallacies were disseminated, votes were still being counted in many states. An estimate around the time using the Associated Press vote percentage total found that 16.2 million votes across twenty states and D.C. had yet to be counted. Statistical analysis of voting asserted that despite continued counting, the projections were already set and new ballots would not sway the outcomes of any of the states and D.C. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director Jen Easterly refuted the false claims, and wrote in a statement that there was "no evidence of any malicious activity that had a material impact on the security or integrity of our election infrastructure". Another false claim alleges Musk used the satellite internet constellation Starlink to change the results of the election. Chief technology officer Chip Trowbridge of voting system manufacturer Clear Ballot dismissed the claim and added no machine used to scan voting ballots have any network connection whatsoever.

Text message harassment

Numerous Black Americans across multiple states reported receiving threatening, racist text messages the day after the election. Some of the texts referenced the incoming Trump administration but the sender remained unknown as of November 10, 2024. Days later, several Hispanic and LGBTQIA students also reported receiving similar harassment through text message and email.

Media analysis

Harris' loss

Harris' loss to Trump received substantial media analysis, ranging from the years of inflation and an earlier immigration crisis, to global incumbency backlash, to Biden's too late exit and the lack of an open primary, with Democrats and others arguing about what went wrong and how should the party move forward.

Electoral environment

According to exit polls, voters disapproved of Biden's performance 59-39%, and disapproved of how things were going in the United States 73-25%. Also, voters judged the economy negatively 68-32%, and said that inflation had caused them hardship 75-24%. A YouGov poll conducted from November 6–7, 2024 found that if Biden had been the Democratic nominee, Trump would have won the popular vote 49-42%. Nonpartisan election forecasters, including The Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball, stated before the election that Biden was almost certain to lose if he had been the Democratic nominee.

Almost every incumbent party worldwide facing election in 2024 lost vote share, including in South Africa, India, France, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Among democracies, over 80 percent saw the incumbent party lose support compared to the last election. This is the first time this has ever happened since 1905 (when data was first recorded) and the first time in the history of democracy, as universal suffrage began in 1894. All 50 states and the District of Columbia shifted rightward compared to 2020. Trump's gains in nearly all geographic areas and among nearly every demographic group provides strong evidence of anti-incumbent backlash. The shifts toward Trump were much less in the swing states where both campaigns focused compared to safe states. The two states with the largest shifts toward Trump, New York and New Jersey, were both won by Harris.

Statistician and election analyst Nate Silver argued beforehand that the national electoral environment was difficult for Democrats to begin with. After the election, Silver felt that Harris was a replacement-level candidate who did much better than Biden would have, but was unable to separate herself from Biden's record and was negatively perceived by swing voters due to her previous positions. After the election, Silver believed Biden would have lost the popular vote by 6 to 8 points, likely losing New Hampshire, Minnesota, Virginia, New Mexico, Nebraska's 2nd congressional district, and possibly even New Jersey. Silver's final forecast gave the advantage (i.e. greater than 50% odds of winning) to the eventual winner in 48 out of the 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and all congressional districts awarding electoral votes. Only Trump's victories in Michigan and Wisconsin did not occur in the majority of Silver's final simulations. Amy Walter, editor of the nonpartisan The Cook Political Report, also argued that the electoral environment was inherently difficult for Harris, because the top issue for voters was inflation during the Biden-Harris administration, for which Trump was viewed more favorably.

Ronald Brownstein of The Atlantic, who spoke with members of Harris' campaign, argued that the extent of Biden's unpopularity and public discontent with the economy proved too much for Harris to overcome. Brownstein compared the election to similar past elections, including the 1968 election, when the unpopular incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson withdrew and Vice President Hubert Humphrey lost to Richard Nixon, and the 1980 presidential election, when incumbent Jimmy Carter lost to Ronald Reagan due to stagflation and the 1970s energy crisis. Members of Harris' campaign stated after the election that their internal polling showed Harris either behind or tied with Trump, and they did not believe that Harris was the favorite to win the election.

Analyst assessments

Bar plot of the percentage of the population with a Bachelor's degree in the electoral jurisdictions won by Kamala Harris in the 2024 United States presidential election.

The Independent's Jon Sopel wrote that the most pressing issues that decided Harris' defeat were matters Biden had been perceived as a failure at by the American public; these included the fact that, as part of the global 2021–2023 inflation surge, inflation went up by 20% and real wages had not adjusted to match, and the state of the Mexico–United States border. Sopel said that by "embracing the Biden agenda, [Harris] was simply tying herself to his unpopularity". In a Time piece, Henry M. J. Tonks tied the result to the party's prioritization of professional class workers and suburbs over working class, blue-collar voters. He argued the shift away from working-class voters had been occurring since the late 1960s in response to the Vietnam War and the growth of the tech industry. Of the electoral jurisdictions that Harris won, 19 states, DC, and Nebraska's second congressional district, all except New Mexico had above-average educational attainment.

CNN's Edward-Isaac Dovere felt that some problems, such as the problems with her staff, could have been solved, but other problems such as her ties with Biden could not have been solved. Dovere mused that had Biden stepped down earlier, the Democratic Party might have had the time to launch a proper primary campaign. He also mused that Walz was chosen because he could not "outshine" her, and that this reflected her "newfound confidence and her long-standing insecurity". The Economic Times cited surveys showing "broad negative sentiment" about the economy, and Harris being "relentlessly hammered" by Trump during campaigns about this. The Economic Times cited University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl Tobias's appraisal of Trump's stance on immigration winning over Harris', and mentioned how Trump had increased his support from Hispanics, especially near the Mexican–American border and in areas impacted by recent immigration. Harris campaigning at multiple events with former Republican representative Liz Cheney has been suggested as a contributing factor as to why she lost.

Los Angeles Times's Noah Bierman felt Harris could not overcome being the "turn the page" candidate, and cited former president Barack Obama's lead strategist David Axelrod, who said: "If you're the vice president of an administration people want to fire, you're way behind the eight-ball to start." Bierman wrote that besides criminal context, Trump "never followed a script, scoffed at the rules and spoke directly to the economic and cultural anxieties of the country". In The New York Times, Timothy Shenk argued that Democrats failed to articulate a vision for the future other than being against Trump and did not lean into a message of economic populism that polled best with swing voters but also that the election looked more like a rejection of Biden than the embrace of Trump. In another The New York Times article, Nate Cohn analyzed exit polls showing Trump's gains among Non-White and young voters, suggesting Trump's populist message resonated with many voters previously considered part of the Democratic Party's base. Jen Psaki, who served as Biden's first press secretary, suggested that Harris focusing on Anti-Trump Republicans was not a winning strategy.

Charlie Cook, founder of the nonpartisan The Cook Political Report, said that swing voters broke in favor of Trump due to anger over inflation associated with the Biden-Harris administration, causing Trump to sweep the swing states. However, Democrats did better in down-ballot races, meaning Trump did not have a strong coattail effect. The Atlantic's Ronald Brownstein argued that the Democratic Party's success in the 2022 midterm elections, when Trump was not on the ballot, had led them to underestimate Trump's support. Democrats also performed better than Harris in down-ballot races, suggesting voters likely assigned their blame over the economy on the Biden-Harris administration rather than the Democratic Party at-large.

The BBC's Courtney Subramanian said Harris "couldn't shake the anti-Biden sentiment that permeated much of the electorate", that she "failed to deliver a convincing argument about why she should lead the country", did not state a strategy to combat economic frustrations, and failed to address widespread concerns over immigration. Vox's Nicole Narea highlighted inflation outpacing wages in certain industries, rising unemployment, and rising consumer debt and falling savings as key economic indicators that Democrats "may have missed". In another Vox article, Andrew Prokop argued Harris suffered from a worldwide backlash to incumbents over inflation, as well as her struggles unifying the party over Gaza, failing to be a change candidate, and her difficulty in defending or abandoning positions she took during her 2020 presidential run. She suspended her campaign in December 2019, never giving her the experience of running in a nationwide election as a candidate.

Trump's victory

Although the economy had recovered by many conventional metrics, wages increased, and inflation was in check, and border crossings had also declined significantly, Trump was ultimately able to successfully convince voters through his promises of fixing the economy and block the flow of immigrants at the border. According to exit polls, voters whose top issues were the economy and immigration largely voted for Trump. According to exit polls, Trump won voters making between $30,000 and $100,000, while Harris won voters making less than $30,000 or more than $100,000, though the margins among all income groups were in the single digits.

Time's Eric Cortellessa wrote that the thesis of Trump's campaign boiled down to the simple slogan "Max out the men and hold the women", meaning emphasizing the economy and immigration, which Trump did "relentlessly". Cortellessa also mentioned Trump's minimization of his numerous controversies, and push-offs of criminal trials via "a combination of friendly judges and legal postponements" to after the election. He said Trump's "advanced age and increasingly incoherent trail rhetoric" were taken by voters in stride, and that "much of the country read Trump's legal woes as part of a larger corrupt conspiracy to deny him, and them, power". NPR wrote that "Americans have continued to chafe at higher than pre-pandemic prices and the lack of affordable housing", and that much of the voter placed the blame "squarely" on the Biden administration. NPR said demographics played an important role, with White voters going up as a share of the electorate from 67% to 71% and Trump winning 46% of Latinos, and mentioned polling's "continued underestimation of Trump's support nationally and in the key swing states".

The New York Times headlined how "[Trump] made one essential bet: that his grievances would become the grievances of the MAGA movement, and then the G.O.P., and then more than half the country. It paid off." The New York Times said that Trump's several setbacks actually benefited his public image and approval, as "his mug shot became a best-selling shirt. His criminal conviction inspired $100 million in donations in one day. The images of him bleeding after a failed assassination attempt became the symbol of what supporters saw as a campaign of destiny."

NBC cited a Democratic strategist's appraisal of many men's concerns over feeling like "they're being left behind, that society doesn't have a place for them", and that this was a major factor in that demographic's role to return Trump to power. The network said his approval among non-college-educated and middle-income voters, Latinos generally and Latino men specifically, made strides in his promise to assemble a multiracial working-class coalition of supporters. Trump increased his support from Hispanics, especially near the Mexican–American border and in areas impacted by recent immigration.

Several observers pointed to shifting habits in how Americans consume media and a growing lack of trust in and influence of mainstream news outlets. Trump embraced alternative media through podcasts and online streamers such as Joe Rogan, Adin Ross, Theo Von, and the Nelk Boys. The New York Times reported that such avenues "presented a way for Mr. Trump to sidestep more confrontational interviews with professional journalists, where he might face tough questions, fact-checks and detailed policy debates. The influencers he met with rarely challenged Mr. Trump, and often lavished him with praise." Observers also highlighted Trump's courting of the "manosphere", a collection of what The Guardian described as "male podcasters, influencers and public figures" that "marketed themselves as free-thinking pundits who evaded the bounds of political classification". Post-election research showed that nearly 40% of young voters got their news from social media influencers, and despite claims of conservative censorship, a majority of influencers leaned right.

See also

• 2024 United States elections
  • 2024 United States gubernatorial elections
  • 2024 United States House of Representatives elections
  • 2024 United States Senate elections
• Timeline of the 2024 United States presidential election
• Republican Party efforts to disrupt the 2024 United States presidential election
• 1968 United States presidential election