The 2024 Race to The White House Is Finished

Voters have voted and the American people have spoken. A decision has been made and as of Wednesday, November 6, 2024, the Presidential results at the 11 o'clock hour is that Donald Trump has won the presidency for a second time, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris.

It was known that they key to winning this election were the seven battleground states, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. There was a total of 93 electoral votes out of the 538 in total. That means that 445 electoral votes come from states who are considered relatively safe for one candidate or the other. However, it only takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. Election results show that as of now, VP Harris has 224 votes and Former President Trump has 277 votes.

Trump who is 78 years old, has already declared victory! Late last night, early this morning, at his election headquarters in Florida, he gave a speech to his supporters. Standing alongside his family and campaign mate, Senator JD Vance, Trump stated, "I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president and your 45th president." He continued by saying, "And every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and for your future. Every single day, I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body."

On the opposing side, Vice President Kamala Harris, did not speak during Election Night. She ended up forgoing a planned event on campus of her alma mater, Howard University in DC. However, her campaign co-chair spoke. Harris, did not speak during Election Night. She ended up forgoing a planned event on campus of her alma mater, Howard University in DC. However, her campaign co-chair said that she will address her supporters and the nation later Wednesday.

Continuing with election results in both the House and Senate, Republicans win Senate majority and votes are still being tallied for the House. At this very moment, the control in the House is still being determined. There may be hope for either side due to the fact that more than 100 races are still being counted. At the same time, the republican party returns since being locked out of the majority in the chamber since 2021.

So, what's next you may be wondering?

The president-elect has a 75-day transition period to create and establish his team before Jan 20th, the Inauguration Day. According to the Associated Press, Trump has to fill close to 4,000 government positions with political appointees by Trump's team.

We could possibly see an increase in political violence. The media landscape could change tremendously, which we have seen before his views on the media. Mass deportations of immigrants. An increase in national debt, a national sales tax, cuts to Social Security and the elimination of programs like the Affordable Care Act. He could actually go through with getting rid of the United States Department of Education. If that does become true, no one knows just the amount of damage it could do to schools, educators, students and parents.

All votes that were cast on Election Day have not been tallied completely, so there is still hope left for those in support of either party. At this point, no matter what side of the presidential party you chose, what can you do as an American to help make an impact in your community and to increase positive change. What can you establish or create at your local level to empower others, that is the real question. Take a moment to breathe and take in the election results and come up with a plan to improve and contribute as an American citizen that is for the greater good of those that live in your community.

Donald Trump is now the President-Elect of the United States of America.