Back to the White House

We had got used to election results that took days or weeks to arrive. Not this time. It came clear in the night after polling stations closed that Donald Trump would be returning to the White House, this time as the 47th President of the U.S.A. 

Although the final results won't be in for weeks, all the news media outlets have announced a Trump win, both in the popular vote and the electoral college. If the finalised results confirm that, Donald Trump would be the first Republican since George W. Bush in 2004 to win the popular vote. And he is only the second President to be elected to two non-consecutive terms. The first was Democrat Grover Cleveland, who was elected as the 22nd President in 1884 and the 24th in 1892.

What's more, the President could have free rein to implement his policies as the Republican Party has obtained a majority in the Senate and could potentially also take the House of Representatives. There are still a number of very close races to be decided there and final results may take weeks.

Transition
Unlike many Western countries, neither the President elect nor newly elected members of Congress take office immediately. The 119th Congress will first convene on 3 January, 2025, and on 6 January current Vice-President Kamala Harris will oversee the official count by Congress of the Electoral College votes which will have been cast by the electors in each state on 17 December. Donald Trump will only become President again at his inauguration in Washington, D.C., on 20 January. At the same time, J.D. Vance will be sworn in as Vice-President.

In the meantime, Joe Biden and the 118th Congress will continue as "lame ducks".

In her concession speech on 6 November, Kamala Harris promised to help Donald Trump's transition team prepare for power.

The incoming President's transition team and the inauguration are financed by a mix of donations and public funding, if the campaign follows rules that open the public funding.

During the transition period, the Trump team will propose names to fill about 4,000 politically appointed government posts. Around 1,200 of those need to be confirmed by the Senate. As in his first term, Donald Trump's team will include his sons and other members of his family. Other names that were mentioned during the campaign include Robert Kennedy Jr., who withdrew his candidacy as an independent for the presidency in August, and who is expected to be put in charge of healthcare. Billionaire donor Elon Musk, is expected to have a role in finding ways to cut costs in the Administration.

Policies
Donald Trump and the Republican Party published a 20-point platform before the election. It includes four points against immigration and migrants, including sealing the border and deporting large numbers of undocumented immigrants. The economy, the other top priority quoted by Trump voters, is covered by points promising tax cuts, support for manufacturing and energy production and point 3, "End inflation, and make America affordable again." Foreign policy is covered in one global point, "Prevent world war three, restore peace in Europe and in the Middle East, and build a great iron dome missile defense shield over our entire country - all made in America."

Legal cases
Donald Trump still has several legal cases pending and he is due in court on 26 November to be sentenced for the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records he was convicted of in May in the Stormy Daniels case. But Mr Trump's lawyers are pushing for sentencing to be deferred until he has exhausted the appeals process, and failing that to consider that he has Presidential immunity from sentencing until 2029.

The other state cases may also be deferred and as a candidate Donald Trump talked about having power as President to end federal proceedings against him over the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.

However, a Supreme Court ruling from 1997 excluded Presidents from immunity in civil law cases. Donald Trump is facing several of these and is appealing against convictions and heavy fines imposed in the defamation case brought by Jean Carroll and the case where Donald Trump, his sons and company were found guilty of inflating the value of the company's assets to obtain favourable rates for insurance and loans.