Honestly, if you're still asking who is winning the president election, you've probably been looking at the wrong calendar. It’s 2026. The dust didn't just settle; it was buried under a year of executive orders, a massive shift in the GOP, and a whole lot of "I told you so's" from every side of the aisle.
Donald Trump won.
He didn't just win; he flipped the script on what we thought was a "close" race. On November 5, 2024, the map turned redder than most pollsters ever predicted. Trump secured 312 electoral votes. Kamala Harris ended up with 226.
That’s the basic math. But the math doesn't tell you how we got here or why the country feels so different today than it did fourteen months ago.
The 2024 Map: How the "Winning" Actually Happened
You've gotta understand how weird that night was.
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For months, the media talked about a "margin of error" race. They said it would take weeks to count the ballots in Pennsylvania. They were wrong. Trump swept all seven major battleground states. Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. All of them.
It wasn't just a squeaker in the Electoral College, either. For the first time since George W. Bush in 2004, a Republican won the national popular vote. Trump pulled in roughly 77.3 million votes compared to Harris's 75 million.
Why does this matter now? Because it gave him what he calls a "massive mandate."
The Blue Wall Crumbled (Again)
Remember the "Blue Wall"? That set of Midwestern states Democrats count on like a security blanket? It didn't just leak; it collapsed.
In Michigan and Wisconsin, the shift was subtle but deep. It wasn't that everyone suddenly loved the "MAGA" hat. It was more that a huge chunk of voters—especially working-class men and some younger Latino voters—just felt like the current system wasn't working for their wallets.
They chose the guy who promised to blow the system up.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Results
A lot of folks think Harris lost because of one specific gaffe or a bad interview. Kinda simplistic, right?
The reality is more complex. Harris had to carry the weight of an incumbent administration during a time of global inflation. People were annoyed at the grocery store. That’s usually a death sentence for the party in power.
Also, JD Vance turned out to be a much more effective "closer" than people expected. While the media focused on his past comments, he was out in places like western Pennsylvania and rural Wisconsin, speaking directly to the "forgotten" voters. He’s now the 50th Vice President, and he’s basically the architect of the administration's new industrial policy.
The 2026 Reality: Who is "Winning" Now?
Winning an election is one thing. Winning the "peace" afterward is another.
Since the inauguration on January 20, 2025, the "winning" has looked like a whirlwind of activity. We aren't just talking about tweets anymore. We're talking about real, hard-hitting policy changes that have hit the country like a freight train.
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- The Tariffs: Trump implemented some of the highest tariffs since the Great Depression. He calls it "protectionism." Economists at places like Brookings say it’s pushing up prices for you and me.
- Mass Deportations: One of the biggest campaign promises was "Day 1" deportations. While it hasn't been as fast as promised, the military presence at the border has increased significantly.
- Operation Absolute Resolve: Just a few weeks ago, in early January 2026, U.S. Special Forces extracted Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela. That’s a "win" in the eyes of the administration, but it’s left the world's geopolitical stage feeling pretty shaky.
Is the Public Still On Board?
Sorta.
If you look at the latest polling for January 2026, Trump’s approval rating is hovering around 43%. People like his stance on crime and the border, but the economy is a sore spot.
About 72% of Americans rate the economy as "fair" or "poor" right now. The stock market is resilient—it always seems to be—but the average person is feeling the pinch of those tariffs.
Misconceptions You Should Toss Out
Let’s clear up some nonsense.
- "The election was stolen." No. Despite all the noise in 2020, the 2024 results were widely accepted by the institutions, even if the losing side was devastated.
- "Trump is a lame duck." Hardly. With a Republican-controlled Senate and House (at least until the midterms later this year), he's been moving fast.
- "The 2026 Midterms won't matter." They're actually the only thing that matters right now. Democrats are currently leading the generic ballot by about 5 points because of those economic concerns I mentioned.
What Happens Next: Your Action Plan
We’re officially in the "midterm cycle." If you’re trying to keep track of who is "winning" the political battle in America today, don't look at the 2024 maps anymore. Look at the 2026 congressional races.
Here is what you need to do to stay ahead of the curve:
Watch the "Trump 2.0" Winners and Losers
Keep an eye on defense contractors and gold. They've been the big winners in the market this year. Conversely, if you're invested in oil or certain tech sectors, things have been a bit more volatile due to oversupply and new regulations.
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Monitor the 2026 Midterm Primaries
The "winning" is now happening inside the parties. Watch to see if "MAGA" candidates continue to sweep GOP primaries or if more moderate voices start to claw back some ground. On the Democrat side, look for whether they pivot back to the center or double down on the "Resistance" 2.0.
Check Your Own Wallet
Policy is personal now. With the U.S. withdrawing from the UN Climate Body and reshuffling trade deals, your energy costs and consumer goods prices are going to fluctuate.
The 2024 election is over. Trump won. But the fight for what "winning" actually looks like for the American people is just getting started as we head toward the 2026 midterms. Stay skeptical, stay informed, and don't believe every headline that tells you everything is either perfect or a total disaster. Usually, it's somewhere in the messy middle.