It’s been over a year since the dust settled on the most chaotic election in modern history. If you're still asking who is winning trump or harris, the answer is written in the history books, but the "why" and the "how" are way more interesting than just a final score.
Donald Trump didn't just win; he staged the most significant political comeback since Grover Cleveland. By the time the sun rose on November 6, 2024, the map was a sea of red that few pollsters actually saw coming. Trump cleared the 270 electoral vote hurdle with room to spare, finishing with 312 electoral votes compared to Kamala Harris’s 226.
What Actually Happened on Election Night?
The vibes were weird from the start. Early on, the "Blue Wall" looked shaky. Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin—the states Harris absolutely needed—fell one by one. Honestly, it wasn't even as close as 2020. Trump swept every single one of the seven major swing states.
He even flipped Nevada. That hasn't happened for a Republican since 2004.
The popular vote was the real shocker for most people. For the first time in twenty years, a Republican won the most individual votes across the country. Trump pulled in roughly 77.3 million votes (49.8%), while Harris ended with about 75 million (48.3%).
Why the Polls Got It Wrong (Again)
You've probably heard this story before. "The shy Trump voter" or "the polling miss." But it was deeper than that this time. Harris struggled to keep the coalition that Biden built in 2020.
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Basically, the traditional Democratic base started to crack.
- Young Voters: Harris won voters under 30, but the margin was way thinner than it used to be. Many young men, in particular, moved toward Trump.
- The Latino Vote: This was the headline of the night. In places like Florida and even parts of South Texas, Trump’s numbers among Hispanic men skyrocketed.
- Black Voters: While 83% of Black voters still backed Harris, Trump nearly doubled his support in this demographic compared to 2020.
It turns out that "kitchen table issues" like the price of eggs and gas mattered more to people than the high-level rhetoric about "saving democracy." People felt the pinch in their wallets, and they voted for the guy who promised to fix it.
The Aftermath: Trump’s First Year as the 47th President
Since being sworn in on January 20, 2025, Trump hasn't wasted a single second. If you thought his first term was wild, this "2.0" version is on steroids. He’s been using executive orders like they’re going out of style—signing over 140 in his first hundred days.
The Big Moves in 2025
The administration immediately pivoted to "America First" on a scale we haven't seen. He officially pulled the U.S. out of the World Health Organization (WHO) again. Then there's DOGE—the Department of Government Efficiency. Having Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy looking over the books of the federal government has been... well, it's been loud.
They’ve been cutting regulations and trying to trim the federal workforce, which has led to massive legal battles in D.C.
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One of the most talked-about policies has been the Working Families Tax Cuts. This included the creation of "Trump Accounts"—basically individual retirement accounts for kids. The government puts in a $1,000 "pilot" contribution for babies born after Jan 1, 2025. It’s a huge shift in how the GOP handles social policy, and honestly, it’s been pretty popular even with people who didn't vote for him.
Foreign Policy and the "Greenland Crisis"
Things have been tense globally. Trump’s "Liberation Day" tariffs on imports caused a brief, scary stock market dip in mid-2025 before things stabilized. He’s also been pushing NATO allies hard. Just recently, there was a bizarre diplomatic spat involving Greenland (again) and tariffs on the UK.
And then there's the Middle East. The administration has gone all-in on support for Israel, especially during the Iran-Israel conflicts in the summer of 2025.
Where Is Kamala Harris Now?
After the loss, Harris has kept a relatively low profile, though she’s still a major figure in the Democratic party. There’s a lot of finger-pointing going on behind the scenes. Some blame the "incumbency trap"—the idea that being part of the Biden-Harris administration made it impossible for her to distance herself from the inflation issues.
Others say she just didn't have enough time to introduce herself after Biden dropped out in the summer of 2024.
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The Democrats are currently in a "soul-searching" phase. They’re trying to figure out how they lost the working class and why their message didn't land in the suburbs of Philly and Detroit like it used to.
What You Should Do Now
If you're trying to keep up with the chaos of 2026, don't just watch the clips on social media. The landscape is moving fast.
- Watch the Courts: Most of Trump’s executive orders are being challenged. Whether he actually "wins" on things like mass deportations depends on the Supreme Court, not just the White House.
- Monitor the Fed: With all the tariffs and the "DOGE" cuts, inflation and interest rates are the real metrics to watch. If the economy stays stable, the GOP’s hold on the 2026 midterms looks strong.
- Check Local Impacts: Policies like the Laken Riley Act and changes to federal policing have direct effects on how cities are run. Look at your own state’s response to these federal shifts.
The question of who is winning trump or harris was answered at the ballot box, but the impact of that answer is something we’re going to be feeling for the next three years. It’s a different country now, for better or worse.
To stay informed on specific policy changes, you should regularly check the Federal Register for new executive orders and follow non-partisan budget analysis from groups like the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to see how these tax cuts and tariffs are actually affecting the national deficit.