YORK, Pa. — Former President Donald Trump (R) has defeated current Vice President Kamala Harris to become the 47th president of the United States, the Associated Press projects.
The President-elect defeated Harris by clinching 270 electoral votes early Wednesday morning.
With the win, Trump now holds the title of both 45th and 47th President of the United States. He is the second president in history to hold office in nonconsecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland’s terms from 1885-89 and 1893-97.
In 1971, Trump took over his father’s real estate company, renaming it the Trump Organization. The business soon became involved in a variety of projects, including hotels, resorts, residential and commercial buildings, casinos and golf courses. He became a notable public figure with his reality television show “The Apprentice.”
Despite losing the popular vote, Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the General Election in 2016 by winning a majority of Electoral College votes.
In 2019, the House of Representatives impeached President Trump based upon allegations of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. In 2020, the Senate acquitted Trump on both articles of impeachment.
Trump lost reelection to Democratic candidate Joe Biden in 2020 but publicly claimed widespread voter fraud had affected the outcome. On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump spoke to a large crowd at the Ellipse near the White House and encouraged attendees to protest the counting of the Electoral College votes in Congress.
The rally turned violent when supporters overwhelmed law enforcement, breaching the United States Capitol and disrupting the vote count. Five people ultimately died as a result of the violence and the Capitol complex suffered millions of dollars in damage, according to Trump’s White House Biography.
On Jan. 13, 2021, Trump’s actions resulted in the House of Representatives approving another article of impeachment: the incitement of insurrection.
He is the only president in American history to be impeached twice by Congress.
Trump also became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to adult actress Stormy Daniels.
Throughout his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump made promises to rebuild the economy, secure the border, stop crime and restore safety, renew American strength and leadership and “drain the swamp” of Washington corruption.
He will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.