News Brief
Joe Biden (right) and Donald Trump. (Illustration: Swarajya Magazine)
On Saturday (9 November), Donald Trump secured a victory in Arizona, marking a complete sweep of all seven swing states in the United States (US) presidential election held on 5 November.
This win adds Arizona's 11 electoral votes to the Republican total, flipping the state back to the Republican side after Democrat Joe Biden's victory there in 2020.
Trump’s triumph over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris represents his second win in Arizona, his first since 2016. Current tallies show Trump with 312 electoral votes, comfortably surpassing the 270 required to secure the presidency. In his 2016 victory, he earned 304 electoral votes.
American media have called Trump the victor in over half of the 50 states, including key swing states such as Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, which had leaned Democratic in the previous election.
Despite facing a criminal conviction and two impeachments during his previous term, Trump achieved wider margins in these states than before. In contrast, Harris, who succeeded the 81-year-old Biden as the Democratic nominee in July, currently holds 226 electoral votes.
With Trump’s defeat of Kamala Harris, Republicans and Democrats have alternated control of the White House for the fourth consecutive term, a pattern of political shifts not seen in the US since the late 19th century.
Biden, who stepped aside from the race due to concerns over his age, is scheduled to meet with Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday.