2024 United States presidential election

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2024 United States presidential election

← 2020 November 5, 2024 2028 →
538 members of the Electoral College 270 electoral votes needed to win
Opinion polls
Turnout	63.9% (2.7 pp)[1]
Nominee Donald Trump Kamala Harris Party Republican Democratic Home state Florida California Running mate JD Vance Tim Walz Electoral vote 312[a][2] 226[a][2] States carried 31 + ME-02 19 + DC + NE-02 Popular vote 77,297,721[2] 75,009,338[2] Percentage 49.9%[2] 48.4%[2]
Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Trump/Vance and blue denotes those won by Harris/Walz. Numbers indicate electoral votes cast by each state and the District of Columbia.[3]
President before election Joe Biden Democratic Elected President Donald Trump Republican

2024 U.S. presidential election
Timeline Debates Parties Polling national statewide News media endorsements primary general Fundraising Ballot access Interference Chinese Russian Iranian Presidential electors Electoral College vote count Presidential transition Political violence
Republican Party
Primaries Candidates Debates and forums Polling national statewide Results Endorsements Nominee VP candidate selection Convention
Democratic Party
Primaries Candidates Debates and forums Polling Results Endorsements Nominee VP candidate selection Convention
Third parties
Third-party and independent candidates polling Libertarian Party primaries convention nominee Green Party primaries convention nominee Party for Socialism and Liberation nominee Constitution Party convention nominee American Solidarity Party nominee Independents Kennedy West
Related races
Senate House Governors
← 2020 2024 2028 →
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Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024.^[4] The Republican Party's ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, and JD Vance, the junior U.S. senator from Ohio—defeated the Democratic Party's ticket—Kamala Harris, the incumbent vice president, and Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota.^[5][6] Trump and Vance are scheduled to be inaugurated as the 47th president and the 50th vice president on January 20, 2025, after their formal election by the Electoral College.^[7][8]

The incumbent president, Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, initially ran for re-election as the party's presumptive nominee,^[9] facing little opposition and easily defeating Representative Dean Phillips;^[10] however, what was broadly considered a poor debate performance in June 2024 intensified concerns about his age and health, and led to calls within his party for him to leave the race.^[11] After initially declining to do so, Biden withdrew on July 21, becoming the first eligible incumbent president to withdraw since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968.^[12] Biden endorsed Harris,^[13] who was voted the party's nominee by the delegates on August 5, 2024. Harris selected Walz as her running mate.^[14][15]

Trump, who lost in 2020 to Biden, ran for re-election again.^[16] He was nominated during the 2024 Republican National Convention along with his running mate, Vance, after winning the Republican primaries. The Trump campaign was noted for making many false and misleading statements, including the claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump,^{[17][18][19][20]} engaging in anti-immigrant fearmongering,^[b] and promoting conspiracy theories.^[21][22] Trump's political movement was described by several historians and former Trump administration officials as authoritarian, featuring parallels to fascism, and using dehumanizing rhetoric toward his political opponents.^[c][d]

According to polls, the most important issues for voters were the economy,^[23] healthcare,^[24] democracy,^[25][26] foreign policy (notably U.S. support for Israel and for Ukraine),^[27] illegal immigration,^[28][29] abortion,^[30][31][32] and climate change.^[33][34][35] Education and LGBTQ rights were also prominent issues in the campaign.^[36][37] Polled voters consistently cited the economy as being the single most important issue in the election.^[23][33]

Trump achieved victory in the Electoral College, winning 312 electoral votes to Harris' 226. Trump won every swing state in addition to holding on to all of the states that he won in 2020.^[38][39][40] Trump won the national popular vote with a plurality of 49.8%,^[41] making him the first Republican to do so since George W. Bush in 2004,^[42] and with the third smallest margin of victory since 1888.^[43] Relative to the 2020 election, he improved his vote share among working class voters, particularly among young men, those without college degrees, and Hispanic voters.^[44] This was the second of two elections won by Trump, the first being in 2016 against Hillary Clinton, preceding his defeat by Biden in 2020. Trump became the first president since Grover Cleveland in 1892 to be elected to non-consecutive terms.^[45]

Article Two of the Constitution of United States states that for a person to serve as president, the individual must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years of age, and have been a United States resident for at least 14 years. The Twenty-second Amendment forbids any person from being elected president more than twice. Major party candidates seek the nomination through a series of primary elections that select the delegates who choose the candidate at the party's national convention. Each party's national convention chooses a vice presidential running mate to form that party's ticket. The nominee for president usually picks the running mate, who is then ratified by the delegates at the party's convention. If no candidate wins a majority of their party's delegates' votes, or (in this election) a party's presumptive nominee drops out of the race between the primaries and the convention, a brokered convention may be held: the delegates are then "released" and are free to switch their allegiance to a different candidate.^[46]

The general election in November is an indirect election, in which voters cast ballots for a slate of members of the Electoral College; these electors then directly elect the president and vice president.^[47] Election offices are dealing with increased workloads and public scrutiny. Officials in many states have sought additional funding to hire more personnel, improve security, and extend training. Numerous election offices are dealing with an increase in retirements and are overwhelmed with public records requests, owing in part to the electoral mistrust planted by former President Trump's loss in the 2020 election.^[48][49]

Trump is the first president in American history to be impeached twice, and the first to run again after impeachment. Trump was first impeached by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives in December 2019 for "abuse of power and obstruction of Congress" due to his attempts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, by withholding military aid.^[50] Trump's second impeachment by the House occurred on January 13, 2021, for "incitement of insurrection" owing to his role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. As Trump was acquitted by the Senate in both cases, he was not barred from seeking reelection to the presidency in 2024.^[51]

Several state courts and officials, including the Colorado Supreme Court,^[52] a state Circuit Court in Illinois,^[53] and the Secretary of State of Maine,^[54] ruled that Trump was ineligible to hold office under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack, and thus attempted to disqualify him from appearing on the ballot.^[55][54] These attempts were unsuccessful, and on March 4, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Trump v. Anderson that states cannot determine eligibility for a national election under Section 3, and only Congress has the authority to disqualify candidates, or to pass legislation that allows courts to do so.^[56]

Trump made false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and continued denying the election results.^[58][59] Election security experts warned that officials who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election may attempt to impede the voting process, or refuse to certify the 2024 results.^[60] In July 2024, The New York Times reported that "the Republican Party and its conservative allies are engaged in an unprecedented legal campaign targeting the American voting system", by restricting voting for partisan advantage ahead of Election Day and preparing to mount "legally dubious" challenges against the certification process if Trump were to lose.^[61]

In the lead up to the 2024 election, the Republican Party made false claims of massive "noncitizen voting" by immigrants in an attempt to delegitimize the election in the event of a Trump defeat.^[62][63][64] The claims were made as part of larger Republican Party efforts to disrupt the 2024 election and election denial movement.^[65] Trump continued spreading his "big lie" of a stolen election and predicted without evidence that the 2024 election would be rigged against him. Trump also falsely accused Biden of "weaponizing" the Justice Department to target him in relation to his criminal trials.^[57] Trump and several Republicans stated they would not accept the results of the 2024 election if they believe they are "unfair".^[66]

Trump's previous comments suggesting he can "terminate" the Constitution to reverse his election loss,^[67][68] his claim that he would only be a dictator on "day one" of his presidency and not after,^[e] his promise to use the Justice Department to go after his political enemies,^[75] his plan to use the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy the military for law enforcement in primarily Democratic cities and states,^[76][77] attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, continued Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election, Trump's baseless predictions of voter fraud in the 2024 election,^[78] and Trump's public embrace and celebration of the January 6 United States Capitol attack,^[79] raised concerns over the state of democracy in the United States.^{[80][81][82][83]} Trump's political operation said that it planned to deploy more than 100,000 attorneys and volunteers to polling places across battleground states, with an "election integrity hotline" for poll watchers and voters to report alleged voting irregularities.^[84]

Before the election, U.S. officials and former officials stated that foreign interference in the 2024 election was likely. Three major factors cited were "America's deepening domestic political crises, the collapse of controversial attempts to control political speech on social media, and the rise of generative AI".^[85] China, Russia, and Iran were identified as mounting influence operations and attempts to interfere with the 2024 election. U.S. intelligence officials described the efforts as part of broader efforts by authoritarian nations to use the internet to erode support for democracy.^[86]

China was identified as interfering with the 2024 election through propaganda and disinformation campaigns linked to its Spamouflage operation. U.S. intelligence agencies described the effort as not targeting any particular candidate but focusing on issues important to the Chinese government, such as Taiwan, and "undermining confidence in elections, voting, and the U.S. in general".^[86] As early as April 1, 2024, The New York Times reported that the Chinese government had created fake pro-Trump accounts on social media "promoting conspiracy theories, stoking domestic divisions and attacking President Biden ahead of the election in November".^[87]

According to disinformation experts and intelligence agencies, Russia spread disinformation ahead of the 2024 election to damage Biden and Democrats, boost candidates supporting isolationism, and undercut support for Ukraine aid and NATO.^[88][89] On September 4, 2024, the United States publicly accused Russia of interfering in the 2024 election and announced several steps to combat Russian influence including sanctions, indictments, and seizing of web domains used to spread propaganda and disinformation. U.S. intelligence agencies assessed that Russia preferred Trump to win the election, viewing him as more critical of American support for Ukraine.^[90]

Iran was identified as interfering with the 2024 presidential election through front companies connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and hacking attempts against the Trump, Biden, and Harris campaigns starting as early as May 2024.^[91] Iran launched propaganda and disinformation campaigns through fake news websites and accounts on social media to tip the election against former president Trump. The New York Times stated the efforts were an attempt at "sowing internal discord and discrediting the democratic system in the United States more broadly in the eyes of the world".^[91][92][93]

Multiple Republican-led administrations removed voters from their state's voter rolls in the lead up to the election, which critics argued violates the National Voter Registration Act.^[94][95][96] In July 2024, 160,000 inactive or infrequent voters were removed from Ohio's voter rolls.^[97][98] The Ohio chapters of Common Cause and the League of Women Voters threatened lawsuits against the state over the purge.^[99][100]

In August 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia signed an executive order removing 6,303 voters suspected of being non-citizens from Virginia's voter rolls.^[101][102] In October 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the Virginia Board of Elections and Virginia commissioner of elections over the voter purge, alleging that it violated the National Voter Registration Act.^[103][104] The suit also found a number of alleged non-citizens purged were actually citizens.^[104][105] District judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ruled that the removal was illegal, ordering the state to stop purging voter rolls and to restore the voter registration of more than 1,600 voters who had been removed.^[106][105] The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals then upheld the order.^[107][108] The administration filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which sided with Virginia in a 6–3 decision along ideological lines, allowing the state to continue purging voter rolls.^[108][109]

In August 2024, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced a process for purging 3,251 registered Alabama voters and referred them to the state attorney general's office for criminal prosecution.^[95][110] In September 2024, the Department of Justice sued Alabama for violating the National Voter Registration Act.^[111][112] In October 2024, district judge Anna Manasco ruled in favor of the Department of Justice, ordering the state to restore the voter registrations.^[113][114] Alabama secretary of state's chief of staff Clay Helms testified that 2,000 of the purged voters were legally registered citizens.^[114]

Trump was found liable in civil proceedings for both sexual abuse and defamation in 2023 and defamation in 2024, while also being criminally convicted of 34 felonies related to falsifying business records, expected to be an issue during the campaign. As of December 2023, he had four criminal indictments totaling 86 felony counts and there are other lawsuits against Trump.^[115] On May 30, 2024, Trump was found guilty by a jury of all 34 felony counts in The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump over falsifying business records for hush money payments to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels, to ensure her silence about a sexual encounter between them, to influence the 2016 presidential election. This made Trump the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime in American history.^[116] Trump and many Republicans have made numerous false and misleading statements regarding Trump's criminal trials, including false claims that they are "rigged" or "election interference" orchestrated by Biden and the Democratic Party, of which there is no evidence.^[117][57]

Trump faces an additional 52 felony counts: 4 counts in United States of America v. Donald J. Trump for his alleged role in attempting to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election and involvement in the January 6 United States Capitol attack; 8 counts in The State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump, et al. for his alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia; and 40 counts in United States of America v. Donald J. Trump, Waltine Nauta, and Carlos De Oliveira relating to his hoarding of classified documents and alleged obstruction of efforts to retrieve them.^[118] In addition to his indictments, Trump was found liable on May 9, 2023, by an anonymous jury,^[119] in E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump for sexual abuse/rape,^[f][g] and ordered to pay a total of $88.3 million combined for damages and defamation.^{[125][126][127]} In September 2023, Trump was found guilty of financial fraud in New York v. Trump and ordered to pay a $457 million judgement that he appealed.^[128]

According to an April 2024 Reuters/Ipsos poll, the percentage of registered voters who found Trump's charges somewhat to very serious in the federal elections case was 74%, 72% in the Georgia case, 69% in the classified documents case, and 64% in the New York hush money case.^[129] Nearly a quarter of Republican voters said they would not vote for Trump if found guilty of a felony by a jury.^[128] Following his hush money conviction, 15% of likely Republican voters and 49% of independents stated they wanted Trump to drop out, and 54% of registered voters approved of the jury's decision.^[130] Polling also found 56% of Republicans who were unchanged by the verdict, and 35% of Republicans and 18% of independents who stated they were more likely to vote for Trump.^[131]

Trump was noted for attempting to delay his trials until after the November election. On January 20, 2025, Trump could order a new attorney general to dismiss the federal charges he is facing, prevent the state charges from taking effect through a variety of methods, and issue a presidential self-pardon.^[132][133] On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court delivered its 6–3 decision in Trump v. United States, along ideological lines, ruling that Trump had absolute immunity for acts he committed as president within his core constitutional purview, at least presumptive immunity for official acts within the outer perimeter of his official responsibility, and no immunity for unofficial acts.^{[134][135][136]} Thus, Trump's sentencing date for his convictions in New York was delayed from July to September 2024,^[137] and then to November 26,^[138] and the trial dates in Trump's other cases would likely also be delayed to review the applicability of the Supreme Court's decision.^[139][140]

Former president Trump, lawmakers, and mass media raised concerns about President Biden's age, including his cognitive state, during and after the 2020 United States presidential election.^[141] These concerns increased after a poor performance by Biden during a debate against Trump in the 2024 presidential election, which led a number of commentators and some Democratic lawmakers to call for Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.^[142] In July 2024, Biden withdrew his candidacy while stating that he would continue serving as president until the conclusion of his term.^[143] According to a February 2024 poll, Biden's age and health were major or moderate concerns for 86% of voters generally,^[141] up from 76% earlier in 2020.^[144] According to another 2024 poll, most of those who voted for Biden in 2020 believed he was too old to be an effective president; The New York Times noted that these concerns "cut across generations, gender, race and education".^[145]

In the summer before the election, polling showed at least half of Americans thought that Trump, who is 78 years old, was too old to serve a second term, with 80% unsure he would be able to finish out a second term.^[146] Numerous public figures, media sources, and mental health professionals speculated that Trump may have some form of dementia, which runs in his family.^[147] Experts for the science publication STAT who analyzed changes in Trump's speeches between 2015 and 2024 noted shorter sentences, more tangents, more repetition, and more confusion of words and phrases. Doctors suggested it could just be due to changes in mood or it could indicate the beginning of Alzheimer's.^[148] The sharp rise in all-or-nothing thinking is also linked to cognitive decline.^[148] The New York Times reported that Trump's 2024 speeches had grown "darker, harsher, longer, angrier, less focused, more profane and increasingly fixated on the past", and that experts considered this increase in tangential speech and behavioral disinhibition as a possible consequence of advancing age and cognitive decline.^[149] Trump was also criticized for his lack of transparency around his medical records and health.^[150][147]

Several scholars, lawmakers, intelligence agencies, and the members of the public expressed concerns about political violence surrounding the 2024 election.^[151][152] The fears came amidst increasing threats and acts of physical violence targeting public officials and election workers at all levels of government.^[153][154] Trump was identified as a key figure in increasing political violence in the United States both for and against him.^{[155][156][157]} Political violence was at its highest since the 1970s, and the most recent violence came from right-wing assailants.^[158][159] Trump increasingly embraced far-right extremism, conspiracy theories such as Q-Anon, and far-right militia movements to a greater extent than any modern American president.^[21][22] Trump also espoused dehumanizing, combative, and violent rhetoric, and promised retribution against his political enemies.^[c] Trump played down but refused to rule out violence following the 2024 election, stating "it depends".^[166] Trump also suggested using the military against "the enemy from within" on Election Day that he described as "radical left lunatics", Democratic politicians, and those opposeed to his candidacy.^[167][168]

On July 13, 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt while addressing a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania.^[169] Trump was shot and wounded on his right ear by Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania,^[170][171] who fired eight rounds with an AR-15–style rifle from the roof of a building located approximately 400 feet (120 metres) from the stage; the shots killed audience member Corey Comperatore and critically injured two other audience members.^[170] Seconds later, Crooks was shot and killed by the U.S. Secret Service's counter-sniper team.^[172] The motive and cause of the assassination attempt are still under investigation by authorities.^[173] On September 11, 2024, a bipartisan Senate report identified tech issues and other preventable mistakes by the Secret Service during the event.^[174] On September 15, 2024, Trump survived a separate assassination attempt at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The suspect did not fire his weapon, and no deaths or injuries were reported.^[175] The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, is in custody.^[176]

Since the 2020 election and continuing into the 2024 election, the election denial movement prompted thousands of death threats directed at election workers, officials, and their families, with some receiving letters laced with fentanyl.^[177][178] As of March 2024, the Department of Justice's Election Threats Task Force had charged 20 people with threat-related crimes.^[179] In September 2024, suspicious packages were sent to state election officials in several states, which resulted in evacuations. The inclusion of white powder in most of the packages mirrored the 2001 anthrax attacks; the substance in Oklahoma packages was identified as flour.^[180] Threats led some election workers to resign, and affected recruitment of temporary poll workers.^[181][182] In locations where funds were available,^[182] efforts to protect election workers involved active shooter training, provision of first aid kits and Narcan, bulletproof vests, bulletproof glass, metal detectors, armed guards, police snipers, drones.^[181]

On October 30, 2024, an 18-year-old man in Jacksonville, Florida, was arrested for aggravated assault and improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon after brandishing a machete at two women outside an early voting center. He along with seven other teenagers, allegedly approached and antagonized members of the opposing political party as they were demonstrating. Neither the teenager's nor the women's political parties were disclosed, although later posts by the Duval Democratic Party described the teenager's party as a "group of young men carrying Trump flags".^[183] On November 1, 2024, a voter wearing a "Let's Go Brandon" hat was reportedly struck by a poll worker after a verbal altercation over his hat at an Orangeburg County, South Carolina, polling location. Although it is illegal to wear anything supporting a candidate whose name is on the ballot, wearing a general political message is permitted by South Carolina law.^[184] Also on November 1, a man in Bath, New York, was arrested for assaulting someone in a supermarket for wearing a Trump hat.^[185]

In late October 2024, multiple fires were reported at ballot drop boxes in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. The fires damaged hundreds of ballots, requiring election officials to identify and offer new ballots to those affected by the fires. Prior to the fires, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security had issued a bulletin raising concerns that "election-related grievances" could motivate domestic extremist activity and that ballot drop boxes could potentially be "attractive targets".^[186][187] In Phoenix, Arizona, a fire was started in a mail collection box, destroying some ballots and other mail. A suspect was arrested and claimed that the fire was unrelated to the election.^[188]

Trump, the then-incumbent president, was defeated by Biden in the 2020 election and was not term-limited to run again in 2024, making him the fifth ex-president to seek a second non-consecutive term. Trump filed and announced his candidacy a week following the 2022 midterm elections.^[189][190] Trump was considered an early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.^[191] He had announced in March 2022 that his former vice president Mike Pence would not be his running mate.^[192]

Trump faced opposition in the primaries. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was initially viewed as the main challenger to Trump for the Republican nomination, having raised more campaign funds in the first half of 2022 and posting more favorable polling numbers than Trump by the end of 2022.^{[193][194][195]} On May 24, 2023, DeSantis announced his candidacy on Twitter in an online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk. DeSantis said: "American decline is not inevitable—it is a choice ... I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback." His campaign stated to have raised $1 million in the first hour following the announcement of his candidacy.^[196] Speaking on Fox & Friends, he stated that he would "destroy leftism" in the United States.^[197] At the end of July 2023, FiveThirtyEight's national polling average of the Republican primaries had Trump at 52 percent, and DeSantis at 15.^[198]

Following the Iowa caucuses, in which Trump posted a landslide victory, DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, leaving the former president and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served in Trump's cabinet, as the only remaining major candidates.^[199][200] Trump continued to win all four early voting contests while Haley's campaign struggled to gain momentum.^[201] On March 6, 2024, the day after winning only one primary out of fifteen on Super Tuesday, Haley suspended her campaign.^[202][203] On March 12, 2024, Trump officially became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.^[204] Trump was injured in an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, when a bullet grazed his ear.^[205] This was the first time a president or major party presidential candidate was injured in an assassination attempt since Ronald Reagan in 1981.^[206] On July 15, 2024, the first day of the Republican National Convention, Trump officially announced that Senator JD Vance of Ohio would be his running mate.^[207] On July 18, 2024, for the third consecutive time, Trump accepted the nomination from the Republican National Convention to become the Republican presidential nominee.^[208]

This article is part of a series about Donald Trump
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v t e

2024 Republican Party ticket
Donald Trump	JD Vance
for President	for Vice President
45th President of the United States (2017–2021)	U.S. Senator from Ohio (2023–present)
Campaign

On April 25, 2023, President Biden officially announced his bid for re-election, confirming that Vice President Harris would remain his running mate.^[209][210] Following this announcement, Republicans increased their focus on Harris, intensifying criticism against her.^[211] During late 2021, amid Biden's declining approval ratings, speculation arose regarding whether he would seek re-election.^[212] Public figures, including former Representatives Carolyn Maloney, Tim Ryan, and Joe Cunningham, urged Biden not to run.^{[213][214][215]} On July 28, 2022, Representative Dean Phillips became the first incumbent Democratic member of Congress to say President Biden should not run for re-election and called for "generational change" pointing to Biden's age.^[216][217]

Concerns about Biden's age were prominent, given that he was the oldest person to assume the office at age 78, which would make him 82 at the end of his first term and 86 at the end of a potential second term.^[218] An April 2023 poll indicated that 70 percent of Americans, including 51 percent of Democrats, believed Biden should not seek a second term, with nearly half citing his age as the reason. Biden's approval rating stood at 41 percent, with 55 percent disapproving.^[219] Speculation also arose that Biden might face a primary challenge from the Democratic Party's progressive faction;^[220][221] however, after Democrats outperformed expectations in the 2022 midterm elections, many believed Biden's chances of securing the party's nomination had increased.^[222]

Despite several primary challenges, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Representative Dean Phillips, Biden became the presumptive nominee of the party on March 12, 2024.^{[223][224][225]} Jason Palmer, who won the American Samoa caucuses, became the first candidate to win a contested primary against an incumbent president since Ted Kennedy in 1980; however, he suspended his campaign on May 15, 2024.^[226] Biden also faced significant opposition from uncommitted voters and the Uncommitted National Movement, which collectively won 36 delegates.^[227]

Following a widely panned debate performance against Trump on June 27, 2024, Biden withdrew from the race on July 21, endorsing Kamala Harris as his successor.^[228] Harris quickly announced her campaign and secured enough delegate endorsements by July 22 to become the presumptive nominee.^[229] Biden's withdrawal made him the first eligible incumbent president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 not to seek re-election, and the first to withdraw after securing enough delegates to win the nomination.^[230] Harris is the first nominee who did not participate in the presidential primaries since Vice President Hubert Humphrey, also in 1968, and the first since the modern Democratic Party primary procedure was created in 1972 (prior to which most states did not hold primary elections).^[231]

Harris secured enough delegates to be the party's presumptive nominee on August 5.^[232] She selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate the following day, and accepted the party's nomination on August 22.^[233]

This article is part of a series about Kamala Harris
Personal Early life Bibliography Smart on Crime Superheroes Are Everywhere The Truths We Hold Family Political positions Public image #KHive 27th District Attorney of San Francisco Elections 2003 2007 32nd Attorney General of California Tenure Elections 2010 2014 U.S. Senator from California 2016 election Legislation Justice for Victims of Lynching Act MORE Act Rent Relief Act 49th Vice President of the United States Incumbent Transition Biden administration inauguration Office of Gun Violence Prevention "You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?" Vice presidential campaigns 2020 election selection convention debate "We did it, Joe!" 2024 Presidential campaigns 2020 primaries endorsements 2024 election endorsements VP selection convention debates
v t e

2024 Democratic Party ticket
Kamala Harris	Tim Walz
for President	for Vice President
49th Vice President of the United States (2021–present)	41st Governor of Minnesota (2019–present)
Campaign

This is the first presidential election to occur after the reapportionment of votes in the Electoral College following the 2020 United States census and redistricting cycle.^{[234][235][236]}

Most states are not electorally competitive and are usually certain to vote for a particular party. Because of the winner-take-all selection of electors used by 48 states and Washington DC, this means that a limited number of swing states—competitive states that do not clearly lean towards one party over the other—are vital to winning the presidency. The U.S. states considered as such change over time. The seven swing states in the 2024 election were the Rust Belt states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, as well as the Sun Belt states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina.^[237] Trump secured victory in all seven states. The three Midwestern swing states had historically been part of the "blue wall" ever since Bill Clinton's win in 1992, but broke for Trump in 2016, when he had previously faced a female Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton.^{[238][239][240]}

Harris framed her campaign as "a choice between freedom and chaos" and based it around the ideals of "freedom" and "the future".^[241][242] The Harris campaign sought to highlight her experience as an attorney general and a prosecutor to "prosecute the case" against Trump by pointing out his 34 felony convictions and the impacts of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.^[243][244] Harris ran as a moderate Democrat who moved towards the center on several policy positions since her 2019 primary run, embracing many of Biden's domestic policy stances.^[245] Harris focused her economic proposals on the cost of groceries, housing and healthcare.^[246] She also focused on the middle class, and small businesses.^[247] Harris' campaign was noted for having an optimistic and joyful tone.^[248][249]

A central campaign theme for Trump's second presidential bid was "retribution".^[250][251] Trump framed the 2024 election as "the final battle", and openly promised to leverage the power of the presidency for political reprisals.^[252] Trump heavily ran on immigration as a central campaign focus. Trump's campaign focused on dark and apocalyptic rhetoric about the state of the country and predicting doom if he did not win.^{[253][254][255]} The Associated Press stated that "Trump's rallies take on the symbols, rhetoric and agenda of Christian nationalism."^[256] During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump made numerous false and misleading statements.^[19][18][20] The large number of lies and false statements have been attributed to Trump's rhetorical style described as using the "big lie" and firehose of falsehood propaganda technique.^[257][258] Trump also made many personal attacks against Harris,^[259] several of which were sexual in nature,^[260] were characterized as racist and misogynistic,^{[261][262][263]} and were considered a further breach of political norms.^[260] Trump's harsher rhetoric against his political enemies has been described by historians, scholars, commentators and former generals as populist, authoritarian, fascist,^[d] and unlike anything a political candidate has ever said in American history.^{[264][278][273]}

Abortion access was a key topic during the campaign.^[279][29] This was the first presidential election to be held in the aftermath of the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, in which the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion law entirely to the states, including bans on abortion.^[280] The three justices appointed by former president Trump—Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch—all voted to overturn the federal right to an abortion in Dobbs.^[281] By April 2023, most Republican-controlled states had passed near-total bans on abortion, rendering it largely illegal throughout much of the southern United States. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, there are 15 states with de jure early-stage bans on abortion without exceptions for rape or incest.^[280]

Abortion was on the ballot in up to ten states in 2024, including the swing states of Arizona and Nevada.^[282] Some pundits argued abortion-rights referenda could help Harris in November.^{[283][284][285]} Democrats predominantly advocate for abortion access as a right,^[286] while Republicans generally favor significantly restricting the legality of abortion.^[287] Since becoming the presumptive nominee, Harris indicated her support for passing legislation which would restore the federal abortion right protections previously guaranteed by Roe.^[288][289] She argued Trump would let his anti-abortion allies implement Project 2025 proposals to restrict abortion and contraception throughout the United States.^[290]

Trump claimed credit for overturning Roe but criticized Republicans pushing for total abortion bans.^[291][292] Trump said he would leave the issue of abortion for the states to decide but would allow red states to monitor women's pregnancies and prosecute them if they have an abortion.^[293] In his home state of Florida, Trump announced he would vote "No" on Amendment 4, an abortion rights referendum, preserving the six-week ban.^[294] The announcement came one day after he initially criticized the six-week ban for being "too short" and said he would vote to lengthen it.^[295] Trump repeated a false claim that Democrats support abortions after birth and "executing" babies.^[296][297]

Border security and immigration were among the top issues concerning potential voters in the election.^[298][299] Polling showed that most Americans want to reduce immigration,^[300] and that a substantial minority of White Republicans were concerned about White demographic decline.^[301] In 2023 and early 2024, a surge of migrants entering through the border with Mexico occurred.^[302] By June 2024, illegal crossings reached a three-year low following four consecutive monthly drops, which senior officials attributed to increased enforcement between the United States and Mexico, the weather, and Biden's executive order (A Proclamation on Securing the Border) increasing asylum restrictions.^[303]

Harris promised to fight for "strong border security" coupled with an earned pathway to citizenship. Harris highlighted her work in combating transnational gangs, drug cartels, and human traffickers while attorney general.^[304] As vice president, Harris announced in 2023 that she pledged of US$950 million from private companies into Central American communities to address the causes of mass migration, such as poverty.^[289] Harris stated she believes the immigration system is "broken" and needs to be fixed, and she said most Americans believe this.^[289] Harris also advocated for stricter asylum rules than President Biden.^[305] Harris supported increasing the number of U.S. Border Patrol agents and accused Trump of being unserious on border security.^[306] As vice president, Harris also supported a bipartisan bill that would have funded additional border agents and closed the border if too crowded; the bill was rejected by Trump. Trump called on House and Senate Republicans to kill the bill arguing it would hurt his and Republican's reelection campaigns and deny them the ability to run on immigration as a campaign issue.^{[307][308][309][310][311][312]} Harris criticized Trump for his opposition to the bill on the campaign trail,^[304] and promised to sign the bill into law as president.^[313]

Trump stated that if he were elected, he would increase deportations, send the U.S. military to the border, expand U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions through workplace raids,^[314] deputize local law enforcement to handle border security, increase U.S. Customs and Border Patrol funding, as well as finish building the wall on the southern border.^[315] Trump has said he will deport both legal and illegal immigrants.^[316][317] The New York Times reported that Trump was considering "an extreme expansion of his first-term crackdown on immigration", such as "preparing to round up undocumented people already in the United States on a vast scale and detain them in sprawling camps while they wait to be expelled".^[314] Trump stated his intention to deport 11 million people through the construction of detention camps and deploy the military,^[293] relying on presidential wartime powers under the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act.^[272] Trump made false claims of a "migrant crime wave" that are not supported by data, and provided no evidence to back up his claims.^[318][319]

In regards to his anti-immigrant nativism,^[320] Trump's tone grew harsher from his previous time as president,^[314] and used fearmongering,^[b] racial stereotypes,^[320] and more dehumanizing rhetoric when referring to illegal immigrants. Trump repeatedly called some immigrants subhuman, stating they are "not human", "not people", and "animals",^{[330][331][332]} who will "rape, pillage, thieve, plunder and kill" American citizens,^[316] that they are "stone-cold killers", "monsters", "vile animals", "savages", and "predators" that will "walk into your kitchen, they'll cut your throat",^{[328][329][316][319]} and "grab young girls and slice them up right in front of their parents".^[316] Other rhetoric includes false statements that foreign leaders are deliberately emptying insane asylums to send "prisoners, murderers, drug dealers, mental patients, terrorists" across the southern border as migrants,^[333] that they are "building an army" of "fighting age" men to attack Americans "from within",^[334] and are the "enemy from within" who are ruining the "fabric" of the country.^[272] Since fall 2023,^[335] Trump claimed that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country", which drew comparisons to racial hygiene rhetoric used by White supremacists and Adolf Hitler.^{[336][337][335][162]} In the 20 rallies since Trump's debate with Harris, Politico found his rhetoric, especially around immigrants, getting darker, citing experts who found it strongly echoed authoritarian and Nazi ideology, including claims that immigrants are genetically predisposed to commit crimes and have "bad genes".^[272][338] Trump's comments came as part of violent, dehumanizing rhetoric Trump had increasingly used during his campaign.^{[156][330][161][162][163][164]}

Climate change and energy policy played a role in the 2024 presidential campaign. In 2023, the United States saw a record in crude oil production with over 13.2 million barrels of crude per day, beating the 13 million barrels per day produced at the peak of Trump's presidency.^[339] The United States also dealt with supply shocks caused by the 2021–2024 global energy crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[340] An advocate for environmental justice to address the impact of climate change on lower-income areas and people of color, Harris supported Biden's climate legislation.^[289] In 2022, Harris helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act,^[341] the largest investment in addressing climate change and clean energy in American history,^[342] putting the United States on track to meet emissions reduction targets by 50–52% below 2005 levels by 2030.^[343] Harris' campaign stated that she would not support a ban on fracking.^[245]

Trump ridiculed the idea of man-made climate change,^{[344][345][346]} and repeatedly referred to his energy policy under the mantra "drill, baby, drill".^[347] Trump said he would increase oil drilling on public lands and offer tax breaks to oil, gas, and coal producers, and stated his goal for the United States to have the lowest cost of electricity and energy of any country in the world.^[348] Trump also promised to roll back electric vehicle initiatives, proposed once again the United States withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, and rescind several environmental regulations.^[348][349] Trump stated his intention to roll back parts of the Inflation Reduction Act.^[350] The implementation of Trump's plans would add around 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by 2030, also having effects on the international level. If the policies do not change further, it would add 15 billion tons by 2040 and 27 billion by 2050. Although the exact calculation is difficult, researchers stated: "Regardless of the precise impact, a second Trump term that successfully dismantles Biden's climate legacy would likely end any global hopes of keeping global warming below 1.5C."^[351]

Polling before the election indicated profound dissatisfaction with the state of American democracy.^{[352][353][354]} Liberals tend to believe that conservatives are threatening the country with Christian nationalist autocratic tendencies and their attempts to overturn the 2020 election.^[355] According to an October 25 ABC/Ipsos poll, 49% of Americans saw Trump as a fascist, described as "a political extremist who seeks to act as a dictator, disregards individual rights and threatens or uses force against their opponents". Meanwhile, only 22% saw Harris as a fascist by this definition.^[356] Some Republicans were concerned that Trump's former impeachment and four criminal indictments were attempts to influence the election and keep him from office;^[357] however, there is no evidence that Trump's criminal trials were "election interference" orchestrated by Biden and the Democratic Party,^[57][117] and Trump also continued to repeat false claims that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen from him.^[17]

Trump's 2024 presidential campaign was criticized by legal experts, historians, and political scientists for making increasingly dehumanizing, violent, and authoritarian statements,^{[358][359][360]} which some believe the Trump campaign was intentionally leaning into.^[361] Trump's platform calls for the vast expansion of presidential powers and the executive branch over every part of the federal government.^[362] Trump called for stripping employment protections for thousands of career civil service employees (a provision known as Schedule F appointment that had been adopted by Trump at the end of 2020) and replacing them with political loyalists if deemed an "obstacle to his agenda" within federal agencies, the United States Intelligence Community, State Department, and Department of Defense.^[363] Trump repeatedly stated his intention to have the Justice Department investigate and arrest his domestic political rivals, judges, prosecutors, and witnesses involved in his criminal trials.^{[364][365][366]}

A large number of scholars, historians, commentators, former Trump officials and generals described Trump as a fascist.^[d] Trump said his political opponents are a greater threat to the United States than countries such as Russia, China, and North Korea,^[163][367] and urged deploying the military on American soil to fight "the enemy from within", which he describes as "radical left lunatics" and Democratic politicians such as Adam Schiff.^[368] Trump repeatedly voiced support for outlawing political dissent and criticism he considers misleading or challenges his claims to power.^[369][370] Trump previously tried to prosecute his political rivals and would have fewer checks on his power in a second term.^[371]

Project 2025 is a proposed plan by the Heritage Foundation to centralize power into the U.S. executive branch for conservative policies to be enacted without input from the judicial branch, legislative branch, or local government. The plan received some support from the Republican Party. The document was written in part by former members of the Trump administration, such as Russell Vought and John McEntee,^[372] while Trump stated he is unfamiliar with parts of the plan.^{[373][374][375]} Trump's campaign was noted for using increasingly dehumanizing and violent rhetoric against his political opponents.^{[156][330][376][162][377][378]} Calling the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack a "day of love", Trump promised to pardon those charged for their involvement and called them "hostages" and "great, great patriots".^{[379][380][381][382]} Trump played down but did not rule out violence after the 2024 election if he were not to win, stating "it depends".^[383] Harris was tasked by Biden with protecting democracy through voting rights legislation through her work on the For the People Act. Harris supported efforts to defend election workers and counter Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election.^[289] Harris also stated her support to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Rights Voting Rights Advancement Act if elected.^[384]

Voters consistently cited the economy as their top issue in the 2024 election.^[385] Following the COVID-19 pandemic, a global surge in inflation ensued that raised prices on many goods, although the U.S. inflation rate had declined significantly during 2023 and 2024.^{[386][387][388]} The New York Times reported that both candidates "embraced a vision of a powerful federal government, using its muscle to intervene in markets in pursuit of a stronger and more prosperous economy".^[389] The Wall Street Journal reported that economists found Trump's proposed policies created a greater risk of stoking inflation and generating higher budget deficits, relative to the Harris plan.^[390] Twenty-three Nobel Prize-winning economists signed a letter characterizing the Harris economic plan as "vastly superior" to the Trump plan.^[391] Trump's designated government efficiency leader Elon Musk said in October that he expected Trump's plan would involve more than $2 trillion in federal spending cuts and would cause "some temporary hardship."^[392][393] Harris ran on a pro-union platform.^[394] She promoted the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, funding for small business, and previously supported an act as senator to provide a $6,000 tax credit for middle and low-income families.^[289] Harris promised to address price gouging, bring down costs, ban hidden fees and late charges from financial institutions, limit "unfair" rent increases and cap prescription drug costs, which she said would "lower costs and save many middle-class families thousands of dollars a year".^[395]

The New York Times described Harris' economic policy as embracing "the idea that the federal government must act aggressively to foster competition and correct distortions in private markets". Harris proposed raising taxes on corporations and high-earners to fund services for the lower and middle classes and reduce the deficit.^[389] Harris stated she supported increasing the top tier capital gains tax rate to 28%, up from 20% and lower than Biden's proposed 39.6%. Harris stated her support for a Billionaire Minimum Income Tax, increasing the tax on stock buybacks to 4%, and a ten-fold tax reduction for small business ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 in relief.^[396] Harris also supported efforts to create a tax on unrealized gains for those with more than a $100 million in net worth if they do not pay a minimum 25% tax rate on their income inclusive of unrealized gains so long as 80% of said wealth is in tradeable assets. The plan would impact a small percentage of the wealthy in the United States, and Axios reported most tech founders and investors would be spared.^[397] Harris also announced support for restoring the corporate tax rate to 28% among several other tax proposals to raise taxes and close loopholes for corporations and the wealthy that would bring in $5 trillion in additional revenue over 10 years.^[398] Harris proposed tax breaks to companies delivering economic benefit, such as manufacturing technologies that mitigate climate change and building affordable housing, and proposed a ban on corporate price gouging to "help the food industry become more competitive".^[389] Harris also expressed support for student debt relief,^[399] and said she supported raising the minimum wage.^[400]

In response to the housing crisis in the United States, Harris said she would increase home construction to reduce housing costs, arguing that it negatively impacts the economy and hurts working-class families. Harris proposed directing $40 billion to construction companies to build starter homes, and promised to send $25,000 in down-payment assistance to every first time home buyer.^[389] Harris said she would urge Congress to enforce fair housing laws and pass a bill to bar property owners from using services that "coordinate" rents through the passage of the Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act, and also call on Congress to pass the Stop Predatory Investing Act by removing tax benefits to Wall Street firms that buy up large numbers of single-family homes.^[401][402] Trump proposed further individual and corporate tax cuts beyond the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.^[403] Trump argued that keeping taxes low for the wealthy increases job creation,^[404] and that these policies coupled with a crackdown in illegal immigration and reduction in inflation would help the middle class.^[399] Trump said he would reduce regulation of business through the creation of an efficiency commission led by Musk,^[405] along with reducing environmental regulation. By October 2024, Musk was Trump's second-largest individual campaign donor.^[406] Trump said deporting millions of immigrants would bring housing prices down, although most economists argue it could raise prices by removing construction workers who use less real estate.^[389][407] Trump and Harris support not taxing tips for at least hospitality and service workers.^[400][408] Trump suggested that he would abolish the federal income tax and replace it with tariffs. In June 2024, Trump discussed the idea of eliminating the income tax in a private meeting with Republican politicians.^[409] In October 2024, Trump suggested that he would scrap the income tax if he wins, pointing out that tariffs were the main sources of revenue in the 19th century.^[410]

Trump's stated trade policy involves the United States decoupling from the global economy and having the country become more self-contained and exerting its power through individual trade dealings. This would be attempted largely through a universal baseline tariff,^[411] set from 10% to 20% on all imports,^[412][413] with increased penalties if trade partners manipulate their currency or engage in unfair trade practices.^[348] Trump called for 100% tariffs on cars made outside the United States and a minimum 60% tariff on Chinese goods.^[412] Trump stated his plans to urge Congress to pass a Trump Reciprocal Trade Act to bestow presidential authority to impose a reciprocal tariff on any country that imposed one on the United States.^[348] The Washington Post reported in January 2024 that Trump was preparing for a massive trade war.^[414] Trump's trade policies were described as protectionist,^[415] neo-mercantilist, or autarkist,^[411][416] and increasing inflation became a more common critique of Trump's economic plans.^{[417][418][419][420]} In June 2024, 16 Nobel Prize in Economics laureates signed an open letter arguing that Trump's fiscal and trade policies coupled with efforts to limit the Federal Reserve's independence would reignite inflation in the United States.^{[421][422][423]} Moody's,^[424] as well as most economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal in July 2024, predicted that inflation would be worse under Trump than Biden, a result due in part to tariffs, a crack down on illegal immigration, and larger deficits.^[425] Trump incorrectly insisted foreign exporters pay tariffs imposed by the U.S. government; American importers pay tariffs on goods upon arrival at U.S. ports, meaning tariffs are taxes that raise prices for imported products Americans buy.^{[426][427][428]} One non-partisan analysis estimated the proposed tariffs would cost $1,700 per year for the average household.^[428] The China–United States trade war Trump initiated in 2018 by imposing tariffs on China was widely characterized as a failure for the United States by the end of Trump's presidency.^[429] The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that Trump's plans would grow that national debt at roughly twice the rate of Harris' plan,^[430] while the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found Trump's plan would only benefit the top 5% of earners.^[431]

Trump pledged to terminate the U.S. Department of Education,^{[348][432][433]} claiming it has been infiltrated by "radical zealots and Marxists".^[434] At the American Federation of Teachers national convention, Harris attacked recent efforts to ban books in school libraries.^[435] She also previously called for raising teachers' wages.^[436]

Unlike previous elections, healthcare reform played a much more minor role in the 2024 presidential election.^[437] Harris stated that she no longer supported a single-payer healthcare system as she had in 2020.^[438] Instead, she said she intended to protect and expand items legislated during the Obama and Biden administrations. She said she would "maintain and grow" the Affordable Care Act, while Trump said that he would replace it with his own healthcare plan.^[439] Harris also supported limiting yearly out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors, and expanding the $35 cap on insulin for seniors on Medicare to younger individuals in the program as well.^[341] Generally, both candidates supported using the government to rein in prescription drug costs.^[440] Trump suggested he was open to cutting entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, part of an effort to "[cut] waste" as described by his campaign. During his first term, several budget proposals did suggest cuts to the programs.^[441][442] Additionally, Vance and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson suggested cuts to the ACA, including around pre-existing conditions, were part of Trump's plan.^[443] After Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, Kennedy advocated for his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, pledging to combat the upward trend in chronic disease patients, with Trump saying Kennedy would "go wild" regarding policy on food and medicines.^[444][445]

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Israel–Hamas war, and Chinese expansionism were some of the main foreign policy issues of the election. Harris signaled she would generally follow Biden's foreign policy on NATO and Ukraine, supporting both in the aftermath of the Russian invasion.^[289][446] A supporter of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,^[289][447] Harris was expected to continue Biden's approach;^[448] she was seen as tougher on Israel and more sympathetic to Palestinians than Biden or Trump.^[446] Harris advocated for "de-risking" from China, a policy that encourages reducing Western economic dependence on China.^[449] Harris was expected to continue deepening American alliances in Asia and the Pacific with the intention of curbing China's rising power both economically and militarily.^[450]

Trump's 2024 campaign promoted an isolationist foreign policy based on "America First".^[451][452] Trump said that America's allies "treat us actually worse than our so-called enemies", and added: "We protect them and then they screw us on trade." He also vowed to impose tariffs on trade partners; economists said this could spark trade wars.^[453] He promised to "fundamentally reevaluate" NATO, shifting the country's defense spending from Europe towards Asia.^[348] Although NATO members are obliged to defend any other member who is attacked, Trump said he would encourage Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to NATO allies that did not spend enough on defense.^[454] NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg responded: "Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security."^[455] Trump vowed that even before he was inaugurated,^[456] he would negotiate an end to the Russo-Ukrainian War in one day,^[457] He promised to quickly cut the amount of military and financial aid to Ukraine,^[458] and make Europeans reimburse the United States the cost of rebuilding its old stockpiles;^[456] however, most of the money for Ukraine actually goes to American factories that make weapons and military equipment.^{[459][460][461]} Trump previously said he might recognize Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea,^[462] and suggested the 2022 invasion could have been prevented by Ukraine giving up parts of its own country to Russia.^[451] Trump was seen as more pro-Israel and less sympathetic to Palestine than Biden or Harris.^[463] Trump promised a tougher stance against China,^[464] and at the same time questioned whether the United States should defend Taiwan.^[465] Trump suggested withdrawing troops from South Korea if it does not pay more to support American troops there.^[293]

Polling indicated that the majority of voters support a ceasefire and American mediation in the Israel–Hamas war.^[466] According to a YouGov poll in March 2024, 52% of Americans supported stopping weapons shipments to Israel, coming largely from Americans who voted for Biden in 2020 (62% support) and people who did not vote in 2020 (60%). Republicans opposed halting weapons shipments by 25 points.^[467] Republicans generally supported arms to Israel, while Democrats were divided on the issue.^[468]

Harris was expected to largely continue Biden's approach to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict,^[448] although she is seen as tougher on Israel and more sympathetic to Palestinians than Biden or Trump.^[446] Following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Harris at first supported Israel's offensive,^[469][448] saying "the threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated".^[289] Since then, she criticized Israel's actions and the Gaza humanitarian crisis.^[446] In March 2024, Harris opposed Israel's invasion of Rafah,^[289] called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,^[448][289] and called the situation in Gaza a "humanitarian catastrophe".^[289] Harris supported continued aid to Israel and Palestine but insisted that Israel should agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal and both sides should move towards a two-state solution.^[470] In the Democratic primaries, the Uncommitted National Movement led a protest campaign against Biden over the war, calling for a ceasefire and arms embargo on Israel. It received over 700,000 votes and 36 delegates.^[471] Harris was seen as more sympathetic to Palestinians, and she and her campaign interacted more with Arab-American and Uncommitted leaders;^[472][473] however, Harris refused to halt weapons shipments to Israel or shift policy much from Biden, saying Israel has a right to defend itself.^[474][475] By October, Uncommitted encouraged its members to vote for Harris.^[476]

During his first term as president, Trump brought in more pro-Israel policies than any president before.^[477] He presented himself as a stronger defender of Israel, and was seen as less sympathetic to Palestine than Biden or Harris.^[463] Trump is expected to continue arming Israel, likely with "no strings attached" for humanitarian concerns.^[478] He voiced strong support for Israel's war on Hamas and Gaza, saying that Israel must "finish the problem".^[479] Trump told donors he would "crush" pro-Palestinian protests, deport non-citizen protesters, and "set the movement back 25 or 30 years".^[480][481] Trump said he would ban Gaza residents from entering the United States.^[482] At times, he was critical of Israel's war in Gaza, saying Israel should "get it over with ... get back to peace and stop killing people".^[483][484]

In the 2020s, conservative politicians in state legislatures introduced a growing number of bills that restrict the rights of LGBTQ people, especially transgender people.^[485][486] A strong supporter of LGBTQ people's rights,^[487] Harris denounced legislative attacks on transgender rights in states across the country.^[488][489] Trump promised to roll back policies regarding transgender individuals.^[490] Trump stated he would rescind Biden's Title IX protections "on day one" for transgender students using bathrooms, locker rooms, and pronouns that align with their gender identities.^[491] Trump stated he would enact a federal law that would recognize only two genders and claimed that being transgender is a concept only recently manufactured by "the radical left".^[492] Trump pledged "severe consequences" for teachers who "suggest to a child that they could be trapped in the wrong body". Trump previously withdrew Title IX provisions that allowed transgender youth to have access to the bathrooms of their choice, and he attempted to roll-back several transgender-related policies in the Affordable Care Act.^[490] Trump repeated a false claim that children undergo transgender surgery while at school, without parental knowledge or consent.^[493][494]

2024 presidential election exit poll^[495]

Response category	Trump	Harris	% of total vote
Biden job approval
Strongly disapprove	94	4	45
Somewhat disapprove	42	54	14
Somewhat approve	4	95	24
Strongly approve	1	98	15
Feeling about the way things are going in U.S.
Angry	73	26	31
Dissatisfied	55	42	42
Satisfied	16	83	19
Enthusiastic	9	91	6
America's best days are
In the future	40	58	61
In the past	67	31	34
Quality of candidate that mattered most
Has ability to lead	66	33	30
Can bring needed change	74	24	28
Has good judgment	15	83	20
Cares about people like me	25	72	18
Vote for president mainly
For your candidate	55	44	73
Against their opponent	36	60	24
Candidate viewed as too extreme
Trump is too extreme	2	97	45
Harris is too extreme	99	1	39
Both Harris and Trump are too extreme	67	22	8
Neither Harris or Trump is too extreme	67	27	4
Decided on presidential vote
Before September	51	49	80
In September	46	52	6
In October	42	49	5
In last week	56	42	3
In last few days	47	42	3
Issue regarded as most important
Democracy	18	80	34
Economy	81	18	32
Abortion	24	76	14
Immigration	89	9	12
Foreign policy	56	39	4
Democracy threatened in the United States
Democracy in U.S. very threatened	52	47	39
Democracy in U.S. somewhat threatened	48	50	34
Democracy in U.S. somewhat secure	47	50	17
Democracy in U.S. very secure	54	44	8
Confident election being conducted fairly and accurately
Very confident	13	84	35
Somewhat confident	59	39	32
Not very confident	82	16	21
Not at all confident	80	18	10
Concerned about violence as result of election
Yes	42	56	70
No	69	29	28
Condition of the nation's economy
Poor	88	10	33
Not so good	52	46	35
Good	7	92	27
Excellent	11	89	5
Family's financial situation today
Worse than four years ago	82	16	47
About the same	27	71	29
Better than four years ago	14	83	24
Inflation caused family hardship within past year
Severe hardship	76	23	22
Moderate hardship	52	46	53
No hardship	21	78	24
Candidate trusted more to handle the economy
Trump	93	5	53
Harris	1	98	46
Abortion should be
Legal in all cases	9	88	33
Legal in most cases	49	49	33
Illegal in most cases	92	7	25
Illegal in all cases	88	11	5
Candidate trusted more to handle abortion
Trump	96	2	46
Harris	5	93	49
Opinion of Supreme Court
Approve	85	14	36
Disapprove	27	72	59
Most undocumented immigrants in the U.S. should be
Offered chance at legal status	22	76	56
Deported	87	11	40
Candidate trusted more to handle immigration
Trump	91	7	53
Harris	1	97	44
U.S. support for Israel is
Too strong	30	67	31
About right	39	60	30
Not strong enough	82	18	31
Candidate trusted more to handle crime and safety
Trump	95	4	52
Harris	1	98	47
Candidate trusted more to handle a crisis
Trump	95	3	51
Harris	1	97	47

A number of independent candidates announced presidential runs, most notably Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West. Several third parties, including the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Constitution Party, and the American Solidarity Party also announced presidential nominees.^[496] Kennedy dropped out of the race in August 2024, although he remained on the ballot in many states. The No Labels organization abandoned its efforts to run a centrist candidate in April 2024.^[497]

Chase Oliver was chosen by the Libertarian Party as its presidential nominee on May 26, 2024, at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention. Oliver was the party's nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia.^[498] Oliver achieved ballot access in 47 states, and was eligible to receive write-in votes in the District of Columbia, Illinois, New York, and Tennessee.^[499][500]

2024 Libertarian Party ticket
Chase Oliver	Mike ter Maat
for President	for Vice President
Sales account executive from Georgia	Economist from Virginia

This article is part of a series about Jill Stein
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The party's nominee in 2012 and 2016, Stein is a physician and a former member of the Lexington Town Meeting. On August 16, Stein selected academic Butch Ware as her running mate.^[501] Stein achieved ballot access in 38 states, and was eligible to receive write-in votes in seven states. She was not eligible to receive write-in votes in the remaining states or the District of Columbia.^{[499][502][500]}

2024 Green Party ticket
Jill Stein	Butch Ware
for President	for Vice President
Physician from Massachusetts	Academic from California

These third-party candidates had ballot access in some states, but not enough to get 270 votes needed to win the presidency, without running a write-in campaign.

• American Solidarity Party: Peter Sonski, Connecticut school board member^[503]
• Approval Voting Party: Blake Huber, activist and nominee for president in 2020^[504]
• Constitution Party: Randall Terry, anti-abortion activist and perennial candidate^[505]
• Independent American Party: Joel Skousen, survivalist and consultant^[506]
• Natural Law Party: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., environmental lawyer, anti-vaccine activist, and conspiracy theorist, the party's nominee in addition to his run as an independent before he withdrew from the race ahead of the election but was not removed from ballots^[507]
• Prohibition Party: Michael Wood, businessman^[508]
• Party for Socialism and Liberation: Claudia De la Cruz, political activist^[509][510]
• Socialist Equality Party: Joseph Kishore, writer and SEP nominee in 2020^[511]
• Socialist Workers Party: Rachele Fruit, hotel worker and trade unionist^[512]
• Socialist Party USA: Bill Stodden, nonprofit executive^[513]

The following notable individual(s) ran independently for president.

• Cornel West, academic, anti-war activist, and public intellectual, previously a People's Party and Green Party primaries candidate,^[514][515] who launched an independent campaign^[516][517]

The following notable individual(s) announced and then suspended their campaigns before the election:

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr., environmental lawyer, anti-vaccine activist, and conspiracy theorist, 2024 Democratic presidential candidate and 2024 independent presidential candidate (endorsed Trump)^[518]

Source of poll aggregation	Dates administered	Dates updated	Kamala Harris Democratic	Donald Trump Republican	Others/ Undecided [h]	Margin
270toWin[519]	through November 4, 2024	November 5, 2024	48.4%	47.2%	4.4%	Harris +1.2%
538[520]	through November 4, 2024	November 5, 2024	48.0%	46.8%	5.2%	Harris +1.2%
Cook Political Report[521]	through November 4, 2024	November 5, 2024	48.7%	47.8%	3.5%	Harris +0.9%
Decision Desk HQ/The Hill[522]	through November 5, 2024	November 5, 2024	48.4%	48.4%	3.2%	Tie
Silver Bulletin[523]	through November 4, 2024	November 5, 2024	48.6%	47.6%	3.8%	Harris +1.0%
Real Clear Politics[524]	through November 5, 2024	November 5, 2024	48.7%	48.6%	2.7%	Harris +0.1%
Average			48.5%	47.7%	3.8%	Harris +0.8%

Source of poll aggregation	Dates administered	Dates updated	Kamala Harris Democratic	Donald Trump Republican	Robert F. Kennedy Jr.[i] Independent	Jill Stein Green	Chase Oliver Libertarian	Cornel West Independent	Others/ Undecided [h]	Margin
Race to the WH[525]	through November 3, 2024	November 4, 2024	47.8%	47.1%	1.3%	0.8%	0.9%	0.6%	1.5%	Harris +0.7%
270toWin[519]	through November 4, 2024	November 4, 2024	47.5%	46.9%	1.2%	1.2%	0.7%	0.4%	2.1%	Harris +0.6%
Average			47.7%	47.0%	1.3%	1.0%	0.8%	0.5%	1.7%	Harris +0.7%

Elections analysts and political pundits issue probabilistic forecasts of the composition of the Electoral College. These forecasts use a variety of factors to estimate the likelihood of each candidate winning the Electoral College electors for that state. Most election predictors use the following ratings:

• "tossup": no advantage
• "tilt" (used by some predictors): advantage that is not quite as strong as "lean"
• "lean" or "leans": slight advantage
• "likely": significant, but surmountable, advantage
• "very likely" (used by some predictors): massive advantage that is stronger than "likely"
• "safe" or "solid": near-certain chance of victory

Below is a list of states considered by one or more forecast to be competitive; states that are deemed to be "safe" or "solid" by forecasters The Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, Inside Elections, CNalysis, Decision Desk HQ, and YouGov are omitted for brevity.^[j]

State	EVs	PVI [528]	2020 result	2020 margin [529]	IE Nov 3[530]	Cook Nov 4[531]	CNalysis Nov 4[532]	Sabato Nov 4[533]	CNN Oct 8[534]	DDHQ Nov 5[535]	538 Nov 5[526]	Economist Nov 5[527]	YouGov Nov 1[536]	2024 Result
Colorado	10	D+4	55.4% D	13.50%	Solid D	Solid D	Solid D	Safe D	Lean D	Likely D	Solid D	Safe D	Safe D	Harris 54.4% D
New Mexico	5	D+3	54.3% D	10.79%	Solid D	Likely D	Very Likely D	Likely D	Lean D	Likely D	Likely D	Likely D	Safe D	Harris 51.9% D
Virginia	13	D+3	54.1% D	10.11%	Likely D	Likely D	Solid D	Likely D	Lean D	Likely D	Likely D	Likely D	Safe D	Harris 51.8% D
Maine[k]	2	D+2	53.1% D	9.07%	Likely D	Likely D	Solid D	Likely D	Solid D	Safe D	Likely D	Likely D	Safe D	Harris 52.4% D
New Hampshire	4	D+1	52.7% D	7.35%	Lean D	Likely D	Solid D	Likely D	Lean D	Likely D	Likely D	Likely D	Safe D	Harris 50.7% D
Minnesota	10	D+1	52.4% D	7.11%	Lean D	Likely D	Solid D	Likely D	Lean D	Lean D	Likely D	Likely D	Likely D	Harris 50.9% D
NE–02[k]	1	EVEN	52.0% D[l]	6.50%	Lean D	Likely D	Solid D	Likely D	Lean D	Likely D	Likely D	Likely D	Tossup	Harris 51.3% D
Michigan	15	R+1	50.6% D	2.78%	Tossup	Tossup	Likely D	Lean D	Tossup	Tossup	Lean D	Lean D	Lean D	Trump 49.7% R (flip)
Nevada	6	R+1	50.1% D	2.39%	Tossup	Tossup	Tilt D	Lean D	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Trump 50.7% R (flip)
Pennsylvania	19	R+2	50.0% D	1.16%	Tossup	Tossup	Lean D	Lean D	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Trump 50.4% R (flip)
Wisconsin	10	R+2	49.5% D	0.63%	Tossup	Tossup	Lean D	Lean D	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Trump 49.6% R (flip)
Arizona	11	R+2	49.4% D	0.31%	Tossup	Tossup	Tilt R (flip)	Lean R (flip)	Tossup	Tossup	Lean R (flip)	Lean R (flip)	Tossup	Trump 52.1% R (flip)
Georgia	16	R+3	49.5% D	0.24%	Tossup	Tossup	Likely D	Lean R (flip)	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Trump 50.7% R (flip)
North Carolina	16	R+3	49.9% R	1.35%	Tossup	Tossup	Tilt D (flip)	Lean R	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Trump 50.9% R
Florida	30	R+3	51.2% R	3.36%	Lean R	Likely R	Likely R	Likely R	Lean R	Likely R	Likely R	Likely R	Lean R	Trump 56.1% R
Texas	40	R+5	52.1% R	5.58%	Likely R	Likely R	Lean R	Likely R	Solid R	Likely R	Likely R	Likely R	Lean R	Trump 56.1% R
ME–02[k]	1	R+6	52.3% R[l]	7.44%	Lean R	Likely R	Very Likely R	Likely R	Lean R	Likely R	Likely R	Likely R	Tossup	Trump 53.7% R
Ohio	17	R+6	53.3% R	8.03%	Likely R	Solid R	Likely R	Safe R	Solid R	Likely R	Likely R	Safe R	Safe R	Trump 55.1% R
Iowa	6	R+6	53.1% R	8.20%	Tilt R	Likely R	Tilt R	Likely R	Solid R	Likely R	Likely R	Likely R	Safe R	Trump 55.7% R
Alaska	3	R+8	52.8% R	10.06%	Solid R	Solid R	Very Likely R	Safe R	Solid R	Solid R	Likely R	Safe R	Safe R	Trump 54.5% R
NE–01[k]	1	R+9	54.3% R[l]	11.00%	Solid R	Solid R	Solid R	Likely R	Solid R	Solid R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R	Trump 55.5% R
Kansas	6	R+10	56.14% R	14.63%	Solid R	Solid R	Very Likely R	Safe R	Solid R	Solid R	Solid R	Safe R	Safe R	Trump 57.2% R
Overall					D – 226 R – 219 93 tossups	D – 226 R – 219 93 tossups	D – 308 R – 230 0 tossups	D – 276 R – 262 0 tossups	D – 226 R – 219 93 tossups	D – 226 R – 219 93 tossups	D – 241 R – 230 67 tossups	D – 241 R – 230 67 tossups	D – 240 R – 218 80 tossups	R – 312 D – 226

In April 2022, the Republican National Committee voted unanimously to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).^[537] In May 2024, the Biden campaign proposed hosting two debates outside of the CPD timetable and refusing to participate in CPD-hosted debates. Biden and Trump agreed to debates on CNN on June 27 and ABC News on September 10.^[538] The Harris camp suggested that another debate could be held in October after the September 10 debate with Trump.^[539] On September 12, Trump announced that there would be no third presidential debate.^[540]

CNN hosted the first major debate of the election on June 27 in Atlanta, with 51 million viewers watching.^[541] Media outlets characterized Biden's debate performance as a "disaster". Some pundits noted that he frequently lost his train of thought and gave meandering, confused answers.^{[542][543][544]} G. Elliott Morris and Kaleigh Rogers of ABC News' 538 argued that, although he had won the debate on policy, Biden had failed to reassure voters that he was capable of serving as president for another four years.^[545] After the debate, elected officials, party strategists, and fundraisers conversed about replacing Biden as the party's candidate, including whether prominent Democrats should make a public statement asking him to step aside.^[546] In response, Biden initially stated that he would not be dropping out, and prominent Democratic politicians, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, reiterated their support for Biden following the debate.^{[547][548][549]} The debate performance led to Biden ultimately withdrawing his bid for re-election on July 21.^[13]

The second presidential debate was held on Tuesday, September 10, by ABC News;^[550] 67.1 million viewers watched it.^[551] Although Trump had proposed a debate on Fox News,^[552] he later accepted the debate on ABC.^[553] The debate was held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and lasted for about 100 minutes.^[554] ABC's debate topics included abortion, the economy, foreign policy, and immigration.^[555] Most news organizations declared Harris the winner of the debate,^[m] and polling showed voters thought Harris won the debate by what The Washington Post described as a "historically large" margin.^[565] During the debate, Trump made numerous false assertions and extreme statements, including false claims about immigrants eating pets and Democrats supporting infanticide.^[566] CNN found that Trump made over 30 false claims during the debate, while Harris only made one.^[567] Republicans attributed Trump's low debate performance to their perception of biased debate moderation by ABC News because the moderators fact-checked him more than four times but did not fact-check Harris.^[568][569]

Vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz participated in a debate hosted by CBS News on October 1 at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.^[570][571] Topics discussed during the debate included immigration, abortion, and the economy.^[572][573] Fact checking was primarily done online only,^[574] with Vance making more false and misleading claims than Walz.^[575] Forty-three million viewers watched the debate.^[576] Many debate watchers viewed the debate as "positive" and "civil". According to polling, both candidates polled about even among viewers who were asked who won the debate,^[577] while Vance was considered the winner by a majority of columnists.^[n]

Various debates and forums were held, sponsored by the Free & Equal Elections Foundation.^[585] Robert F. Kennedy Jr. organized a separate debate, taking place during the Trump–Harris event.^[586]

Electoral results

Presidential candidate	Party	Home state	Popular vote[587]		Electoral vote[2]	Running mate
			Count	Percentage		Vice-presidential candidate	Home state	Electoral vote[2]
Donald Trump	Republican	Florida	77,302,169	49.74%	312	JD Vance	Ohio	312
Kamala Harris	Democratic	California	75,015,834	48.27%	226	Tim Walz	Minnesota	226
Jill Stein	Green	Massachusetts	861,141	0.55%	0	Butch Ware	California	0
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.	Independent	California	756,377	0.49%	0	Nicole Shanahan	California	0
Chase Oliver	Libertarian	Georgia	650,142	0.42%	0	Mike ter Maat	Virginia	0
Other			833,975	0.54%	—	Other		—
Total			155,419,638	100%	538			538
Needed to win					270			270

Final reports as compiled from the certified vote totals of each state or district.^[2]

Legend

States won by Trump/Vance
States won by Harris/Walz
EV	Electoral votes
†	At-large results (for Maine and Nebraska, which both split electoral votes)