Trump 2.0

Stunning victory raises the stakes for stability and peace

Donald Trump's second presidential victory has comprehensively defied the popular polls and underlined the Democrats' pre-poll misgivings. Far from being a narrow contest, Mr Trump has romped home not just in the red states but also in swing states. Unlike 2016, Mr Trump has also won the popular vote, the first time a Republican has done so since George W Bush's re-election in 2004. His victory is remarkable when set against the momentum Ms Harris generated from a late, standing start — at 107 days it was the shortest presidential campaign in post-war history. Ms Harris outraised and outspent her Republican opponent and was endorsed by an impressive slate of A-listers, from former Presidents and stalwarts of Mr Trump's first administration, Nobel prize-winning economists to cultural influencers such as Taylor Swift and Oprah Winfrey. Her weaknesses lay in associating herself with Bidenomics, which polls consistently showed were unpopular, and a tepid, ill-defined agenda that offered little beyond abortion rights and tax breaks for new families.