The tens of millions of American voters spoke and confirmed the predictions that spoke of an inconclusive battle, which, however, did not have to pass days or weeks to be decided.

Donald Trump will return from the beginning of 2025 to the White House. With the completion of counting in the three swing states of Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, it was confirmed that he will exceed the magic number of 270 electors required for his election.

From the staff of the former, but now the next president, it had leaked early on that he was preparing his celebratory speech, together with Elon Musk at his headquarters in “red” (Republican} Florida, confident of victory. Predominance of the Republicans and recovery of majority in the Senate as well.

The winner of the election didn’t even have to wait for the “reluctant” television networks (except his friendly FOX News) to announce his victory. He did it himself in front of a raving crowd and while earlier Kamala Harris had announced that she would be speaking… tomorrow.

Trump spoke of the greatest political movement in American history. “We have achieved something incredible, which our country has never seen before,” he added, calling himself the country’s 47th president. He promised a “golden age” for the US and its people.

Winner of polarization

It seems that the polarizing and extreme speech of the autocratic multi-millionaire, who did not hesitate to utter insults about his opponents and extreme lies, “spoke” more to an electorate that seems tired of the repeated crises of the last years, especially the nightmare of the pandemic, the inflation that has hit low incomes and the uncertainty caused by the country’s “engagement” in two wars and believes that an iron hand is needed to pull it out of the impasse.

Trump’s great advantage was that he has managed to have the “unaccountable” ability to claim anything, without having to prove it. The “smile” and good mood that Harris brought to the campaign battle were not enough to give her the victory. This was not necessarily a battle of arguments. Perhaps her late candidacy after the departure of Biden is another reason for the defeat, since her program in the eyes of many remained rather cloudy. It is typical that her percentages were below expectations and in traditional “castles” of the Democrats, often even below those of Biden in 2020.

White America has spoken

Trump’s victory is a victory for “white, male America.” White men voted for Trump 59% (white women 52%) according to an NBC poll. The corresponding percentages for Trump among blacks were 20% among men and just 7% among women. Overall the percentage of white voters was 71%, black 11% and Latino 12%. So one understands who gave the keys to the White House. However, the turn of Latinos towards the political tycoon did not go unnoticed.

Struggle for democracy and the economy

According to a CNN poll, voters had democracy (35%) and the economy (31%) as the main issues that influenced their choice. Of course, this has to do with the recruitment of each voter. 73% of Americans believe that democracy is under threat in the country. Apparently some people talking about “democracy” may have had in mind the myth of the “stolen victory” of 2020 and when they hear “economy” they are pinning their hopes on a wealth tycoon.

Biden as a “weight”

The fact that 58% of voters said they do not approve of Joe Biden’s policy is also impressive. If the majority of them saw the candidacy of Kamala Harris as a continuation of the current president, then this was a serious disadvantage for the Democratic candidate. They had placed a lot of hope in the current vice president’s staff and in the votes of young people, which were not enough to tip the scales in her favor. Young people under 29 may have given 55% to Harris but their percentage of the total population is small (14%) for her to be able to make a difference.

Not even the Obamas’ dramatic appeals to “go vote like your life depended on it” could turn the tide. However, only 3% said they had decided what they would vote for in the last three days. An overwhelming 80% had already decided on his choice before September.

Embarrassment and worry abroad

The first reactions from abroad were rather awkward. The prospect of Trump’s return may not have seemed far-fetched for weeks, but apparently it’s hard for some to believe that the country that wants to rule the planet will be led by a man that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have publicly called ” fascist”. As characteristically the conservative die Welt wrote, only in an absurd world could such a politician be elected president of the USA.

With two ongoing wars, Europeans are holding their breath at the prospect of an unpredictable president who may say he wants to “end” conflict, but is confrontational by nature and has contributed to worsening crises in the past. The only hope is that perhaps by January 20, when he is sworn in and assumes office, there will have been some lull at least on the Middle East front.

The lighthouse no longer shines

Of course, there are some who are happy with this development, such as his declared political friend, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán or “the president with the saw” Javier Millay in Argentina, and even Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey. But these are a few more gray figures in a world that seems to be getting darker. The sure conclusion is one. An America where liberal democracy seems to be constantly in retreat, where political violence, bigotry and xenophobia tend to become everyday, it is very difficult to claim the role of “beacon of freedom” and even more difficult to be convinced of it.