On Saturday, Donald Trump clinched victory in Arizona, completing a Republican sweep of all seven key swing states in the November 5 US presidential election. This win returns Arizona’s 11 electoral votes to the Republican column, a state narrowly won by Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Trump’s victory over Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris also marks his second Arizona win since 2016.
With this recent addition, Trump has now amassed 312 electoral votes well beyond the 270 required to claim the presidency. This surpasses his 2016 total of 304 electoral votes, marking significant gains in several battleground states. Trump won all major swing states, including Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, which shifted back to the Republican side after voting Democratic in 2020. He also carried North Carolina and Nevada with wider margins than before, despite the challenges of a criminal conviction and two impeachments during his first term.
Harris, who replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee in July due to age-related concerns, currently holds 226 electoral votes. Trump’s win extends the trend of alternating Republican and Democratic control of the White House for the fourth consecutive term a level of political volatility not seen since the late 1800s. Biden, who stepped down from the race, is scheduled to meet with Trump at the Oval Office on Wednesday.
Preparing for his second term, Trump has begun assembling his new administration. Campaign manager Susie Wiles has been appointed as White House chief of staff, making her the first woman to hold the prominent position. Other potential appointees include Elon Musk, who may take on a role in government auditing, former ambassador Ric Grenell as a likely choice for secretary of state, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to whom Trump has promised a significant role in healthcare.