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Trump Breaks 132-Year Record, Supporters Erupt in Jubilation
International Desk
06 Nov 2024, 14:53
Photo: Collected
Donald Trump has made a historic comeback, becoming the U.S. President once again after previously losing an election. With this victory, Trump shattered a 132-year-old record. Exceeding the magic number of 270 electoral votes, the Republican camp is celebrating with unrestrained joy, as they also hold a majority in the Senate.
American citizens, including many Bangladeshis, voted to elect the 47th President of the United States, focusing on key issues such as the economy, abortion, healthcare, immigration, employment, and Israeli aggression in Palestine.
This election saw a significant increase in new voters, with a noticeable rise in female voter turnout. On election day, Republican candidate Donald Trump cast his vote in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Democratic candidate Kamala Harris had already voted by mail two days earlier. Both candidates were optimistic about winning.
However, on Wednesday (October 6), at around 1:30 PM Bangladesh time, Fox News reported Trump as the victor. According to Fox News, the latest results showed Trump securing 277 electoral votes, while his Democratic rival Kamala Harris received 226. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the U.S. presidency.
Following his confirmed victory, Trump addressed his supporters, pledging to make America great once more and extending special thanks to voters from swing states.
Trump's supporters erupted in boundless jubilation over his triumph.
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Harris Says US Ready for Woman President
Kamala Harris said Tuesday that America is "absolutely" ready to elect its first woman president but downplayed her historic bid, saying she simply wants to turn the page for a nation "exhausted" by Donald Trump.
With two weeks to Election Day, Harris and Trump are saturating swing states with rallies and taking to the airwaves and podcasts on the hunt for an advantage in a race that polls suggest is effectively tied.
Speaking on the national NBC network, Harris responded "absolutely" when asked if America was ready to elect its first woman -- but also noted her candidacy was about "turning the page."
"People are exhausted with Donald Trump and his approach, because it's all about himself," she said.
Trump, speaking to supporters in North Carolina, pitched a very different message.
"This election is a choice between whether we will have four more years of incompetence, failure and disaster, or whether we'll begin the four greatest years in the history of our country," he said to cheers.
He repeatedly called Harris and her running mate Tim Walz stupid during the rally.
'Lock him up'
The race is overshadowed by extraordinary tensions and fears of violence or a refusal by Trump to recognize the results if he loses, as he continues to do over his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.
Harris told NBC that her campaign was "of course" ready for a scenario where Trump prematurely claims victory during a vote-counting process that could take days to complete.
Biden, who has been an infrequent presence in Harris's campaign, took a shot at Trump Tuesday by re-wording the ex-president's notorious anti-Hillary Clinton chant of "Lock her up".
On a visit to New Hampshire, Biden told a small crowd that "we got to lock" Trump up –- adding quickly, "politically lock him up."
With Trump facing multiple pending criminal charges as he competes against Harris to succeed Biden, the White House has been very careful not to weigh in on the Republican's legal problems.
The Trump campaign responded that Biden and Harris had a "plan all along... to politically persecute their opponent."
About 18 million Americans have already voted by mail or in person -- representing more than 10 percent of the total in 2020.
Some polls appear to be giving the Republican, who at 78 is the oldest nominee from a major party in US history, a slight edge recently -- but all within the margin of error.
Whatever the result, US voters will make history on November 5: they will either elect the country's first woman president, or they will put the first convicted felon into the White House.
Early voters
Harris, 60, is also deploying two of her party's most popular emissaries onto the campaign trail: Barack and Michelle Obama.
The former president, speaking at a rally in Madison on Tuesday, rolled back the years with fiery attacks on Trump.
"Don't boo, vote!" he implored people after his jibes.
Laster in the day, Rapper Eminem upped the star factor when he introduced Obama at a major Harris campaign event in Detroit, drawing a rapped reply from the ex-president.
"I don't usually get nervous, but I was feeling some kinda way following Eminem," Obama said before launching into a recitation of the lyrics to the rapper's hit "Lose Yourself".
At the same time, Trump has increasingly repeated conspiracy theories on the campaign trail, often taking aim at migrants and his political opponents.
While speaking to Latino leaders Tuesday in Florida he said: "As president, you have tremendous — it's called extreme power. You have extreme power."
"You can, just by the fact, you say, 'Close the border,' and the border's closed," he added.
The Harris campaign has begun to hammer at his mental and physical fitness to occupy the Oval Office while trying to woo moderate Republican voters.
One of Trump's top aides as president, former Marine general John Kelly, confirmed Tuesday to The New York Times previous reports that he considered the Republican to be a fascist.
"Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he's certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators -- he has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure."
Joe Rogan, host of one of the most listened to podcasts in America, said his interview with Trump is due out Friday.
Non-traditional media, including podcasts, have played a key role in the campaign in targeting specific audiences like young women and Black men.
US Deadly E. coli Outbreak Linked to McDonald's Burgers
One person has died and dozens have fallen sick from E. coli food poisoning linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers in several US states, federal health authorities said on Tuesday.
The outbreak — which began in September — has spread across 10 western states with at least 49 infections being reported, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said.
"Epidemiologic data show that Quarter Pounder hamburgers served at McDonald's are contaminated with E. coli and are making people sick," the CDC said.
The highest number of cases are concentrated in Colorado and Nebraska. Other affected states include Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
According to the CDC, ten people have been hospitalized — including one child with serious kidney complications.
"One older person in Colorado has died," the CDC added.
Most recall eating Quarter Pounders
All the people questioned in connection with the infections reported eating at McDonald's before they fell ill.
Most of them mentioned eating the popular Quarter Pounder hamburger, the CDC said.
The bacterial strain in question, E. coli O157:H7, can cause serious illness. It was also the source of a 1993 outbreak when four children died after eating undercooked hamburgers at Jack in the Box restaurants.
"Early information from FDA [Food and Drug Administration] indicates onions may be a source of this outbreak. Investigators from all agencies are working quickly to determine the contaminated ingredient," the CDC said.
What did McDonald's say?
McDonald's share price plummeted more than 6% in extended trading after the world's largest food chain was linked to the E. coli outbreak.
"Food safety is so important to me and everyone at McDonald's," the president of McDonald's USA, Joe Erlinger, said in a video message.
The company has suspended the distribution of the slivered onions and temporarily taken the Quarter Pounder off the menu in affected regions.
Additionally, the Quarter Pounder has also been temporarily taken off the menu in parts of Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
"We've taken steps to proactively remove slivered onions, which are used in Quarter Pounders, in select states," Erlinger said
"We've also made the decision to temporarily remove the Quarter Pounder from restaurants in select states" he added.
Kamala Harris Says She Believes Donald Trump is a Fascist
US presidential hopeful Kamala Harris said she believes her opponent Donald Trump is a fascist after reports emerged that he praised Adolf Hitler.
Speaking at a town hall event hosted by CNN on Wednesday night, Harris was asked by anchor Anderson Cooper whether she believed Trump is a fascist. "Yes, I do," Harris answered. "And I also believe that the people who know him best, on this subject, should be trusted."
Harris: 'Trump is a danger to the security of America'
Harris cited numerous former Trump administration officials, including his national security advisor and vice president.
"They have said explicitly he has contempt for the constitution of the United States," she said. "They have said he should never again serve as president of the United States." "I believe Donald Trump is a danger to the well-being and security of America," she added.
Trump accused of praising Hitler
Harris' comments came after a report by the New York Times, in which Trump's longest-serving chief of staff, John Kelly, said the former president had openly admired German dictator Adolf Hitler while in office.
Kelly had told the newspaper that Trump remarked that "Hitler did some good things too" and that instead of the US military, he "wanted generals like Adolf Hitler had." Trump denied the account in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. He claimed that Kelly "made up a story."
Early voting record numbers
Nearly 25 million people have already voted, either through in-person early voting or mail-in ballots, according to tracking data from the Election Lab at the University of Florida.
Several states, including the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Georgia, set records on the first day of early voting. The record early turnout comes as Harris and Trump remain neck and neck in the seven most
competitive states.
Biden Makes Historic Apology to Native Americans
US President Joe Biden traveled to Arizona on Friday where he spoke with members of the Gila River Indian Community, offering a historical apology to Native peoples who suffered a century-and-a-half of unjust federal policies.
Biden, who has sought to invest in long neglected Tribal communities, as well as expanding Tribal autonomy and protections, was accompanied by US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American ever to serve in a Cabinet position.
Stephen Roe Lewis, governor of the Gila River Indian Community, introduced Biden, praising his "compassion, character and empathy," saying "no other president or vice president has done more for Native Americans."
Speaking to those gathered, Biden called the opportunity to offer an official apology, "one of the most consequential things I've ever been able to do."
Biden's apology was offered for decades of abuse suffered by Indian Nations at the hands of the US government and its policy of forced assimilation among Indian children.
Biden told those gathered, "The Federal Indian Board Era is one of the darkest chapters of American history. The trauma experienced in those institutions haunts our conscience to this very day."
He spoke passionately about the need "to right a wrong... to chart a new path forward," before praising "thousands of years of [Native American] culture" in government, culture and agriculture.
Addressing the "trauma and shame" of "generations of children stolen," Biden slammed his fist on his podium, bellowing "I formally apologize!"
A perfidious scheme to 'civilize Indians'
The boarding school system, which began as part of the Indian Civilization Act of 1819, remained in place until 1970 and at one point comprised some 400 schools, many of them church-operated, across the breadth of the continent.
Over the course of 150 years, records show that more than 18,000 Native American children, some as young as four, were taken from their parents and put into abusive boarding schools aimed at eradicating Tribal cultures. In his remarks, Biden acknowledged that the true number of children taken was likely far greater.
Boys at the school, for instance, had their braids cut off and children were forbidden from speaking in their native tongue. Catholic educators condemned traditional Tribal religion as "evil," pushing forced conversions under the motto, "kill the Indian, save the man."
At least 973 children died in the schools.
First Native American Cabinet member instrumental in acknowledging historical injustices
After Haaland took over at the Department of Interior, she ordered a comprehensive review of federal boarding school policies. It was that report that motivated Biden to offer an official presidential apology.
"He made commitments to Indian country," said Haaland, "and he has followed through on every single one."
Biden, whom Haaland called "courageous," put federal protections on a number of sacred Tribal sites in the Southwest, including restoring protections for the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, which his predecessor Donald Trump had opened to drilling and mining under Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.
Biden on Friday, listed the many initiatives his administration had undertaken to assist Tribal communities, such as investment in infrastructure, health and education.
Political observers point out that the move by Biden during his last days in office also seeks to highlight the administration's work while attracting a very specific group of voters in a critical swing state as Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump remain in a dead heat just days before the US presidential election.
In his remarks, President Biden labeled the Federal Boarding School Era "a sin on our soul" and called for history books to be rewritten, "just because history is silent doesn't mean it didn't happen," he said, adding, "we must know who we are as a nation."
In closing, Biden spoke of hopefulness and the strengthening of ties between the federal government and Tribal Nations. While acknowledging that it was impossible to change the past, he said saying his apology was about "finally moving forward, into the light."
Donald Trump Attacks Kamala Harris at New York City Rally
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump attacked Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally at Madison Square Garden, New York City, on Sunday night. "You've destroyed our country. We're not going to take it anymore, Kamala, you're fired. Get out. Get out. You're fired," Trump told the crowd. He also called Harris a "very low IQ individual."
"This election is a choice between whether we'll have four more years of gross incompetence and failure, or whether we'll begin the greatest years in the history of our country," he said. The Republican nominee was introduced by his wife, Melania Trump, whose appearance came as a surprise as she has been largely absent from his campaign.
What did Trump promise?
In his speech, which lasted about an hour and 15 minutes, Trump mostly reiterated promises he made on the campaign trail, such as curbing illegal immigration. He repeatedly linked gang violence to illegal immigration, promising that he would stop an "invasion of criminals coming into our country" if he wins the November 5 election.
He called for the death penalty for any migrant who kills an American citizen or law enforcement officer. The Republican nominee also announced a new policy that would provide tax credits for family caregivers. "If I win, we will quickly build the greatest economy in the history of the world. Which is what we had in our last term," Trump said.
He promised to "teach children to always respect our great American flag" and said that burning the American flag would be punishable by a year in jail.
Incendiary remarks by Trump allies
Madison Square Garden was packed hours before Trump was scheduled to speak. Outside the arena, the sidewalks were overflowing with his supporters wearing red "Make America Great Again" hats.
In the hours before Trump spoke, some of the introductory speakers at the 20,000-seat Madison Square Garden venue drew cheers with their barbs against Harris, Puerto Rico and Latinos in the final stretch of one of America's closest ever White House races.
Trump's childhood friend David Rem referred to Harris, who is vying to become the first woman to be elected president, as "the Antichrist" and "the devil."
Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and Trump's former personal lawyer, claimed that Harris was "on the side of the terrorists" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and wanted to bring Palestinians to the United States.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe used crude language to joke that Latinos "love making babies" and called the Caribbean US territory of Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."
Hinchcliffe's comments were immediately criticized by Harris' campaign and by Puerto Rican star Ricky Martin, who was among the first to endorse Harris when she launched her presidential bid in July.
"Puerto Ricans deserve a president who sees and invests in (their) strength," Harris said in a clip posted on social media along with Hinchcliffe's comments.
Meet the Young, First-time US Voters Going for Trump
Locked in a tight race for the US presidency, Republican Donald Trump has been pushing hard to make inroads with young, first-time voters.
AFP spoke with three such teenagers in Georgia, one of the most hotly contested of the swing states that will decide the US election on November 5.
'Someone to look up to'
Kamron can't wait to blow out the candles for his 18th birthday on Thursday, just in time for the presidential election.
For this high school student, who was wearing a red cap bearing Trump's name, there is no doubt about who he is voting for.
"A lot of young men don't like what's going on in the US right now," he said, adding that he believes the Democrats were spending too much time on "LGBTQ agendas, transgender agendas" and not enough on everyday problems.
"That's not really what the young men are looking for right now, they're looking for a strong, powerful leader that has a backbone, they're looking for someone to look up to," he said.
'For the economy'
On Monday, Trump held a campaign rally on the Georgia Tech university campus in Atlanta.
Cesar Viera, 18, said he's ready to vote for the billionaire as early as "tomorrow," taking advantage of early voting arrangements, which are in place in several states.
"Trump would be way better for young Americans," he said, a US flag draped across his shoulders.
"He's just the best for the economy right now," said the teenager, a craftsman who refurbishes houses and who already has concerns about never being able to afford his own.
At 78, Trump would be the oldest man to take oath as US president if he wins. For Viera, however, there are no concerns about his age.
"I think it doesn't matter, it just matters how he's doing mentally," he said.
'Sense of community'
"Neither candidate is perfect," said Trenton Dykes, a 19-year-old computer engineering student from Kennesaw, Georgia.
Dykes was unmoved by allegations of racism leveled at Trump, who has repeatedly characterized migrants as "animals" and "criminals" throughout his campaign.
"Based on policy, we've already seen him in office four years, I don't think he did anything racist," said Dykes.
The student initially supported Robert Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate who dropped out of the race to support Republican Trump.
"I don't vote based on character," he said, adding that Trump was "bringing people across party lines."
This would be Dykes's second rally for the septuagenarian, and he said he was drawn to "the sense of community, people coming together with the same set of beliefs."
Trump Strongly Condemns Alleged Persecution of Minorities in Bangladesh
U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has issued a strong condemnation against Bangladesh, alleging persecution of Hindus, Christians, and other minorities in the country. Trump claimed that Bangladesh is currently in a state of complete chaos.
In an X post (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, October 31, Trump criticized Bangladesh harshly, stating, “I strongly condemn the brutal violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities in Bangladesh. They are being attacked and looted in an organized manner. Bangladesh is now in a complete state of chaos.”
Trump mentioned that such incidents never happened during his administration. He wrote, “Kamala (another presidential candidate) and Joe (President Joe Biden) have ignored Hindus in the U.S. and around the world. From Israel to Ukraine, and at our southern border, they have been a disaster. But we will make America strong again and restore peace through strength!”
He further stated, “We will protect American Hindus from the radical left. We will fight for their freedom. Under my administration, we will strengthen our broader partnership with India and my good friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
The former president added, “Kamala Harris will destroy your small businesses with high taxes and more regulations. Where I cut taxes, reduced regulations, strengthened American energy, and built the strongest economy in history, we will do it again, bigger and better than ever. And we will make America great again.”
In closing, he extended Diwali greetings to everyone, saying, “I hope this festival of lights will drive away darkness and bring victory of good over evil.”
