By Elaina Batista, Contributor
On Nov. 5, the American people made their decision and elected Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States. The results were Kamala Harris winning 226 electoral votes and Donald Trump with 312 electoral votes. The election results were predicted to be finalized a week after election day, but shortly after the election Trump was projected the winner by several major news outlets.
There were seven battleground states during this election, and their results were all crucial to the race. Trump won all seven battleground states and according to the New York Times, his victory was driven by redshifts all across the country. Additionally, Pennsylvania, a major swing state in this election, shifted red in 2016, blue in 2020 and back to red in 2024.
Some voters felt disappointed with the election results, which Harris addressed when delivering her concession speech. As reported by Time Magazine, in an address Wednesday afternoon at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Harris publicly conceded and urged her supporters to keep up the fight for democracy. Earlier that day, Harris spoke to Trump and congratulated him on his victory, and according to Time Magazine she plans to help him and his team engage in a peaceful transfer of power. In her speech, Harris said “A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny.” While addressing the American people, she also told her supporters that the “fight” is not over.
Following his victory, Trump made quick moves to announce the members of his cabinet. Trump has announced several candidates for his cabinet that still need to be approved by the Senate. The list is as follows: Florida Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz as attorney general, Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary, former Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe as director of the C.I.A., former Democratic house member Tulsi Gabbard as director of the national intelligence, former congressman from Long Island Lee Zeldin as E.P.A administrator, New York District representative Elise Stefanik as U.N ambassador, former republican presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health and human service secretary and finally Governor of North Dakota Doug Burgrum as interior secretary, as reported by The New York Times.
While those listed above still need to be approved by Congress before stepping into their appointments, there are positions within Trump’s cabinet that he will not need congressional approval for. These include Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, James Blair, Taylor Budowich, Stephen Miller and Dan Scavino as deputy chief of staff, according to The New York Times.
Trump’s pick for Attorney General Matt Gaetz is currently under investigation over sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and other allegations. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said that he plans to launch an investigation on the former representative, per The New York Times.
Trump naming his cabinet is a way for him to set the tone for his administration and serves as a preface of how he plans to execute his first 100 days. Many of his cabinet picks have been long-time loyal supporters of Trump and his policies. Trump will continue to tap those he would like to serve alongside him in the upcoming days and weeks.