WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – The official inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump is getting a little closer with today's vote by the 538 electors in the US states. Electors award their votes based on the results of the November 5 presidential election, so there are no surprises to be expected – the process is purely a formality. The Republican Trump has 312 voters, while his defeated Democratic opponent Kamala Harris has 226 voters.
Each elector receives his or her own ballot, which is sent including the signature of Vice President Harris in her capacity as President of the US Senate. Copies go to the state secretary of state, the presiding judge of the county where electors meet, and the U.S. National Archives in Washington. The official result will not be announced in Congress until January 6th, and the 47th President of the United States will be sworn in two weeks later.
Clear election victory against Harris
Trump clearly won the election against Harris in November. Not only was he able to win in all the crucial “swing states,” but he was also the first Republican since George W. Bush in 2004 to receive the absolute majority of the popular vote.
While the “Popular Vote” reflects the total number of votes of all voters across the country, the majority in the electoral college is crucial for election victory. This system is based on the complicated “winner take all” principle – which means that a US president can be elected even if he received fewer votes nationwide than his opponent.
The electoral process will be formally concluded with the inauguration of the new president on January 20th. At a solemn ceremony in front of the Capitol in Washington, Trump will take his oath of office (“inauguration”).
Press conference at Mar-a-Lago
At the beginning of the week, Trump used his first extensive press conference since the election to answer questions from reporters about domestic and foreign policy issues. Some of his answers seemed disorganized – he often digressed, repeated himself and inserted personal anecdotes. The president-elect spoke at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, among other things…
* … his immigration policy: Trump reiterated his plans for mass deportations and declared that the affected countries would already “take back” the migrants. Otherwise there will be “economically very hard” consequences. He also signaled that he wanted to continue building the border wall with Mexico. It is unclear whether countries would actually take back migrants comprehensively or even could – that depends heavily on bilateral agreements, political pressure and the capacities of the individual states.
