With the electors voting in the US states, the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump is getting closer. It all started on Tuesday morning (local time) with the ten voters in Maryland on the east coast. They cast their votes for US Vice President Kamala Harris, who won the state in the November 5 presidential election. A total of 538 voters cast votes in the states throughout the day. The process is a formality and no surprises are to be expected. The Republican Trump has 312 voters, while the Democrat 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.
- … the Ukraine war: Trump condemned incumbent President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to attack Russian territory with long-range Western weapons as “very stupid”. He did not rule out reversing the decision after he took office. Trump also calls for a quick end to the war, but without naming concrete measures to achieve this. He left questions about talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and territorial concessions by Ukraine unanswered.
- … the Middle East conflict: Trump described Turkey as a key player in Syria. When asked whether he was considering attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, he declined to give a direct answer. Trump described his recent exchange with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “very good conversation.” With regard to the efforts to free the hostages in the Gaza Strip, he warned that it would be “uncomfortable” if this did not happen by the time he took office on January 20th.
Parliamentary tailwind
In the congressional elections in the USA, which took place at the same time as the presidential election, the Republicans secured a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. This gives Trump a powerful starting position for implementing his political agenda. It remains unclear whether he will coordinate more closely with leading Republicans or – as in the past – pursue a more impulsive and independent line.
