Donald Trump has been elected to return to the White House as the 47th United States president.
His victory has been met by international congratulations but is likely to add further uncertainty to a turbulent geopolitical situation.
Results showed Trump beating Vice President Kamala Harris in a race far less tight than expected, as he triumphed in key battleground states.
Victory in Wisconsin, following earlier triumphs in Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania saw the former president clear the 270 Electoral College votes required to clinch the White House in the November 5 election.
That refusal sparked a violent insurrection at the US Capitol, and Trump was also convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
However, his campaign, which has seen him demonise his opponent, immigrants, and many minorities, tapped into the frustrations of many in a bitterly polarised nation.
Speaking to his supporters after he had declared victory, Trump claimed he had won “an unprecedented and powerful mandate”.
Anger and resentment
Scott Lucas, a professor of international politics at the University of Dublin, told Al Jazeera that Trump’s victory stemmed from frustrations that have been bubbling for years.
Victory in Wisconsin, following earlier triumphs in Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania saw the former president clear the 270 Electoral College votes required to clinch the White House in the November 5 election.
Trump’s victory in those swing states currently sees him with 277 votes against 224 for Harris. Polls had predicted a much tighter race, but it appears that anger fuelled the Republican’s remarkable comeback from defeat in 2020 and widespread condemnation of his refusal to accept the result.
That refusal sparked a violent insurrection at the US Capitol, and Trump was also convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
However, his campaign, which has seen him demonise his opponent, immigrants, and many minorities, tapped into the frustrations of many in a bitterly polarised nation.
Speaking to his supporters after he had declared victory, Trump claimed he had won “an unprecedented and powerful mandate”.
Anger and resentment
Scott Lucas, a professor of international politics at the University of Dublin, told Al Jazeera that Trump’s victory stemmed from frustrations that have been bubbling for years.
“There is anger and resentment in the US, which has been there for quite some time. It’s been a trauma since 9/11. It’s been there with the financial crash in 2008-2009. It was there in 2016 when Trump exploited it, and he exploited it again,” Lucas told Al Jazeera, adding that Trump was able to do that because the “political system is damaged”.
Concern over the economy, and inflation in particular, under President Joe Biden was a major focus of the campaign.
That has also encouraged opposition to the support Washington is giving to Ukraine in its war with Russia. Meanwhile the failure to rein in Israel’s wars on Gaza and Lebanon has angered Muslim and liberal voters.
sues will test Trump, who is known for his simplistic claims to be capable of quickly solving such issues.
He has promised to end the war in Ukraine in a day, an idea which has Kyiv wary that it could face pressure to strike a deal handing over territory to Russia. NATO allies, meanwhile, fear he will weaken the alliance’s guarantees.
Trump is also a strong supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and has boasted he will end the war with Hamas in Gaza in hours.
“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!” Netanyahu said in a statement after Trump declared victory.
The enthusiasm in Tel Aviv also stems from the incoming president’s hawkish approach to Iran, which he is likely to reassert.
China is also braced for a more confrontational relationship with the US under Trump, who is expected to revive staunchly nationalistic trade policies, putting both allies and rivals on edge.
‘Much more dangerous era’
However, at home supporters will look to Trump to put the focus on the welfare of US citizens while following through on promises to enact a radical agenda that would transform nearly every aspect of American government.
That will include plans to launch the largest deportation effort in the nation’s history and use the Justice Department to punish his enemies.
The result is that “we are going into a much more dangerous era for Americans and for the world because this will not be a coherent US policy for America but one pursued for Trump,” Lucas added.