Back from the abyss: 7 key moments in Donald Trump's return to the White House

FOUR YEARS AGO, Donald Trump’s political career looked to be finished.

The former – and next – US president had lost to Democratic rival Joe Biden by a comfortable margin. He mounted a series of legal challenges, alleging widespread electoral fraud, but to no avail.

On 6 January 2021, Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the election. A number of people died and several were injured in the ultimately unsuccessful attempt, and Trump was widely blamed for what happened.

Trump quickly lost the support of a number of high-profile allies, and it seemed as though the door was shut on his political career.

But that’s not how things turned out. Trump will be the next president of the United States, after a huge political comeback. Here are 7 key moments along the way.

1. Impeachment trial, Republicans rally

Following the following of 6 January, formerly supportive Republicans turned against Trump, publicly criticising him for his role in what happened.

Trump, still refusing to accept he lost (he has never admitted that he lost, despite there being no evidence to support his claim), also refused to be present for Joe Biden’s inauguration, instead heading back to his base at Mar-a-Lago, Florida. 

He was impeached by the House of Representatives on 13 January, 2021, for incitement of insurrection. A total of 10 House Republicans voted to impeach the former president (only two remain in politics today).

Following this, an impeachment trial was held in the Senate in February, after Trump had left office.

The Senate voted 57-43 to convict Trump, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed. Trump was still wildly popular with a core Republican base, and senators weren’t ready to denounce him and risk their own popularity.

Seven Republicans did cross the aisle to vote to convict Trump, however. But it was not enough and Trump was spared a conviction that would have barred him from running for office again.

2. Misfiring at the Mid-terms

Over the next two years, Trump held numerous rallies, and openly condemned Republicans who had failed to offer unwavering support to him.

Four of the six Republican Senators who had voted to impeach him lost out to Trump-selected candidates in the primaries. 

He once again had a full grip on the party by the time the mid-term elections rolled around in November 2022. President Joe Biden was deeply unpopular, and Americans were looking for a change.

However, the mid-terms were a flop. For the most part, Trump’s candidates lost their races – with notable exceptions, including JD Vance. While the Republicans saw some gains, overall the elections were seen as a disappointment and Trump was one again floundering. 

Never one to let things lie for too long, Trump announced his 2024 presidential bid on 15 November 2022, as Republicans were still smarting from the midterm disappointment.

Once again, there were endless articles about whether the former president’s time had passed. It seemed as though all the focus was on the new shining star of the Conservative movement Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who had scored a huge reelection victory.

3. Legal Troubles, dispatching the competition 

However, throughout 2023 Trump once again rallied and took aim at any opponents vying for the presumptive Republican nomination.

Throughout 2022 and 2023, he was hit with various lawsuits and criminal charges. A raid took place on his home in Mar-a-Lago, with the FBI searching for sensitive documents Trump may have taken with him from the White House.

In 2023 he was landed with a series of indictments related to attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Trump also faced mounting lawsuits and a criminal case in New York for falsifying business records linked to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

He was found guilty in this instance in May of this year, which means Donald Trump will become the first convicted felon to serve as a US president. 

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However, all these cases seemed to only deepen Trump’s popularity among the faithful.

A mug shot taken of him in Fulton Jail, Atlanta, Georgia, in August 2023, where he faced a number of charges including racketeering, instantly became slapped on merchandise to be sold to his supporters.

As soon as the campaign got underway in earnest, it was never in doubt who the Republican standard bearer would be. Trump made mincemeat of the competition, including DeSantis who he used as a punching bag throughout the campaign and who withdrew his bid following a disastrous primary showing in Iowa at the beginning of this year.

When Trump’s final rival Nikki Hayley dropped out of the race in March, having lost comprehensively to Trump in almost every primary, the path was cleared for him to once again challenge for the White House.

4. Assassination Attempt

But, of course, there were many twists and turns yet to come. What will go down as one of the the biggest developments in the campaign – and indeed, in US presidential history – is the assassination attempt on Trump on 13 July of this year.

Trump was giving an open air speech in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a bullet grazed his ear, wounding the president, before he was jumped on by Secret Service agents. 

Trump, whose instincts for image never fail, jumped up to pump a fist as he was being carried away, creating an iconic image. 

A 20-year-old man, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was the shooter, and he was shot following the attempt. Amazingly, the Secret Service also thwarted another alleged assassination attempt two months later, when a man was spotted with a rifle on a golf course Trump was playing on in Florida. 

5. Biden drops out, Harris gains momentum

The mood around this time among Democratic hopeful was bleak. All the momentum was with Trump and the Republicans. 

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, who was set to run for a second term, was showing increasing signs of cognitive decline.

Following a disastrous debate performance against Trump, moves were made to replace him, and in no time at all Biden had stepped back and Vice President Kamala Harris had stepped up.

Harris, and her eventual VP pick Tim Walz, injected new energy into the campaign and raised hundreds of million of dollars. They saw a notable jump in the polls and once again the Republicans and Trump seemed to be flailing.

Trump had his own poor debate performance against Harris in September, and caused controversy when he questioned whether Harris was black in August. 

6. Gains evaporate, Trump rallies, Madison Square Garden

However, Democrats’ confidence soon began to dissipate and Trump recovered in the polls. Voter preference seemed balanced on a knife-edge, with key swing states showing a slight advantage for Trump. 

Harris came under criticism for failing to articulate a strong policy position and make herself known to voters (though she only had 100 days to campaign). The Democrats also faced strong opposition for Biden and Harris’ stance on the war in Gaza, and by failing to curb Israel’s attacks.

The sitting president (and by extension Harris) came under heavy criticism from Arab Americans who made an important voting bloc in key swing states like Michigan. 

Trump also pulled a number of high profile stunts like working at a McDonald’s drive through. He also appeared on the world’s most listened to podcast the Joe Rogan Experience, where he potentially reached many new voters.

All this culminated in a Madison Square Garden rally in New York City, which was decried for being xenophobic and misogynistic and full of incendiary and hateful speech by contributors. 

In particular, a joke by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe which likened Puerto Rico to a floating island of garbage caused controversy. However, President Biden made a gaffe while criticising the joke, inadvertently appearing to call Trump’s supporters ‘garbage’.

While the White House immediately issued a clarification, Trump seized on the mistake, appearing in a garbage truck last week while campaigning in Wisconsin.

7. Declared the next president of America

Trump’s winding road culminated in today’s victory on the Electoral College, and the announcement that he will once again become the president of the United Staes of America. 

In the end, despite the convictions, provable lies, midterm slip ups and role in the January 6 riots, Americans have decided to back Trump once again.

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