12:30 Report — Trump’s comeback
It's Wednesday. Whatever you think of last night's election outcome, I think we can all agree about one thing: Extra caffeine is needed today. There are a lot of lingering questions about what Trump's win means for Washington, the U.S. and the world. Here's what we know:
Mixed reactions are trickling in as the world processes Trump's victory.
I'm with a quick recap of the morning and what's coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.
President-elect Trump will return to the White House , making his unlikely comeback to Washington four years after refusing to accept the presidential election results — and bringing along a significant cloud of uncertainty to American politics.
He reached the 270-electoral vote count late last night, winning the battleground states of Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Wisconsin. Arizona and Michigan have still not been called, but he carries a narrow lead in all three.
"America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate," Trump told supporters early Wednesday morning, without mentioning Vice President Harris.
Live blog of today's election updates
Live results from The Hill and Decision Desk HQ
Several takeawaysvia The Hill's Niall Stanage:
A few things we've learned , via The Wall Street Journal's Dante Chinni: Young men preferred Trump, Democrats didn't grow their popularity in cities, and the education gap has continued to grow.
Trump has found himself in a rather lucky position. He's been facing 91 criminal charges that potentially carried decades in prison. He hedged his bet on winning the White House — and was successful in that wager.
He's expected to dismantle his own federal criminal cases when he returns to power. He's repeatedly said that he plans to fire special counsel Jack Smith, who is handling the classified documents and conspiring to subvert the 2020 election results.
What about the state cases?: His lawyers will likely ask judges to put his Georgia and New York prosecutions on ice, explain The Hill's Ella LeeZach Schonfeld.
From George W. Bush: Former President George W. Bush congratulated Trump in a statement this morning. "The strong turnout in this election is a sign of the health of our republic and the strength of our democratic institutions," he argued.
From David Axelrod: Democratic strategist David Axelrod partially blamed "racial bias" and "sexism." "Let's be absolutely blunt about it: There were appeals to racism in this campaign, and there is racial bias in this country, and there is sexism in this country," he said on CNN this morning.
Stock markets soared: "The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1,341 points, or about 3.1 percent, as the market opened, reaching a record high. It was the first time it has jumped more than 1,000 points in a single day since November 2022." ( The Hill
From Liz Cheney: Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said that citizens, courts, media and elected officials must serve as the "guardrails of democracy" while Trump is president. Read her full X post
From Volodymyr Zelensky: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Trump and said he admires Trump's "commitment to the 'peace through strength' approach in global affairs."
From Joe Scarborough: MSNBC host Joe Scarborough argued that the Democratic Party "has been just wiped out," referring to Democrats' narrow wins in blue states.
Republicans won control of the Senate on Tuesday evening, securing at least 52 seats in the upper chamber. They're feeling hopeful they can expand that majority to 53 seats as Sen. Bob Casey (D) is trailing GOP challenger David McCormick in Pennsylvania by more than 50,000 votes with 95 percent reporting.
It's still too early to tell which party will control the House of Representatives.
Which races flipped?:
Have Democrats flipped any seats?: Nope. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) won their races.
Why Senate control is significant for Trump: Having control of the Senate means Trump will have an easier time confirming his Cabinet.
Where the House race stands: Democrats are holding onto hope for taking control of the House. It could take days (or even weeks) to know the outcome because there are close races in states that take longer to count their ballots.
Outgoing Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) just held a cheery press conference where he began by telling reporters: "It was a hell of a good day."
From McConnell: "one of the most gratifying results of the Senate becoming Republican: the filibuster will stand, there won't be any new states admitted that will benefit the other side. And we'll quit beating up the Supreme Court" Photo from the presser
: The Hill's Al Weaver noticed that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) was scheduled to do today's pro forma session but now has a replacement. The schedule
