Following Tuesday’s high-stakes election, former President Donald Trump appears set to return to the White House, with Republicans also on track to secure majorities in both the House and Senate.

Trump’s victories in key battleground states, including Georgia and North Carolina, have moved him closer to the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency.

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As of early Wednesday, his lead continues to grow as ballots are counted and media outlets project his advantage across crucial states.

For the third election in a row, the American electorate remains nearly evenly divided over Trump’s polarizing presence.

The race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris has narrowed in several pivotal states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

These three states, which were critical in both Trump’s 2016 victory and President Joe Biden’s win in 2020, once again look poised to determine the outcome.

Current vote patterns in the Rust Belt indicate that Trump may be on the verge of flipping these states back into the Republican column.

In 2016, his victories in these industrial regions disrupted the Democratic “Blue Wall” that had held for six consecutive elections from 1992 to 2012, with a razor-thin margin of about 80,000 votes across the three states.

Four years later, Biden reclaimed them for the Democrats by roughly 260,000 votes.

This time, early returns suggest the Rust Belt may swing back to Trump, bolstered by his renewed support in rural and exurban areas where culturally conservative, non-college-educated white voters continue to dominate.

If Trump holds on to his leads in North Carolina and Georgia and secures Arizona, his path to victory becomes all but certain with just one of the three Rust Belt states tipping in his favor.

Should he succeed, he would become only the second president in U.S. history—following Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s—to lose the presidency and regain it in a later election.

Results as of midnight highlight ongoing trends familiar to Trump’s base and Harris’s supporters alike.

Trump is building strong numbers in smaller towns, rural areas, and exurban counties, while Harris has captured significant—albeit, in some places, diminished—support in affluent, diverse suburbs around Philadelphia, Detroit, and Milwaukee.

A new factor this year is Trump’s modest gains among Black and Latino voters, particularly men, according to exit polls from Edison Research.

These shifts are evident in the former “Blue Wall” states as well as in other key regions.

The overall election landscape, despite Trump’s unique role, underscores the historical challenge of retaining the White House when an outgoing president leaves with low approval ratings.

Since World War II, the White House has often flipped to the opposite party in similar situations, as occurred in 1952, 1968, and 2008.

While popular presidents have not always guaranteed a win for their successors, historically unpopular leaders have presented significant barriers to their parties.

In a final push on Election Day, Republican presidential contender, Donald Trump expressed confidence about reclaiming the White House, while reiterating his concerns about the security of electronic voting machines.

After casting his ballot in Florida, Trump told reporters, “I feel very confident.”

He added, “I believe we ran a great campaign,” referring to his race against Democratic rival Kamala Harris.

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While Trump voiced his confidence, he also underscored his willingness to accept defeat if the election was conducted fairly.

“If I lose an election, if it’s a fair election, I would be the first one to acknowledge it. So far, I think it’s been fair,” Trump said, though he added that his acceptance would hinge on perceived election integrity.

In particular, Trump has voiced concerns about electronic voting machines, suggesting they are less secure than paper ballots.

Wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cap, he remarked, “They spend all this money on machines… If they would use paper ballots, voter ID, proof of citizenship, and one-day voting, it would all be over by 10 o’clock in the evening. It’s crazy.”

Trump further commented on the potential for election unrest. When asked whether he would urge supporters to remain peaceful, he dismissed the question, asserting that his supporters are “not violent people.”

As voting concludes, Trump’s statements add to the polarized atmosphere of one of the most contentious U.S. elections in recent history, with the nation watching closely as results unfold.

The government of Equatorial Guinea has imposed new restrictions on WhatsApp, limiting citizens’ ability to download and share multimedia files through mobile data.

This policy follows recent directives for telecommunications operators to control access to “inappropriate content.”

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The measure, however, has led to public frustration, with citizens now relying solely on WiFi for sharing photos, videos, and audio files.

The restrictions come in the wake of a high-profile scandal involving Baltasar Engonga, Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF).

Engonga, 54, is currently under investigation for fraud. During an unexpected search of his home and office, ANIF officials reportedly discovered a collection of more than 400 explicit videos involving Engonga and the wives of various prominent figures.

Among those reportedly involved are relatives of senior officials, including the wife of the Director General of Police, multiple government ministers’ spouses, and even family members of the President of Equatorial Guinea.

The leaked videos have caused a media uproar, with calls for transparency from the government.

Citizens are questioning whether the restrictions on WhatsApp multimedia sharing are part of an effort to prevent the spread of sensitive content related to the scandal.

So far, officials have not commented on the duration of these restrictions or whether they are linked to the ongoing investigation.

The local news platform Ahora EG has reported widespread frustration over the restrictions, quoting anonymous sources expressing concern about the impact on essential communication.

“Should an entire country pay for the actions of a few?” one source asked. “This measure interferes with work and educational activities for thousands who rely on WhatsApp, and it feels more like a move to control than to facilitate communication.”

Critics have also questioned the transparency of the new restriction, with some speculating it may be linked to Vice President Teddy Nguema’s recent announcement of a plan to install surveillance cameras in state offices.

This initiative, he said, is part of a broader government crackdown to reinforce public service laws and combat misconduct among officials.

As frustrations mount, Equatorial Guinea’s citizens are left awaiting clarity on the government’s intentions behind these measures.

With no official statements on how long the restrictions will remain in place, many continue to speculate whether these changes will be temporary or signal a new era of state control over digital communication.