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 significant political shift amid ongoing conflicts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing a “crisis of trust.”

The decision, announced Tuesday, was met with immediate criticism, with opponents accusing Netanyahu of prioritizing political considerations over national security, especially as Israel braces for potential Iranian retaliation after its October 26 airstrikes on Iran.

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Replacing Gallant is Israel Katz, a close ally of Netanyahu, who now takes charge of Israel’s military strategy in Gaza and Lebanon.

Shortly after Gallant’s dismissal, protesters blocked highways and ignited bonfires, signaling public unrest.

In a further reshuffle, Netanyahu appointed Gideon Saar as the new foreign minister, succeeding Katz in this role.

The friction between Netanyahu and Gallant, both members of the right-wing Likud party, reportedly intensified over the strategic objectives of Israel’s year-long campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

The timing of Gallant’s firing, during U.S. presidential elections, took many by surprise.

Gallant had reportedly issued draft notices to ultra-Orthodox Haredi men, angering factions in Netanyahu’s government who oppose conscription, which some experts believe was a tipping point.

Katz, who vowed to secure the return of Israeli hostages and defeat Hamas and Hezbollah, took to social media platform X to express his commitment.

His tenure as foreign minister had already seen him take a strong stance, including barring U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from Israel for allegedly failing to condemn recent Iranian missile strikes.

The response to Gallant’s dismissal was polarized, with Itamar Ben-Gvir, a right-wing coalition member, praising the move, while opposition leader Yair Lapid called it an “act of madness.”

In the United States, a White House spokesperson noted Gallant’s valued partnership with the U.S. and expressed intentions to work with Katz going forward.

Escalation in Gaza and Northern Airstrikes

As Israel reshuffled its leadership, tensions in Gaza and Lebanon escalated further.

Israeli airstrikes on northern Gaza intensified on Tuesday, killing at least 35 people since Monday night, according to Palestinian medics.

The strikes targeted various regions, including Beit Lahiya, where 20 civilians reportedly died.

New evacuation orders were issued in Gaza, with Israeli planes dropping leaflets instructing residents to relocate south.

Israel has stated that these evacuations aim to protect civilians from conflict zones as its forces engage with Hamas fighters. Critics, however, claim the intent is to create buffer zones around Israeli-controlled areas.

Since the start of the conflict, health authorities in Gaza report over 43,300 Palestinian deaths, with the violence intensifying after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 Israelis and capturing 251 hostages.

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.