Donald Trump has completed a comeback for the ages.

While the Republican president-elect likes the win, he may not like why it’s historic: The nation has never elected someone convicted of felony charges and who refused to accept a previous loss.

But that’s part of what makes his story so extraordinary in American politics. Trump has repeatedly defied odds and norms, and this year held true to that. Despite facing multiple legal challenges and surviving two assassination attempts, he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris and fought his way back into the White House.

This wasn’t just a win for Trump. Republicans appear poised to win the House and Senate too, paving the way for the president-elect’s agenda.

Here’s how he won.

The economy

In poll after poll, state after state, voters repeatedly said the cost of living was their top issue in this election, and they trusted Trump more than Harris to handle the economy.

Though Trump campaigned with Elon Musk, the richest man in the world with a net worth of $241 billion, he was able to attract working-class voters in urban and rural areas alike.

While Harris and other Democrats pointed to data that showed an improving economy, Trump painted a dreary outlook for affordability and courted voters who were frustrated by the costs of housing, groceries, energy bills and more.

Strength and stability

Trump’s campaign changed on July 13 as he was grazed by an assassin’s bullet and survived. With blood running down the side of his face and a raised fist in the air, an iconic image was born of Trump yelling, “Fight, fight, fight.” A second assassination attempt was thwarted weeks later while he was playing golf.

With American allies at war abroad and voters at home feeling fed up with a higher cost of living, Trump’s projection of strength and promises of a more stable world reeled in supporters — especially men.

In his projection of strength, he talked about using military force against political opponents, ending foreign wars in a day, a mass deportation of immigrants who have entered the U.S. illegally and overhauling the federal government — and American voters chose that agenda.

Trump overperforms prior elections

Trump is having a better showing in this presidential election than he did in 2016 and 2020.

It’s a victory that has stunned many Democrats because of its sweep and how Trump has overperformed his prior results despite facing more controversies. Maps that compare previous elections to this year, show Trump painting the nation red.

And unlike 2016, when Trump won the Electoral College but not the popular vote, the president-elect is on track to win the popular vote this year.

Another change from 2016 is who Trump won. Eight years ago, there was a big focus on rural voters and white, working-class voters. But this year, Trump won men 30 and older, Latino men, and he made big gains in urban cities. He won in areas he didn’t win in the past.

Change

Though Trump held the office before, and was voted out after one term, he was viewed as the change candidate in this election — mainly because he’s not the incumbent.

As Harris struggled to define a clear vision for the country and separate herself from the unpopular President Joe Biden, Trump focused his campaign on inflation and immigration.

Though Trump has been a politician for at least eight years, he was viewed as an outsider in 2024 much like he was in 2016. He continually said he would fix everything that Biden and Harris had broken.

The vibes

Harris seemed to own the “vibes” conversation early in her campaign. She pushed optimism, joy and unity, trying to spread the “good vibes.”

But in the end, it seemed Trump had the vibes on his side. Though Trump was often criticized for his pessimism, America voted with the same view. About 75% of voters nationwide said they had a negative view of where the country was heading, according to exit polls. About a third said they were angry.

An electorate with an unpopular view of the incumbent president and a dismal outlook of the future, along with a lower turnout than 2020, helped Trump pull off one of the biggest wins for Republicans in 20 years.

Have a news tip? Politics editor Candy Woodall can be reached at cwoodall@baltsun.com, 443-571-1113 and on X as @candynotcandace.