'THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE'

What Donald Trump's historic U.S. presidential election victory means to America - and the world

DONALD TRUMP WON THE 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, defeating Democrat rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, in one of the greatest comebacks in political history. Addressing supporters in the early hours of November 6, the 47th President of the United States called it a "political victory that our country has never seen before" and promised a "golden age" for the U.S.

"America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate," he said, as his Republicans seized control of the Senate and, at time of going to press, looked set to maintain a House majority.

Trump retakes the helm at a time of great international turmoil, with wars raging between Ukraine and Russia, and in Gaza and Lebanon between Israel and Iran proxies Hamas and Hezbollah, respectively. Tensions are also heightened between the U.S. and China. He loosely touched on this backdrop in his acceptance speech, saying: "They said, 'He will start a war.' I'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop wars, but this is also a massive victory for democracy and for freedom. Together we're going to unlock America's glorious destiny."

Newsweek asked its opinion writers to give their verdicts on what Trump's historic victory means for America and the world.

Bethany Mandel

CO-AUTHOR OF STOLEN YOUTH

I was reliably informed that this election would determine the future of American democracy. I was told this by a party that perpetrated a coup against their candidate, installing a new one a mere three months ago. The new candidate did not receive a single primary vote. The other guy, the one they claimed was the threat to democracy, was on the receiving end of a torrent of legal cases meant to prevent him from running, and potentially even imprisoning him. Someone even shot him in the head. It's weird the American people didn't buy any of it. Democrats have earned their exile. The people have spoken. This is what democracy looks like.