Trump wins Arizona, secures sweep of all seven swing states

Donald Trump won Arizona on November 9, completing a Republican sweep of all seven crucial swing states in the November 5 US presidential elections. 

He successfully retained the state and its 11 electoral votes in the Republican column, reversing the outcome of Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 victory in the state, Caliber.Az reports citing the Associated Press.

Trump’s win over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris also marks his second victory in Arizona since 2016, solidifying his grip on the state.

As of the latest figures, Trump has accumulated 312 electoral votes, well beyond the 270 required to win the presidency. In 2016, Trump won 304 electoral votes in his successful campaign.

US media outlets have declared Trump the winner in more than half of the country’s 50 states, including key swing states such as Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin — states that had voted for Democrats in the previous election. Trump also triumphed in North Carolina and Nevada, two other battleground states.

Notably, Trump secured wider margins of victory than in his previous campaigns, despite facing a criminal conviction and enduring two impeachments during his time in office.

On the other hand, Harris, who replaced the 81-year-old Biden as the Democratic nominee in July, has secured 226 electoral votes.

Trump's defeat of Harris marks the fourth consecutive term of alternating control between Republican and Democratic presidents, a level of political volatility not seen in the US since the late 19th century.

Biden, who exited the race citing concerns about his age, is set to meet Trump in the Oval Office on November 13.

Ahead of his inauguration on January 20, Trump has begun assembling his second administration, naming campaign manager Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff. Wiles, 67, becomes the first woman to hold this high-profile position.

Other potential candidates for Trump's second term include Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who could be tasked with auditing government waste; former ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell, who is considered a frontrunner for secretary of state; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump has promised a “big role” in health care.

By Tamilla Hasanova