The battle of the owners of incredible fortune, the final chapter in a long-running and unpredictable story

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris' journey to becoming US presidential candidates in the 2024 election has many unexpected elements, which makes the election results even more unpredictable.

US presidential candidate Donald Trump touches protective glass during a campaign rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania, on November 3. (Source: Reuters)

No one can guess the word "unexpected"

The 2024 US presidential election is an election that no one could have predicted.

Not long ago, Donald Trump was struggling to make ends meet after being impeached twice and voted out of the White House. Even some of his closest allies were looking forward to a future without the mercurial billionaire leading the Republican Party, especially after his failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. When Trump announced his candidacy two years ago, the New York Post buried the story on page 26.

At the same time, Kamala Harris is struggling as President Joe Biden’s low-key running mate. Once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, she has struggled with both her record and her portfolio, frustrating her supporters and delighting her critics, who have wondered whether Biden should replace her as his running mate as he seeks a second term.

Yet on Election Day, November 5, as hard as it may seem, American voters will choose either Trump or Harris as the next President of the United States. This is the final chapter in one of the longest, most confusing and unpredictable stories.

History has been and will be made. American voters have never elected a President who was convicted of a crime. Trump has survived not one but two assassination attempts.

Mr Biden dropped out in the middle of an election year and Ms Harris could become America’s first female president. The fundamentals of democracy in the world’s leading superpower will be tested like never since the Civil War.

That’s not to mention the backdrop of simultaneous conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, hacking by foreign governments, increasingly normalized disinformation, and the close involvement of the world’s richest man, Elon Musk. The only thing America can agree on right now is: how will this story end?

From a weak position to a strong position

The Republican Party may have ended with Mr Trump after the Capitol Hill riots, the day Mr Trump galvanized his supporters with false claims of voter fraud, leading them to march to the Capitol as Congress ceremoniously certified Mr Biden’s election victory.

Mr. Trump began planning his re-election bid even as some Republican leaders hoped he would be overshadowed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, or former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who served as US ambassador to the United Nations under Mr. Trump.

Since announcing his bid to run against Biden for the White House, Trump has faced four criminal charges, two of them related to his failed attempt to overturn the 2021 election results. Another indictment relates to his refusal to return classified documents to the federal government after leaving office.

Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all of the above charges and none of the cases have been resolved.

But a fourth indictment in New York made Mr Trump the first president in US history to be convicted of a crime. A jury found him guilty on May 30 of falsifying business records to pay hush money to a porn star who claimed they had an affair.

None of this has deterred Mr Trump, who has ignored his primary rivals as he races toward the Republican presidential nomination. Candidate Donald Trump has tapped into anger over soaring inflation and frustration over migrants crossing the southern border, and has also attacked Mr Biden as too old for the job, despite being just four years his junior.

But after two assassination attempts, Mr Trump's path to the White House seems clearer than ever - perhaps even inevitable.

Presidential candidate Kamala Harris at Greater Emmanuel Church in Detroit, Michigan, on November 3. (Source: Reuters)

Can only say "lucky"

Vice President Harris was preparing to solve a puzzle with her granddaughters on the morning of July 21 when she received a phone call from Mr. Biden, in which the US leader announced his decision to end his re-election effort and endorse Ms. Harris as his replacement.

Harris then made dozens of phone calls throughout the day to rally support and secure enough support to secure the nomination within two days.

It was a stunning reversal of fortune. Ms Harris had failed in her bid for president four years earlier, dropping out before the first Democratic primary.

Mr Biden revived Ms Harris's political career by choosing her as his running mate, and she became the first woman, person of colour and person of South Asian descent to serve as US vice president.

But Ms. Harris’s struggles didn’t stop there. She fumbled questions on immigration, oversaw widespread staff changes in her office and retreated into the background rather than using her historic status as a platform.

All that began to change on June 24, 2022, when the US Supreme Court overturned the 1973 “Roe v Wade” decision that granted abortion rights nationwide. Ms. Harris became the White House’s leading advocate on an issue that has reshaped American politics.

She also proved to be more nimble. Shortly after returning from a weeklong trip to Africa, her team orchestrated a surprise trip to Nashville so Harris could show support for two Tennessee lawmakers who had been expelled for opposing gun control. When Biden dropped out, she was better positioned to seize the moment.

The election that reshaped America

While speaking to campaign staff in Wilmington, Harris used a phrase that has become a mantra, chanted by supporters at rallies across the country.

“We’re not going back,” she declared, a fitting contrast to Mr Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, which he has used since launching his first campaign more than eight years ago.

The two candidates have little in common, as demonstrated in their only live televised debate on September 10. During the debate, Ms. Harris promised to restore abortion rights and use tax breaks to support small businesses and families. She vowed to “be a president for all Americans.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Trump pledged to protect the US economy with tariffs and made false claims about migrants eating people's pets.

He called Ms Harris "the worst vice president in the history of our country".

Many see Ms Harris as having the upper hand, but Mr Trump insists he won and has refused to debate a second time. The race remains very close.

Experts and pollsters have been trying to determine any changes in the chances of these two candidates winning. Small shifts in public opinion can change the outcome of an election.

It could take days for enough votes to be counted to determine who won the election. Once the election results are clear, there could be another surprise in a campaign already full of surprises.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bau-cu-my-2024-cuoc-dau-cua-nhung-nguoi-so-huu-van-may-dang-kinh-ngac-chuong-cuoi-trong-cau-chuyen-dai-ky-kho-doan-292605.html