Donald Trump elected president again, defeating Kamala Harris

The unthinkable has happened once again — Donald Trump has been elected president.

The Associated Press called the race in favor of the former President. As of Wednesday morning, Trump had won 277 Electoral College votes compared to Vice President Kamala Harris's 224. The winner needed 270.

More 2024 Election Coverage from The Advocate:
- Why The Advocate endorses Kamala Harris for president
- How pro-LGBTQ+ is Kamala Harris?
- Our 2024 LGBTQ+ voter guide
- Kamala Harris's 'first priority' as president
- Where does Donald Trump stand on LGBTQ+ rights?
- Kamala Harris: Our One-on-One With the Vice President

Unlike in 2016, when Hillary Clinton was widely expected to beat Trump, the 2024 race has been so close as to be unpredictable, with polls showing Harris and Trump tied nationwide and in the swing states.

Trump’s win came even though he ran a campaign filled with unhinged, hateful rants with strange references to movie villain Hannibal Lecter and the late golf legend Arnold Palmer’s genitals. He has voiced ambitions to be a dictator and plans to fill his administration with loyalists. He has tried to distance himself from the right-wing extremism of Project 2025, a blueprint crafted by the Heritage Foundation for the next conservative president, but many onetime Trump aides have contributed to the project. His campaign has also been marked by anti-transgender rhetoric, with him vowing to outlaw gender-affirming care for minors nationwide and to ban “men” from women’s sports.

Harris, in contrast, ran an issue-oriented campaign focusing on reproductive freedom and economic policies that will help the middle class. She had vowed to champion LGBTQ+ rights in the White House, as she has throughout her career. She was an early supporter of marriage equality as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general. As a U.S. senator and vice president, she supported the Equality Act, which would outlaw anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination nationwide in employment, housing, public accommodations, and a host of other aspects of life. It’s come up in Congress several times but has never been passed by both houses. When Trump was president, he opposed the Equality Act, and it’s unlikely he’s changed his mind.

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A new Trump presidency obviously doesn’t bode well for LGBTQ+ Americans, women, and basically anyone who isn’t a white, straight, conservative man. But there are ways to fight back.

Write to your members of the U.S. Senate and House and urge them to resist Trump’s extremist plans. Even if they’re Republicans, they need to hear from their constituents, and if they’re Democrats, they need to know the public supports them. Get involved in local and state politics. Maybe even run for office yourself. Donate to and/or volunteer with LGBTQ+ organizations as well as those that support reproductive freedom and progressive economic policies.

The Advocate will have much more to say about resistance in the coming days. We're still here, and we'll hold power to account.