The 2024 United States presidential election has unfolded to be one of the most intense and unpredictable campaigns in recent history. Against the backdrop of political turbulence and social divides, the election saw unprecedented events that made headlines not only in the US but worldwide.
Voters across the United States will vote for the next President on November 5, 2024.
The race is between Donald Trump, the embattled former president seeking a return to power, and Kamala Harris, who aims to break barriers and become the first woman to hold the nation’s highest office.
Here we take a look at some of the key moments in the US presidential election campaign:
Trump, a convicted felon
On May 30, Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes after a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor Stormy Daniel, who shared excruciating details about their alleged sexual encounter.
The charges against Trump are punishable by up to four years in prison. On his part, he has denied any wrongdoing and had pleaded not guilty. He also claimed that it was an attempt to stop him.
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“This was a disgrace,” he had shouted outside the court that day. “This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt.”
Joe Biden’s debate night
In a significant moment that shattered hopes for many Democrats, US President Joe Biden, the party’s presumptive nominee, delivered a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump on June 27.
The 81-year-old was seen fumbling and often appeared to forget what he was saying, raising fears that he was not fit to run again for president.
Biden brushed off the debate and the criticism, followed by saying that it was just a “bad night”. However, questions regarding Biden’s fitness and his chances to beat Trump began hovering around much more seriously.
Attempt on Trump’s life
On July 13, one of the most shocking moments in US presidential history occurred after a lone gunman fired at Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
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As Trump was delivering his speech, a popping sound was heard, followed by Trump touching his ear and realising there was blood on it. Within seconds, he dropped to the stage floor and was surrounded by Secret Service agents.
He was helped back to his feet and was escorted from the stage, even as he raised his fist and shouted “fight, fight, fight” – one of the most iconic images in US political history.
The gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by the Secret Service. Trump, who survived with a minor graze to his right ear, later said: “I took a bullet for democracy.”
Joe Biden bows out, Kamala Harris steps up
Nearly a month after his disastrous debate with Donald Trump and intense concerns over his ability to defeat the Republican nominee, US President Joe Biden, on July 21, announced that he was dropping out of the presidential race campaign.
In a post on X, he said he will remain as President until his term ends in January 2025.
In another post, he endorsed Kamala Harris, the first female Black and Asian-American to serve as US vice president, as the Democratic nominee. Within two weeks, Harris formally secured the Democratic nomination, making her the first woman of colour to lead a major party ticket.
Another possible attempt at Trump’s life
The potential shooting was thwarted after a member of Trump’s Secret Service protective detail spotted a partially obscured man’s face and a rifle barrel protruding near the golf course fence in Florida, where Donald Trump was scheduled to play.
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The agent fired in the direction of the man, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, who sped away and was stopped by law enforcement in a neighbouring county. Routh was reportedly loaded, with 10 rounds in the magazine and is believed to have camped at the spot for over 12 hours.
Prosecutors have said that he had written of his plans to kill Trump in a handwritten note months before his Sept. 15 arrest in which he referred to his actions as a failed “assassination attempt on Donald Trump” and offered $150,000 for anyone who could “finish the job.”