Key events over the last four years have changed the shape of the race to become the 47th President of the United States. Here is a timeline of events that have led up to the pivotal choice between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
11 August 2020 Harris chosen as running mate
Cast your mind back to the summer of lockdown. Trump is in power and campaigning for re-election. Meanwhile, his challenger, Joe Biden, has just chosen a lesser-known senator from California to be his running mate. Kamala Harris would go on to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2024.
4 November 2020 Election results aftermath and insurrection
When Joe Biden was elected the 46th President of the United States, Kamala Harris became the first African American and the first woman to hold the office of Vice President. Her actions and stances on issues such as abortion, immigration, and voting rights over the next four years would shape her political image in the eyes of millions of Americans.
But before they could be sworn in, supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in an attempted coup to prevent the formalisation of the Democrats’ victory. Trump had repeatedly claimed that the election had been “‘stolen” and made unsubstantiated claims of electoral irregularities. He has since been charged with four criminal counts in relation to the Capitol Riot. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and could pardon himself if he is re-elected President.
12 March 2024: Trump is chosen to be the Republican nominee
Despite facing numerous criminal charges and not attending any of the debates, Republicans voted overwhelmingly to nominate Donald Trump as their presidential candidate. Many of the challengers held back from criticising the former president in the hope of being chosen to join him on the ticket.
30 May 2024: Trump the felon (and immunity rulings)
The 45th President of the United States is convicted of 34 felony counts in a New York courthouse for his involvement in “hush money” payments made during his first election campaign. This ruling makes him the first president in US history to be convicted of a felony. Trump called it a “rigged, disgraceful trial”.
The case is one of several against Donald Trump, many of which will not be concluded until after the election. The US Supreme Court ruled in July that former presidents have “absolute immunity” for official acts but not for unofficial acts.
Thursday 27 June 2024: Biden debate collapse
After a disastrous debate performance against Trump, pressure grew on Biden to pull out of the presidential race. During the debate, Biden sounded hoarse, stumbled on his words on multiple occasions, and claimed he had “finally beaten Medicare”.
More howlers followed, including introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as President Putin at a NATO summit and referring to Kamala Harris as “VP Trump” at a press conference. His campaign then had to be paused when he became infected with COVID-19.
13 July 2024: Trump survives assassination attempt
Meanwhile, amid a loss of confidence in President Biden, Donald Trump was shot at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Shooter Thomas Crooks fired eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle from a nearby rooftop, wounding the top of Trump’s right ear, killing a member of the audience, and critically injuring two more. After being hustled to the ground by security services, Trump forced himself up and raised his fist in a show of strength to the crowd. Blood was dripping from his ear.
The former president benefitted from a boost in polling following the assassination attempt, and supporters even began wearing white bandages on their right ears in solidarity with his injury.
21 July 2024 – 2 August 2024: Biden drops out and Kamala is chosen
On the 21st of July, after weeks of sustained pressure from fellow Democrats to withdraw, President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Kamala Harris to succeed him. Harris had the support of both Bill and Hillary Clinton almost immediately, with Obama eventually following suit. Within 24 hours, she had raised $81 million for her campaign and, within two weeks, had become the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.
15 July 2024 and 6 August 2024: The VP picks
Republican Donald Trump chose his vice president when he still thought he was facing Biden, who was plummeting in the polls. JD Vance, a venture capitalist senator from Ohio, describes himself as a “postliberal” and matches Trump’s stances on Ukraine, gun control, and abortion. He came under fire after comments resurfaced from a Fox News interview in 2021, in which he said that the US was being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies”.
Democrat Kamala Harris also chose her running mate during a boost in popularity as she took over the nomination from Joe Biden. Tim Walz is the Governor of Minnesota, who has worked as a geography teacher, football coach, and in the military before entering politics in 2004. With a mixed record on gun control and support for causes on both sides of the house, his ideology isn’t so clearly defined. A slow reaction to protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020 received heavy criticism from Republicans. Shortly after becoming Harris’ VP pick, he created headlines for calling his opponents “weird”.
10 September 2024: Trump/Harris debate
In their first and only head-to-head debate, Harris confronted Trump on the issue of abortion while baiting him with remarks about his popularity and people leaving his rallies early. Trump went viral for making baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Ohio stealing and eating the pets of residents. He later came to the spin room (where representatives of the two candidates usually go to give interviews to the waiting press after the debate) to explain his remarks.
Trump swiftly ruled out a second debate with Harris, stating that it was now too close to the election.
October 2024: Garbage gate
Less than a week before the presidential election, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joked that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage” at a Trump rally in Madison Square Garden. While the nominee has tried to distance himself from the remarks, it prompted an uproar from the Latino community and several celebrities, such as Jennifer Lopez.
When speaking to Latino activists on a private Zoom call about the remarks, President Biden said that “the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.” He later claimed that he was referring to “supporters” singular, but Trump used it to motivate his voter base. Vice President Harris distanced herself from the statement, but right-wing groups were quick to compare it to Hilary Clinton’s label of half of Trump’s supporters as “a basket of deplorables” in the lead-up to his last victory.