New Delhi [India]: Former Ambassador of India to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Wednesday called Republican nominee Donald Trump’s projected victory in the US elections a ‘historic comeback story’ amid assassination attempts and political shifts.
Reflecting on the race for the US presidential elections, Taranjit Singh Sandhu emphasized the remarkable political journey of a Donald Trump as a candidate who once served as President, lost, and is now made a dramatic return to the race.
He pointed out the twists and turns in the campaign, including two assassination attempts and the shifting political dynamics, from initial support between Presidents Trump and Biden, to a subsequent wave of momentum, and the pivotal involvement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Sandhu likened the situation to America’s classic “rebound” narrative, calling the candidate a true “comeback kid.”
Taranjit Singh Sandhu said, “In democracy, both in India and the US, elections are a very important event. So, this was also an exercise of democracy. It appears from the figures that are coming in, I don’t want to jump the gun, it is for the electoral authorities to declare in the US. But US political system is more focussed on what is their electoral college.”
“There were 7 critical states. The bigger states balance each other. So, in those 7, it quite clear that 4 will go to President Trump & other 3 could also. So, it is pretty fair to come to a judgement that as of now, the situation looks very favourable to President Trump’s coming back,” said the ex-diplomat.
Speaking on why is it historic, Sandhu said, “For a candidate who was a President, then lost and now is coming back – that itself is history. Within that, this campaign had 2 assassination attempts, you saw it going up and down. It was President Trump with President Biden in the beginning, and then after the assassination there was a wave this side. Then VP Kamala Harris came on board. It is as Americans always love saying, ‘rebound’. So, he is in a sense, comeback kid.”
Donald Trump early on Wednesday morning hailed his countrymen as results of the high stakes presidential elections projected his victory which set poised to return him to the White House after securing a electoral college victory.
Speaking at an address to supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump affirmed that his win will help the country “heal.”
Addressing the crowd accompanied by his running mate, JD Vance, and family members Trump called his projected win the “greatest political movement of all time” which will help in making “America great again.”
“This is a movement like nobody has seen before. This was the greatest political movement of all time. There’s nothing like this ever in this country. We are gonna help our country heal. We have a country that needs help, and needs help very badly. We are gonna fix our borders, we are gonna fix everything about our country,” Trump said.
According to the latest projections called by Fox News, Trump has won 277 electoral votes, well above the 270 threshold needed to win the presidency.
Trump flipped the key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Georgia and he continues to lead Michigan.
Notably, this is going to be only the second instance of a president serving two non-consecutive terms in the White House. This is only the second instance and the first in over 100 years of a leader winning the presidency after losing once. Grover Cleveland served as non-consecutive president in 1884 and 1892.
In his address, he invoked God and how he survived assassination attempt against him in Pennsylvania this July when a bullet grazed his ear.
“God spared my life for a reason” said Trump.
He pointed out that was because God wanted to “save our country and restore America to greatness. And now we’re going to fulfill that mission together,” he told supporters.
“The task before us will not be easy, but I will bring every ounce of energy, spirit, and fight that I have in my soul to the job that you’ve entrusted to me,” Trump said.
Republicans will win at least 50 seats in the Senate of the US Congress by the end of the elections, as estimated by Fox News.
As per CNN projections, candidates from the Democratic Party are winning the elections for the governors in only three of the ten states where the counting is already underway.