Donald Trump’s Victory Speech Compared to 2016

Donald Trump delivered a victory speech early Wednesday, before the race was officially called, as projections indicate that he’s on the verge of securing a second term.
Taking the stage in West Palm Beach, Florida, at 2:30 a.m., the former president celebrated the success of what he described as “the greatest political movement of all time” and promised to deliver a prosperous future for the country.
“I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president,” he said. “I will fight for you and your family and your future, every single day I will be fighting for you and with every breath in my body. I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America.”
Trump adopted a more unifying tone in his speech than has been typical of his divisive rhetoric on the campaign trail. He promised to help the country “heal” and touted his campaign’s success in building “the biggest, the broadest, the most unified coalition,” comprising various demographic groups from across the nation.
The Republican also celebrated his party’s “unprecedented and powerful mandate,” noting that Republicans had gained control of the Senate and he claimed that they were also on track to keep the House of Representatives.
Trump also said he won the popular vote, which he failed to achieve in the past two elections. This hasn’t yet been confirmed, but he is on track.
Trump notably didn’t mention his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris, or President Joe Biden, in the speech.
He struck a similar tone in his victory speech in 2016, in which he also celebrated the success of his “great movement” and promised to “bind the wounds of division.”
But by contrast, in 2016 Trump opened his speech with a complimentary tribute to his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, who he said had already called him to concede.
“She fought very hard. Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country,” Trump said at the time.
Trump highlighted different policy issues in both of the victory speeches, underscoring how his campaign priorities have shifted over the past eight years.
In his 2016 speech, Trump promised to improve infrastructure, to take care of the country’s veterans, and to implement a “great economic plan.”
In his 2024 speech, Trump vowed to “fix our borders,” several times referencing the hot-button issue of immigration, which has been a cornerstone of his re-election campaign. He also mentioned “reducing taxes,” and promised that he is “going to stop wars,” likely alluding to the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
Near the end of his speech, Trump referenced the assassination attempt at a rally in July in which a bullet grazed his right ear, serving as a reminder of the dramatic and tumultuous nature of this election cycle.
“Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason. And that reason was to save our country and to restore America to greatness,” he said.