Trump Made Her Break Up

Hi Global Recap readers,

I don’t know about you, but I stayed up all night and am still up now, reading everything I can about the election.

🤔 For Me: it was like a personal bet to see if the age-old question about whether what we see on X and the internet in general is just a bubble would hold up. It’s like Cenk Uygur said:

🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
47th President of the United States: Donald J. Trump

The people of the United States have chosen former President, and now President-elect, Donald J. Trump to lead the country for the next four years.

• Despite concerns that the race would be too close to call, especially with Arizona stating it could take weeks to finish counting, Trump won by a landslide, securing the necessary 270 electoral votes and officially confirming his election.

• He’s currently projected to win 312 electoral votes, while Harris is projected to secure 226.

👆 But that’s not all he secured—he also won the popular vote, which undercuts MSNBC anchor’s claims that the Electoral College is outdated and should be abolished.

Quick Rundown

The New York Times

How do we know this race was a sweep? One clear indicator was the New York Times’ infamous Needle. It started in the middle, but as the night went on, it increasingly leaned toward the right, eventually making it over 95% likely that Trump would win.

This was interesting because:

• On left-leaning news networks, despite the Needle predicting a landslide victory for Trump, anchors were still claiming that Harris could make a “comeback.”

• Meanwhile, other outlets like Decision Desk HQ were among the first to outright declare Trump the victor.

• Even after Trump gave his victory speech, networks like Associated Press, MSNBC, CNN, and Axios still had Trump’s electoral college count at 267—three short of the 270 needed to win.

  • Naturally, many online were ridiculing this, joking that they were “praying for a miracle comeback.”

Harris Doesn’t Show Up

What’s even worse is that Kamala Harris’ team had her supporters waiting at Howard University, her alma mater, for a watch party.

But when things started to look bad for Harris, she declined to show up, sending her campaign co-chair, Cedric Richmond, to speak on her behalf.

Harris Doesn’t Concede

Additionally, when it became clear that Trump would win the presidency, many expected Harris to concede.

However, she did not.

• This led to widespread criticism online, while her supporters used the hashtag #DoNotConcede, citing alleged irregularities in the results. The irony is striking, as it seems these supporters have now become what they once accused Trump supporters of being: “election deniers.”

• That being said, she did eventually concede today:

Wait, There’s More

While President Trump secured a resounding victory, the Republican Party also managed to take the majority in the Senate and is currently on track to win the House as well.

If the Republicans win the House, they will hold the majority in both chambers, giving them the power to pass laws without needing bipartisan support.

Memes & Clips

Naturally, Trump’s supporters are having a blast sharing videos online of Harris supporters crying over the election results.

These clips have quickly gone viral, with many using them to mock the rather irrational reactions from the other side.

Compilation of Harris supporters crying. 👆

One girl broke up with her boyfriend because he apparently voted for Trump. Many are saying he dodged a bullet. 👆

🇨🇦 CANADA
TikTok Ordered to Shut Down

Canada has ordered TikTok to cease operations in the country, citing national security concerns with the app and its parent company ByteDance.

The Shutdown Order

• The order comes after a "multi-step national security review process" by intelligence agencies.

• Canada previously banned TikTok from official government devices.

• The US has also passed a law that could ban TikTok stateside over national security risks.

TikTok's Response

TikTok says it will challenge the Canadian government's order in court.

• A spokesperson called the shutdown "not in anyone's best interest," citing the loss of "hundreds of well-paying local jobs."

• TikTok claims the platform will remain available for creators and businesses in Canada.

• The company has mounted legal challenges to the US ban as well.

Canada's Concerns

Officials cited "specific national security risks" related to ByteDance's operations in Canada.

• The government said the decision was based on advice from the security and intelligence community.

• Concerns over TikTok's ties to China and potential data privacy issues appear to be the driving factors.

• Canada joins a growing list of countries cracking down on the popular social media app.

🇮🇷 IRAN
Iran's Currency Plummets as Trump Wins

As the US stock market soared to a new record high, Iran’s currency plummeted to an all-time low after former President Donald Trump won the presidency again.

Yikes.

Rial Hits Rock Bottom

The Iranian rial traded at a record-low 703,000 to the US dollar on Wednesday.

• The rial has been in freefall as Iran's economy struggles under crippling sanctions.

• Iran's central bank could intervene to prop up the currency, as it has done before.

• The slide comes as Iran's economy was already facing considerable woes.

Grim Outlook for Iran

Iranians are bracing for a bleak future under a second Trump presidency.

• "One hundred percent he will intensify the sanctions," said a 22-year-old student.

• "Things that are not in our favor will be worse. Our economy and social situation will surely get worse."

• Another Iranian warned: "I feel the country is going to blow up." Maybe it soon will… literally.

Pezeshkian's Promises

Iran's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian had pledged to ease Western sanctions.

• However, Iran's government has been downplaying the possible impact of the US election for weeks.

• A spokesperson said “The election of the US president doesn’t have anything specifically to do with us. The major policies of America and the Islamic Republic are fixed.”

• However, there are questions about how much power Pezeshkian actually holds within the regime.

🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Biden Team Debates "Trump-Proofing" Foreign Policy

The Biden administration is scrambling to “protect” its foreign policy priorities before Donald Trump returns to the White House.

But they're realistic - there's no foolproof way to "Trump-proof" anything.

Rushing to Ship Arms to Ukraine

Biden officials are working overtime to get the remaining $6 billion in military aid to Ukraine before Trump takes over.

• The Pentagon is racing to deliver weapons and equipment to Ukraine before Inauguration Day.

• But there's no guarantee they can get everything out the door in time.

• Once Trump is president, they know that Trump can decide to halt the weapons transfers, even if they've already been promised.

Cementing Other Policy Changes

The Biden team is also trying to cement other foreign policy shifts, like beefing up refugee resettlement or taking action against Israeli settlements.

But they know most of these will just get reversed by Trump.

• Biden officials are wary of being as "bold and ambitious" as the Trump team was.

• They're "realistic about the limits of their power" against the incoming Trump juggernaut.

Trump's "Biden-Proofing" Efforts

During his final months, Trump managed to "Biden-proof" some of his own policies, making them harder to undo. Things like designating China's Uyghur crackdown as genocide.

• Biden left many of these Trump-era changes in place, fearing the political backlash.

• But some Biden supporters are angry the team didn't just overturn everything on "day one."