US presidential elections: 4 ways Donald Trump's victory was historic

Donald Trump's election victory was history-making in several respects, even as his defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris prevented other firsts. She would have been the nation's first Black and South Asian woman to be president.

He's the oldest to be elected  At 78, Trump is the oldest person elected to the US presidency. When sworn in on January 20, 2025, he will be a few months older than Joe Biden was at his inauguration in 2020. Trump's running mate, 40-year-old JD Vance, will be the third-youngest vice president.

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It's the second time someone has won two non-consecutive terms  Several US presidents have served more than one term, and Trump joins the group. He was the 45th president and now will be the 47th. But only one other president did it the way Trump will with a gap between terms. That was Grover Cleveland, who served as the 22nd president after the 1884 election, and as the 24th president after the campaign of 1892. 

 

He's been convicted of felony crimes  Trump is in line to become the first US president with a felony conviction. In May, 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 who said the two had sex.

He's been impeached (twice)  Trump already is the only president in US history to face impeachment proceedings twice while in office. In each case, he was acquitted by the Senate on all counts.