The 2024 US presidential election is not only a personal battle between Trump and Harris, but also a fierce confrontation between two different political cultures and values in the US. This confrontation covered all aspects of the economy, race, gender, identity, immigration, climate change, etc.

And as the most variable and dramatic election in decades, from the shooting of Trump to the Democratic Party's immediate change of command, this year's election apparently also produced countless memorable “famous scenes.”

Let's take a good look at the following:

Famous scene ①: The first former president to be found guilty

On May 30, local time in the US, after two days of closed review, a 12-member jury in Manhattan, New York, finally reached an agreement and found all 34 charges involved in former President Trump's “sealing fee” case. As a result, Trump also became the first former president in US history to be found guilty.

Trump has 34 felony charges, each of which is punishable by up to 4 years in prison. However, Trump himself pleaded not guilty to any of the charges and insisted that the lawsuit against him was politically motivated. Trump's sentence was originally scheduled to be announced on July 11, a few days before the Republicans will officially announce him as the 2024 Republican presidential candidate. But since then it has gone through several rounds of delays. On September 6, local time, Judge Juan Mercan in charge of former President Trump's “sealing fee” criminal case in New York State of the United States postponed the judgment date of the case until November 26.

This may also mean that Trump's fate after this election is likely to have only two paths: either return to the US presidency or “go to jail” in the near future...

Famous scene ②: Trump assassinated

What happens when an election is assassinated? July 13th was certainly a memorable day for Trump and all American voters...

At about 18:15 local time on July 13, 2024, when former US President Trump delivered a speech at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, a gunman “shot several times” at Trump's podium from a high place outside the rally site, hitting Trump's right ear. Trump, whose face was full of blood, was then hastily evacuated the podium under the guard of the Secret Service.

This assassination quickly changed the balance of approval ratings between Trump and Biden at the time, and ultimately also greatly accelerated the Democratic Party's change of command. However, it is worth mentioning that since then, Trump has also experienced two assassinations of varying degrees. These extreme assassinations also largely reflect the serious social and political polarization of America today, and the conflict between different political factions is becoming more and more acute.

Famous scene ③: “Countryman” Vance

On July 15, at the US Republican National Convention, Trump unraveled one of the most important suspense of the conference — he chose Ohio Senator and former venture capitalist JD Vance (JD Vance) as his vice presidential candidate.

Biden, 40, is nearly 40 years younger than Trump. If Trump is successfully elected President of the United States, then Vance will also become the youngest vice president of the United States in nearly 70 years. After this candidate was announced, many tech giants in Silicon Valley were happy and encouraged. They believe that considering Vance's status as a former venture capitalist, if he can enter the White House after this year's election, it could bring the US tech industry closer to Washington's political center stage.

Before becoming Trump's campaign partner, Vance left the deepest impression on the world. It is undoubtedly his memoir “The Country Man's Elegy,” which he published in 2016 and describes the true ecology of America's “Rust Belt.” In his book, Vance recounts what he saw and heard in a steel mill community in his hometown, describing residents plagued by drug addiction and poverty. This book made the wealthy class in America understand the difficulties of people's livelihood in regions with declining industries, and also profoundly reflects the highly polarized problems of American society.

Famous scene ④: Musk's “employment photo”

If “redneck” Vance is Trump's campaign deputy on the table, then Musk, the richest man in the world, is undoubtedly Trump's greatest support offstage.

In this year's presidential election, Musk quickly transformed from a relatively neutral business leader in the past to a staunch supporter of Trump. On August 19, former US President and Republican presidential candidate Trump said that if he enters the White House again, he will be offered a cabinet position or government adviser position for Tesla CEO Musk. On the X platform, many people began to enthusiastically discuss Musk's future prospects in politics. And Musk, who has always been humorous, actually posted an “employment photo” of himself on the X platform afterwards.

Musk's suit and leather shoes in the “inauguration photo” stand in front of the American flag and look like a classic politician. On the nameplate in front of him, the words “D.O.G.E (Dogecoin) Government Efficiency Department” are jokingly written. Musk clearly expressed his close relationship with Trump in many subsequent campaigns, and bluntly stated that his support for Trump was due to considerations of the country's future, and claimed that whether Trump could return to the White House would “determine the fate of Western civilization.”

Famous scene ⑤: The Democratic Party “changes command in front of the front”

As Trump's popularity grew after the shooting, Biden faced a disastrous situation like a shell during the election debate. After all, the Democratic Party officially reached the stage of “changing leadership” in August.

Since August 1, local time, about 4,700 Democratic Party representatives have participated in the five-day online voting. After about a day and a half, Harris has obtained enough party representative votes to lock in the nomination. Voting ended on the evening of the 5th, and Harris' nomination officially took effect. On August 22, Harris attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago as the Democratic presidential candidate.

While the Democratic National Convention was being held, Harris said that she was very honored to be nominated as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, and that she would “plan a new path forward together” with her Democratic Party colleagues. And from this moment on, the 2024 US election officially changed from an “old age duel” between Biden and Trump to a PK moment between Harris and Trump...

Famous scene ⑥: “Mold” teams up against Harris

After replacing Biden and receiving the official Democratic presidential nomination, Harris' approval ratings quickly caught up with Trump in the polls. Behind this, in addition to his charisma in American politics and his insane ability to “suck in money,” Harris also unexpectedly received the help of a “noble person” — Taylor Swift, an American pop singer nicknamed “Mildew” by fans around the world.

On the evening of September 10, local time, after the first televised debate between Harris and Trump, famous American pop singer Taylor Swift announced on social platforms that she would support the Democratic presidential candidate Harris. At the registration desk, Taylor Swift described herself as a “childless cat lady” and attached a picture of herself holding a cat. Notably, Republican vice presidential candidate Vance once satirized Harris as a “childless cat lady,” causing controversy.

As a popular singer, “Mildew” has around 0.526 billion followers worldwide on major social media. In addition to her 0.28 billion followers on Instagram, she also has 95.27 million followers on social media X and over 80 million followers on “Facebook.” However, after “Mold” made the choice to stand in this general election, many netizens also jokingly called it a confrontation between “Mold” and “Iron Man” (Musk).

Famous scene ⑦: One “millionaire” a day

If you move your finger and sign a petition, you may be able to become a “millionaire”. Is that very appealing to American voters? Musk, who has the “ability to pay money,” launched an alternative “canvassing” campaign at the final stage before the general election.

On October 19, local time, Musk announced that before the US presidential election day on November 5, the “American Political Action Committee” he founded to support Trump will randomly give away 1 million dollars every day to a swing state voter who signs his petition. The petition asked people to pledge support for the First and Second Amendments, which included support for “freedom of speech” and “right to bear arms.” Musk's move was aimed at targeting potential supporters of Trump in swing states and mobilizing them to vote for Trump.

Musk then immediately selected the first winner from the audience, and a man named John Dreher received a million dollar check on the first day. However, this move has also raised numerous questions from the outside world about the legality of these cash payments. The US Department of Justice warned that this move could violate federal election laws.

Famous scene ⑧: Obama sings to help Harris

While Trump and Musk are having more and more fun in the final stages of the election, supporters of the Democratic Party are not willing to be lonely. On the evening of October 22, local time, famous American rapper Eminem, wearing a khaki cap, showed up at Obama's rally in Detroit to support the election campaign for current vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Harris.

Eminem, 52, is one of the few highly successful white singers in the traditional black-dominated hip-hop industry. He is famous for promoting rap in the central US region, and is considered one of the “most influential rappers” and the rapper with the highest record sales. In recent years, he has clearly expressed his opposition to Trump in his lyrics. Eminem's appearance is yet another example of the Harris team's appeal directly to male voters, especially the young men she is still trying to fight for.

Meanwhile, former US President Barack Obama also took the stage at this event to improvise Eminem's masterpiece “Lose Yourself.” Obama called on local people to seize the opportunity to vote early. Obama also criticized Trump's attempt to divide the country and create topics to increase his chances of being elected. By contrast, Harris has always fought for the underprivileged, truly believes in the country's values, and is ready to serve as president.

epilogue

Predictably, as the US election officially kicks off on November 5, no matter who finally won this election, how to repair this deeply divided country, and how to find a balance between multiculturalism and traditional values will be bound to become a long-term challenge that all sectors of American society must face in the future.

Edit/rice