US politics and the 2020 elections
Our latest coverage of the transition from Donald Trump to Joe Biden
Welcome to The Economist’s coverage of American politics in the wake of the 2020 elections. On this page you can find our reports and analysis of what to expect from Joe Biden’s presidency, and of the febrile politics of the transition. You can also find lots of statistics about the elections themselves: our results page gives you the breakdown of the vote for the presidency, Senate and House of Representatives. To keep up to date, bookmark this page, listen to our podcast on American politics and sign up for our weekly newsletter featuring subscriber-only analysis. If you are not already a subscriber you can unlock some of our content by registering here.
Latest stories
The decider
Georgia’s run-offs could decide Donald Trump’s future—and the Senate
The elections will test how people vote when Mr Trump is not on the ballot
America’s never-ending election
The final countdown to Donald Trump’s election defeat
The president’s losses have mounted in both the courts and the popular vote, but he still came surprisingly close to winning
American economic policy
How much economic stimulus does America actually need?
Picking the right package
African-American businesses
Serious help may be on the way for America’s black entrepreneurs
Will banks and Biden start to level the playing field?
Shadow business
America’s intelligence agencies prepare for life after Trump
Repairing their reputation with sources and allies is not their biggest challenge
Back to the future
Joe Biden wants to re-enter the nuclear deal with Iran
Sounds simple, but he faces some big obstacles
Watch our film
Life after Trump: what’s the future of the Republican Party?
Our correspondents answer your questions on what the Republican Party could look like in a post-Trump world
Joe Biden and the Democrats
Lexington
Jake Sullivan to the rescue
What to expect from Jake Sullivan, the Democrats’ foreign-policy golden boy
Presidential picks
Joe Biden’s choice of economic advisers signals his priorities
The team stands out for its diversity, and its emphasis on climate change and labour rights
Johnson
The president-elect lacks a silver tongue. That may be an asset
Joe Biden’s prosaic style is a contrast to 12 years of extraordinary rhetoric
Something for everyone
Janet Yellen will lead Joe Biden’s Treasury. What does she stand for?
Progressives and conservatives both see something to like in the former Fed chair
In transit
Joe Biden unveils a reassuringly familiar national-security team
The mixture of brains and experience will delight allies
Transmission and the transition
What the Biden administration would do differently on covid-19
And how much difference it would make
Donald Trump and the Republicans
Lexington
The end of the embarrassment
The assumption that Republicans will remain in thrall to Donald Trump could be misplaced
Losing count
Trump’s plan to shift congressional seats reaches the Supreme Court
His attempt to exclude millions of immigrants from population tables may benefit the Republicans in the House of Representatives
The art of losing
Accepting a disappointing election result is a key part of democracy
Donald Trump does not understand that, so elected Republicans must
To the bitter end
Donald Trump’s refusal to concede is harming America
Why the low-energy autogolpe is worth taking seriously
Fallen star
As the Trump show is cancelled, what next for Fox News?
The conservative cable network prepares for a spell in opposition
The Trump audit part I: domestic
President Trump has had real achievements and a baleful effect
Three judges, a tax cut, an ever-more-divided nation and an undrained swamp
Voting trends
Not for sale
How much does a few billion dollars get you in 2020?
If you’re the Democratic Party, not much at all
Déjà vu all over again
Once again, less-educated whites spurned America’s Democratic nominee
Polls incorrectly predicted that Joe Biden would claw back some of his party’s losses with this group
Joe Biden beats Donald Trump
The US 2020 election results
The Economist’s breakdown of the votes for the president, Senate and House of Representatives
The city and the hills
Our analysis of the election results suggests that 2020 accelerated a long-running trend
American politics is even more split along urban-rural lines than it was four years ago
Assimilation nation
Why Donald Trump exceeded expectations with America’s Latinos
Efforts to court America’s largest ethnic minority paid off
State houses and local referendums
Covid coloured races for governor and ballot initiatives
Health and social policy shaped America’s state and local elections