The world this year 2024 | Dec 21st 2024 Edition

In a remarkable comeback Donald Trump was elected as America’s president for a second time. Six months before the vote Mr Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records in a hush-money case, the first criminal conviction handed to anyone who has sat in the Oval Office. In July a gunman tried to assassinate the Republican at a campaign event, slightly wounding him; Mr Trump’s rallying cry of “Fight, fight, fight!” energised his base. Kamala Harris’s “brat summer” turned out to be a damp squib for the Democrats, who also lost control of the Senate at the election. Ms Harris became the Democratic candidate when Joe Biden pulled out of the race after a disastrous debate for him.