US politics and the 2020 elections
Our coverage of the transition from Donald Trump to Joe Biden
This page, featuring The Economist’s best coverage of the presidential transition from Donald Trump to Joe Biden, is no longer being updated. To stay informed, bookmark our new page devoted to the Biden presidency, and follow along as we track the administration’s progress in its first 100 days. For more analysis and reporting on American politics, listen to our Checks and Balance podcast and sign up for our weekly newsletter. If you are not already a subscriber you can unlock some of our content by registering here.
Latest stories
Donald Trump faces an array of legal trouble when he leaves office
His presidential immunity runs out on January 20th
The Trump era in covers
Our editors pick out 13 covers that chronicled a presidency like no other
Donald Trump’s reckoning
The right and the wrong ways to hold the president to account
The conscience of some conservatives
The Republican Party launches an overdue civil war over Donald Trump
Political theorists have been worrying about mob rule for 2,000 years
Plato’s “Republic” was, in part, a meditation on the evils of mob rule
Donald Trump and the Republicans
The terrible scenes on Capitol Hill illustrate how Donald Trump has changed his party
And how hard it will be to rid it of him
Trump’s legacy—the shame and the opportunity
The invasion of the Capitol and the Democrats’ victory in Georgia will change the course of the Biden presidency
How does the 25th Amendment work?
A quick but fraught way to remove an American president
Can the Senate hold an impeachment trial after a president leaves office?
The constitution does not forbid it, but it is uncharted territory
How Donald Trump evolved into a prolific, angry Twitter user
The president’s posts endeared him to supporters, but ultimately led to his removal from the platform
Arnold Schwarzenegger on why Republicans must stop Trump
It is time to end the president’s “stupid, crazy and evil” ploy to cling to power, says the former governor of California
Joe Biden and the Democrats
Joe Biden will shift gears in Latin America
A post-populist president will encounter a region where populism has recently flourished
For the first time, a career diplomat is to lead the CIA
William Burns is swapping soft power for a cloak and dagger
Two stunning victories for Democrats in Georgia upend the Senate
Joe Biden will now have a majority in both houses to work with
Jake Sullivan to the rescue
What to expect from Jake Sullivan, the Democrats’ foreign-policy golden boy
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
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
Voting trends
How much does a few billion dollars get you in 2020?
If you’re the Democratic Party, not much at all
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
The US 2020 election results
The Economist’s breakdown of the votes for the president, Senate and House of Representatives
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
Why Donald Trump exceeded expectations with America’s Latinos
Efforts to court America’s largest ethnic minority paid off