But on Tuesday, as unlikely as it may have previously seemed, Americans will choose Trump or Harris as their next president. It is the final chapter in one of the most confusing, unpredictable and consequential sagas in political history. For once, the word “unprecedented” has not been overused.

“If someone told you in advance what was going to happen in this election and you tried to sell it in book form, no one would believe it,” said Neil Newhouse, a Republican pollster with more than four decades of experience.

“It energized the country and polarized the country. And all we can hope for is that we come out better for it in the end.”

History has been and will be written. The United States has never elected a president convicted of a crime. Trump survived not one but two assassination attempts. Biden dropped out in the middle of an election year and Harris could become the first female president. The fundamental principles of democracy in the world’s most powerful nation will be tested like never before since the Civil War.

And that’s without mentioning the context of simultaneous conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, hacking by foreign governments, an increasingly normalized blizzard of disinformation and the intimate involvement of the richest man in the world. world, Elon Musk.

For now, the only thing the country can agree on is that no one knows how the story will end.

Trump went from shame to Republican nomination

That’s the day he inflamed his supporters with false claims of election fraud, ordered them to march to the U.S. Capitol while Congress ceremonially certified Biden’s election victory, then stood idly by as riots threatened lawmakers and his own vice president.

But not enough Republicans joined Democrats in convicting Trump in an impeachment trial, paving the way for him to run again.

Trump began planning a comeback even as some leaders in his party hoped he would be eclipsed by Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, or Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations.

In the year since Trump announced his candidacy against Biden, he has been indicted four times. Two of the indictments related to his attempts to overturn his election defeat. Another concerned his refusal to return classified documents to the federal government after leaving office. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and none of the cases have been resolved.

However, a fourth indictment in New York allowed Trump to become the first president in US history to be criminally convicted. A jury convicted him May 30 of falsifying business records regarding hush-money payments to a porn star who claimed to be having an affair.

None of this slowed Trump, who virtually ignored his opponents during the primary as he raced toward the Republican presidential nomination. A photo of one of his arrests was adopted by his supporters as a symbol of resistance to a corrupt system.

Trump’s candidacy capitalized on anger over inflation and frustration over migrants crossing the southern border. He also hammered Biden as too old for the job, even though he is only four years younger than the president.

But Democrats also thought Biden, 81, would be better off considering retirement rather than a second term. So when Biden struggled through a presidential debate on June 27 — losing his train of thought, appearing confused, stammering in his responses — he faced growing pressure within his party to withdraws from the race.

As Biden faced a political crisis, Trump went to an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. A young man escaped police, climbed to the top of a nearby building and fired several shots from a semi-automatic rifle.

Trump grabbed his ear and fell onto the stage. As Secret Service agents crowded around him, he stood up with a trail of blood on his face, raised his fist in the air and shouted “Fight, fight, fight!” » An American flag flew above us.

It was an instantly iconic moment. Trump’s path to the White House seemed clearer than ever – perhaps even inevitable.

Harris gets an unexpected opportunity for redemption

The vice president was getting ready to do a puzzle with her nieces on the morning of July 21 when Biden called her. He had decided to end his reelection bid and support Harris to replace him.

She spent the rest of the day making dozens of phone calls to drum up support, and she had enough to secure the nomination in two days.

It was a surprising reversal of fortune. Harris had burned out while running for president four years earlier, dropping out before the first Democratic primary. Biden resurrected her political career by choosing her as his running mate, and she became the first woman, Black and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.

But Harris’ struggles don’t end there. She dabbled in immigration issues, oversaw widespread staff turnover in her office and faded into the background rather than using her historic status as a platform.

All that began to change on June 24, 2022, when the United States Supreme Court overturned the nation’s right to abortion enshrined in Roe v. Wade. Harris has become the White House’s leading advocate on an issue that has reshaped American politics.

She also proved to be more agile than before. Shortly after returning from a week-long trip to Africa, his team orchestrated a spontaneous adventure to Nashville so Harris could show support for two Tennessee lawmakers who had been expelled for protesting in favor of state control. firearms.

During this time, Harris was networking with local politicians, business leaders and cultural figures to brainstorm ideas and make connections. When Biden dropped out, she was better positioned than many thought to rise to the occasion.

The day after her candidacy, Harris flew to Wilmington, Delaware, to visit campaign headquarters. Staff members had spent the morning printing “Kamala” and “Harris for President” signs to stick alongside the outdated “Biden-Harris” posters.

There were 106 days left before the end of the elections.

The battle between Trump and Harris will reshape the country

While speaking to campaign staff in Wilmington, Harris used a phrase that has become a mantra, chanted by her supporters at rallies across the country.

“We’re not going back,” she said.

It’s a fitting counterpoint to Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again,” that he’s been brandishing since launching his first campaign more than eight years ago.

The two candidates have almost nothing in common, which was demonstrated on September 10, when Harris and Trump first met for their only televised debate.

Harris promised to restore abortion rights and use tax breaks to support small businesses and families. She said she would be “a president for all Americans.”

Trump took credit for appointing the judges who helped overturn Roe, pledged to protect the U.S. economy with tariffs, and made false claims that migrants were eating the people’s pets. He called Harris “the worst vice president in the history of our country.”

Harris was widely seen as gaining the upper hand. Trump insisted he had won but refused a second debate. The race remained remarkably close.

Pundits and pollsters have spent the past few weeks working to identify any changes in the candidates’ chances. Microscopic shifts in public opinion could swing the outcome of the election. It could take days to count enough votes to determine who wins.

The outcome, once it becomes clear, could be just one more surprise in a campaign that has been full of them.