2024 United States elections in the context of "2028 United States presidential election"

Elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. Republican businessman and media celebrity Donald Trump defeated Democratic former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, and the Republicans retained their majorities in both chambers of Congress. This marked the first time since 2004 that the Republicans controlled both Congress and the presidency in the same election, something that would not occur again until 2024.

Democrats won a net gain of two seats in the Senate and six seats in the House of Representatives, but Republicans retained control of both chambers. In the gubernatorial elections, Republicans won a net gain of two seats. Various other state, territorial, and local races and referendums were held throughout the year. This was the first presidential election since 2000, where the winning candidate failed to have coattails in either house of Congress. This is the most recent election where one party simultaneously gained seats in both houses of Congress.

Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. Trump, a member of the Republican Party, had previously served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021 and lost re-election to the Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, took office after defeating the Democratic incumbent vice president Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Trump is the second former U.S. president to return to office. Alongside Trump's second presidency, the Republican Party also currently holds majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate during the 119th U.S. Congress following the 2024 elections, thereby attaining an overall federal government trifecta.

In the first eight months of his second presidency, Trump signed over 200 executive orders, many of which have been or are being challenged in court. His attempts to expand presidential power and conflict with the courts have been described as a defining characteristic of his second presidency. The Trump administration has taken action against law firms for challenging its policies. On immigration, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, revived numerous immigration laws from his first presidency, attempted to restrict birthright citizenship, and initiated procedures for mass deportations, including nationwide raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In January 2025, Trump launched the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with Elon Musk briefly overseeing it. DOGE was tasked with reducing federal spending and limiting bureaucracy, and it oversaw mass layoffs of civil servants along with efforts to dismantle government agencies such as the Agency for International Development.

The 119th United States Congress is the 2025–2027 term of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened on January 3, 2025, for the last 17 days of Joe Biden's presidency and will continue during the first two years of Donald Trump's second presidency.

Following the 2024 elections, the Republican Party retained its slim majority in the House of Representatives, though the party lost two net seats in the election and thus ended up with a five-seat majority instead of its previous seven-seat majority. The Republican Party also won a three-seat majority in the Senate after winning four net seats in the 2024 elections. With Trump's second inauguration on January 20, 2025, the Republican Party has an overall federal government trifecta for the first time since the 115th Congress (2017–2019), which was in session during Trump's first term.