2024 in the United States


The following is a list of events of the year 2024 in the United States.
With the dominant political story of the year being the 2024 presidential election, most American-focused media outlets routinely covered the nominees. Former president Donald Trump became the second president in American history to win two nonconsecutive terms, defeating Democratic [Vice President of the United States|President of the United Airlines|United States|vice president] Kamala Harris, who became her party's nominee after incumbent president Joe Biden withdrew from the race. Much of the national media paid close attention to Trump's civil and criminal trials, as well as two assassination attempts on Trump: one in July and one in September.
American politics also focused on responses to the Israel's ongoing war on Gaza that started in the year prior, recent developments in abortion policy, and the passing of a law that de jure banned TikTok in January of the following year.
The Federal Trade Commission, under chair Lina Khan, also played a more proactive role in the economics of the U.S., with Khan blocking many mergers and acquisitions, including one between airlines JetBlue and Spirit. In business, the American economy underwent a bull market, with Nvidia in particular, due to demand for its chips in the use of artificial intelligence, becoming the third largest publicly traded company by market capitalization, and partially enabling major American stock indices such as the S&P 500 to achieve record highs. Nvidia's success story, though, was contrasted by a series of safety failures, malfunctions, and crashes involving passenger aircraft designed and assembled by Boeing, among the most notable of which was Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in which a door plug blew out. Additionally, Spirit Airlines, radio operator Audacy, for-profit hospital chain Steward Health Care System, retailers Jo-Ann Stores and rue21, restaurant chains Red Lobster and TGI Fridays, bussing company Coach USA, electric vehicle maker Fisker, and food storage container firm Tupperware have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Several major hurricanes and tornado outbreaks occurred across the United States during the year, including the tornado outbreak sequence of May 19–27, Hurricane Helene, and Hurricane Milton.

Incumbents

Federal government

Elections

The US general elections were held on November 5 of this year. In the federal government, the offices up for election were president, vice president, all 435 seats of the House of Representatives, and roughly one third of the Senate. In this year's presidential election, Joe Biden ran for a second term. With former president Donald Trump's declaration to run for the office again and both he and Biden were their respective parties' presumptive presidential nominees, the election would have been a rematch of the 2020 election. On July 21, 2024, however, President Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. In the Senate, at least seven seats, those of Senators Tom Carper from Delaware, Mike Braun from Indiana, Ben Cardin from Maryland, Debbie Stabenow from Michigan, Bob Menendez from New Jersey, Mitt Romney from Utah, and Joe Manchin from West Virginia, will be open contests; the seat of the late Dianne Feinstein is also expected to be an open contest with Feinstein's immediate successor, Laphonza Butler, expected not to seek a full term.
Concerning state governments, 11 states and two territories will hold gubernatorial elections, and most states and territories will hold elections for their legislatures. Many major cities, including Baltimore, Las Vegas, Honolulu, Milwaukee, Miami, Phoenix, San Diego, and San Francisco will also elect their mayors.

Special elections

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December