Trump wins US presidency: As it happened
Donald Trump has clinched victory in the race for the White House against Kamala Harris after securing a majority in multiple swing states. The Republican declared victory in a speech in Florida to a cheering crowd. Harris, who did not address her supporters on election night, eventually conceded on Wednesday.
Trump has won five battleground states – Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania – and is projected to score further victories in Arizona and Nevada. As a result, he has won at least 292 electoral college votes compared to 224 for Harris, thus surpassing the required threshold of 270. The outcome of the election stands in stark contrast to the 2020 vote, when Trump lost Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to Joe Biden.
Trump declared victory while addressing his supporters at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in Florida, pledging to “turn our country into something very special.” Many world leaders have congratulated the Republican, with messages pouring in from around the globe.
Harris canceled a planned address to supporters at Howard University in Washington DC on election night, but delivered a concession speech later on Wednesday, promising a “peaceful transfer of power.”
Harris was a late entrant to the race, securing the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden ended his campaign in July following a disastrous debate performance against Trump, in which he appeared confused and struggled to finish sentences.
US presidential elections are decided by the Electoral College system, meaning that a candidate who loses the popular vote can still win the contest overall. Either Trump or Harris must secure 270 out of the 538 electoral college votes to win the presidency, with each state allocated a certain number of votes based on the number of its senators and representatives in Congress.
More than 158.5 million Americans took part in the election, with almost 86 million casting their votes early, either in person or by mail, according to data from the Election Lab and the University of Florida. For the first time in modern history, self-identified independents outnumbered Democrats at the polls and were tied with Republicans at 34% of the electorate, according to exit polling data from Edison Research.
06 November 2024
22:00 GMTThis live stream has ended.
- 21:36 GMT
Harris has vowed to continue fighting for abortion rights and gun control, and to “never give up the fight for our democracy and the rule of law.”
“We will continue to wage this fight in the voting booths, in courts and in the public square,” she said.
- 21:34 GMT
Vice President Kamala Harris has formally acknowledged that Donald Trump won the US presidential election in a concession speech in Washington, DC.
“I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case,” Harris said on Wednesday evening, speaking from a stage at Howard University.
“I know folks are feeling a range of emotions right now, but we must accept the results of this election,” Kamala Harris has told her supporters, who began booing as she said that she had spoken to Trump earlier and “congratulated him on his victory.”
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” she continued. “The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people.”
- 21:25 GMT
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ presidential nominee, is addressing the nation to concede the election to Donald Trump. Harris took to the stage at Howard University in Washington, DC after calling Trump privately and acknowledging that he won enough electoral college votes to become the 47th US president.
- 20:58 GMT
Chinese President Xi Jinping has congratulated Republican Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election, CNN has reported, citing sources.
- 19:58 GMT
President Joe Biden has spoken to Kamala Harris and Donald Trump by phone, the White House has said in a statement. In his conversation with Trump, Biden “expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition” and invited Trump to meet with him at the White House “in the near future.”
Biden will address the nation on Thursday about the election and the transition of power, the White House said.
- 18:53 GMT
Kamala Harris has called Donald Trump to “congratulate him on winning the 2024 presidential election,” a senior aide to the vice president has told NBC News. Harris spoke to Trump about the “importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans,” the aide noted.
Harris did not address her supporters on election night, but is expected to deliver a speech at Howard University in Washington DC later on Wednesday. - 18:50 GMT
Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is currently leading two criminal prosecutions against Trump, will be fired by the US Justice Department before Trump takes office in January, Fox News has reported. The cases will reportedly be dropped due to a long-standing prohibition against prosecuting a sitting president.
Trump has long accused President Joe Biden’s administration of “weaponizing” the legal system against him in order to thwart his presidential campaign. - 18:16 GMT
The Associated Press has called the state of Michigan for Donald Trump, bringing to 292 the number of Electoral College votes awarded to the Republican. Michigan was one of seven battleground states in which the fight between Trump and Harris was expected to come down to the wire. Five have already been called for Trump, and the president-elect is also projected to win clear victories in the remaining two – Arizona and Nevada. Trump is on track to win the election by 312 Electoral College votes to 226.
- 18:01 GMT
Donald Trump has said that his children will not serve in his administration. “I said that’s enough for the family, you know why? It’s too painful for the family. My family has been through hell,” he told Fox News.
Trump’s daughter Ivanka was one of his senior advisers during his first term in office, while son-in-law Jared Kushner spearheaded the negotiation of the Abraham Accords – a series of landmark Arab-Israeli normalization agreements. His eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., campaigned extensively with Trump in the runup to Tuesday’s election.
