Former US President Donald Trump has secured a second term in office, leading US media outlets have reported, after officials in Wisconsin confirmed that the Republican candidate has won the state.
The win delivered ten electoral college votes to Trump, bringing him over the threshold of 270. He claimed victory hours earlier, predicting that he would also win the popular vote once the final tally is made.
Wisconsin was one of the key battleground states in this election cycle, potentially flipping for either of the two candidates. The results of several of these swing states largely determine who wins the election. Under the country’s political system, all electoral votes from each state go to the winner.
Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 against Hillary Clinton, but lost it in 2020 to Joe Biden. He and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris focused heavily on the state in their campaigns.
Harris, who serves as vice president in the Biden administration, is expected to address supporters later in the day.
A number of leaders have already congratulated Trump, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and others.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that he is not aware whether President Vladimir Putin plans to congratulate Trump. For Russia, the US is “a deeply unfriendly nation that is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state,” he explained.