Donald Trump has won a belated second term in the White House after sweeping four of the key battleground states hours after the polls closed on Election Day and consigning Kamala Harris to defeat.
The Republican presidential nominee, who served as commander-in-chief from 2017 to 2021, has just passed the Electoral College magic number of 270 by winning Wisconsin, having already picked up wins in North Carolina, Georgia and, crucially, Pennsylvania.
Counting is still underway in Michigan, Arizona and Nevada but Trump has already delivered a victory speech to his supporters in Florida.
The 45th and now 47th president took to the stage with his family and running mate JD Vance to promise a “golden age for America” and hail “the greatest political movement of all time”, also pledging to “help our country heal” and “fix everything about our country”.
As world leaders rush to congratulate Trump, Harris has yet to comment on her likely defeat, having elected not to appear at Howard University in Washington DC, her alma mater, where a triumphant watch party had been planned in anticipation of victory but which ultimately ended in tears with supporters leaving early.
Key Points
-
Donald Trump defeats Kamala Harris to win the presidency
-
World leaders congratulate Trump on victory
-
Trump vs Harris: Live election 2024 results map
-
Results in the battleground states
Just Stop Oil target US embassy in London
11:01 , Athena Stavrou
Environmental activists have covered the US embassy in London with orange paint in protest of Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election.
Two campaigners from Just Stop Oil sprayed the embassy’s compound wall with orange paint, a video posted by the group on social media platform X showed.
“Trump’s win puts the lives of ordinary people at risk, everywhere,” Just Stop Oil said.
London’s Metropolitan Police and the U.S. embassy did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
🧯 US EMBASSY PAINTED ORANGE AS WE REJECT FASCISM
This morning the world wakes to find it has slipped further into fascism as well as climate breakdown. Trump’s win puts the lives of ordinary people at risk, everywhere.
Political systems that can be bought by big oil have no… pic.twitter.com/5OuFgH1B70
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) November 6, 2024
Live election 2024 results map as Trump defeats Harris to win presidency
11:00 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s our updated results map as Wisconsin places Donald Trump on 277 Electoral College votes, carrying him over the line and returning him to the White House after four years away.
Trump vs Harris: Live election 2024 results map
Wisconsin pushes Trump over the line
10:49 , Athena Stavrou
Donald Trump has officially won the 2024 US election, making him the first convicted criminal to be elected president.
The final result has been predicted for some hours, but it was the outcome in Wisconsin which ultimately secured his place in the White House.
With ten electoral college votes, the swing state pushed Trump over the line of 270 votes needed to secure a majority.
Counting is still underway in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada but Trump has already delivered a victory speech to his supporters in Florida.
Breaking: Donald Trump defeats Kamala Harris to win the presidency
10:37 , Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump defeats Kamala Harris to win the presidency
Watch: MSNBC’s Joy Reid labels Trump a ‘fascist’ in live on-air meltdown as he wins Florida in election
10:30 , Joe Sommerlad
In pictures: Democrats in dismay on night to forget
10:20 , Joe Sommerlad
Spare a thought for the more than 65m Americans who proudly voted Harris-Walz yesterday and attended watch parties last night hoping for a brighter future, only for it to all end in tears.
Ask our Washington correspondent anything as Donald Trump declares victory
10:10 , Joe Sommerlad
A Trump victory raises questions about his agenda for a second term and whether he will continue with the divisive rhetoric that marked his campaign.
Addressing his supporters in the early hours of the morning, the Republican promised to “help our country heal” and “fix everything” about it, declaring a “golden age for America.”
So, what does a Trump win mean for America’s future?
How would Trump approach his policy goals within a divided political landscape?
And what are the social and political implications of Trump’s continued influence?
Ask a question here for this exclusive Ask Me Anything session with Eric Garcia, The Independent’s senior Washington correspondent.
‘It’s time to unite’: Read Donald Trump’s victory speech in full
10:00 , Joe Sommerlad
The 45th and now likely 47th president appeared with his family in Florida a little while ago and cut a more gracious and conciliatory figure than you might have expected.
Here are a few choice moments from his address:
You can read his remarks in full below.
‘It’s time to unite’: Donald Trump’s victory speech in full
Watch: Hot mic catches live reaction to Fox host claim Elon Musk is ‘future of Republican Party’
09:50 , Joe Sommerlad
Watch: Stormy Daniels calls Trump ‘lunatic’ and claims Harris lost election because of racism
09:40 , Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump’s claws back Pennsylvania and breaks the Blue Wall
09:30 , Joe Sommerlad
The Republican’s victory in Pennsylvania seals a stunning comeback for the former and future president and ruptures the Blue Wall once again, writes our own Richard Hall from the Keystone State.
It was the prize target of both campaigns, who together spent an unprecedented $1.2 billion on ads and held rallies in towns big and small across the state.
Joe Biden used stories of his difficult childhood here in Scranton to beat Trump in 2020 and clinch the presidency.
Questions were asked early on about whether Kamala Harris could win here without that personal history and connection to white working-class voters, perhaps by turning out larger numbers in the cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Pennsylvania was also the site of an assassination attempt on Trump. That near miss, at a rally in the town of Butler, reinvigorated his campaign.
But it was Trump’s message on the economy that appeared to break through.
Throughout the campaign, voters across the state expressed concern about inflation and the economy. Even young voters, traditionally a reliable voting bloc for the Democratic Party, said the same.
“I’m scared for my future. I want my future economy to thrive,” Kelsey Moyer, a 20-year-old student at Indiana University, told The Independent in September.
“Both presidents have had a four-year span and you can see the difference in the country.”
Trump made gains in rural areas across the state, but also in urban areas like Lackawanna County — home to Scranton — and in the Bellwether of Erie. He won half of independent voters, according to exit polls.
His biggest gains came with Latino voters, appearing to win close to half of them, according to NBC’s exit poll.
With its 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is the most valuable of the swing states.
One in three people of color voted for Trump
09:20 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump picked up one in every three votes cast by people of color in the 2024 election, according to an exit poll published late on Tuesday.
The NBC News survey’s finding indicates that the the American electorate has become less politically divided along racial or ethnic lines, with particular groups less likely to behave as unified voting blocs.
This comes despite the former president’s campaign being dogged by a number of racial controversies.
Joe Sommerlad and Alicja Hagopian report.
One in three people of color voted for Trump, exit poll finds
Bitcoin price hits new all-time high as Trump declares victory
09:10 , Oliver O’Connell
Bitcoin has surged to a new all-time high after Donald Trump emerged as the likely winner of the US presidential election.
The price of the world’s most valuable cryptocurrency reached above $75,000 on Wednesday morning, beating its previous record of just below $74,000 set in March.
Anthony Cuthbertson reports.
Bitcoin price hits new all-time high as Trump declares victory
Watch: UFC’s Dana White thanks ‘mighty and powerful Joe Rogan’ during Trump victory speech
09:05 , Oliver O’Connell
Watch: Dana White thanks ‘powerful Joe Rogan’ during Donald Trump victory speech
How the US presidential election certification process works
09:00 , Joe Sommerlad
Americans have now cast their votes in the 2024 election, with Donald Trump likely on the cusp of becoming the next president of the United States.
As of Wednesday morning, Trump has clinched projected victories in crucial swing states North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
The casting of ballots across the 50 states brings an end to perhaps one of the most dramatic election campaigns in living memory, which saw a last-minute change at the top of the Democratic ticket and Trump survive two separate assassination attempts.
Here’s a look at how the presidential election certification process works:
How the US presidential election certification process works
New York Post celebrates Trump win
08:55 , Oliver O’Connell
What happens if a convicted felon – like Trump – wins the presidency?
08:50 , Oliver O’Connell
Earlier this year, Donald Trump made history by becoming the first former president ever convicted of a crime.
Now, as he is on the verge of securing a second term in the White House having swept two key swing states, he appears poised to make history again: by becoming the first convicted felon elected to the nation’s highest office.
Joe Sommerlad explains what might happen next.
What happens if a convicted felon – like Trump – wins the presidency?
Presidential election: State of the race
08:40 , Oliver O’Connell
On the ground in Florida as Trump claims victory
08:35 , Andrew Feinberg
The scene outside the West Palm Beach, Florida convention center looked something like a cross between a crime scene and a carnival.
On a normally busy crossroads, not far from the bridge between the wealthy enclave of Palm Beach — the location of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence — and the more modest community of West Palm Beach, a mass of police cars, dump trucks and other heavy vehicles blocked the way to the convention hall, which was ringed by the kind of riot-proof fencing that became ubiquitous in Washington just four years ago after Trump fomented a riot after losing the last presidential election.
It was just after 1:00 am, and it was starting to look as if the most famous felon in America was on a glide path back to the White House. And while hundreds of his well-heeled supporters were packed inside the hall awaiting him, an impromptu vigil had sprung up along the road, with more supporters lining the grassy median, faces pressed against the fence, in hopes of catching a glimpse of his motorcade.
The crowd of roughly 100 people were so busy watching for the ex-president turned president-elect that they missed a bonafide MAGA celebrity as he walked towards the convention center.
It was Nigel Farage, the Member of Parliament for Clacton and the leader of the Reform UK Party. Thousands of miles from Westminster, Farage was in Florida to celebrate the return of his friend to the highest office in America.
Though he passed by the crowd of Trump supporters unnoticed, The Independent spotted him and quickly approached him to ask for his thoughts on the night’s events.
“I’m very happy — you guys got it all wrong again,” he said.
Farage wasn’t the only person to express some scorn for the press.
Although most of the reporters who’d come to Florida for election night were safely inside the convention center, the Trump campaign failed to credential foreign press outlets from a whole host of countries. As those television reporters stood on the sidewalk to broadcast, a man in a car that was stopped at the intersection began taunting them, asking if they were “crying.”
At just past 1:30am, Fox News called Pennsylvania for Trump, all but foreclosing Vice President Kamala Harris’s path to the White House.
Almost immediately, it began to rain.
World leaders congratulate Trump on victory
08:30 , Oliver O’Connell
World leaders have begun to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory in the 2024 US presidential election — even though the race is yet to be formally called for him.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel called it “history’s greatest comeback”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
Dear Donald and Melania Trump,
Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!
Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 6, 2024
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it an “impressive election victory”.
Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his impressive election victory!
I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 6, 2024
In the UK, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the victory “historic” and said he looked forward to working with him in years ahead.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was ready to work together “as we did for four years”.
Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump. Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 6, 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his “heartiest congratulations” to his friend.
Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together,… pic.twitter.com/u5hKPeJ3SY
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 6, 2024
Jon Stewart criticises pollsters after Trump declares victory
08:25 , Oliver O’Connell
US Senate: State of the 2024 race
08:18 , Oliver O’Connell
Joe Biden’s granddaughter Naomi reveals she’s pregnant on Election Day
08:15 , Oliver O’Connell
President Joe Biden is set to become a great-grandfather for the first time, after his granddaughter Naomi revealed her pregnancy on election night.
On Tuesday, the 30-year-old political scion made the big reveal by posting a selfie on her Instagram story, shortly after the polls closed in Washington DC.
James Liddell has the story.
‘We voted’: Joe Biden’s granddaughter Naomi reveals she’s pregnant on Election Day
08:13 , Oliver O’Connell
I was at Ted Cruz’s election party in Texas. It was a pre-game for a Trump victory
08:00 , Eric Garcia
Ted Cruz’s re-election built on the inroads that Trump made, which he knew would confound Democrats, who have long believed that Latinos would be put off by Republicans’ hawkish rhetoric on immigration.
In Texas, Ted Cruz’s victory party served as a pre-game for a Trump victory
Watch: Trump declares US election victory as results from final states awaited
07:54 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump declares US election victory as he hails ‘golden age’ for America
Harris wins Minnesota
07:48 , Oliver O’Connell
The Associated Press has called the state of Minnesota for Kamala Harris.
07:46 , Oliver O’Connell
We just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America. And under President Trump’s leadership, we’re never going to stop fighting for you.
Vice President-elect JD Vance
Watch LIVE: Trump addresses supporters as networks begin to call election
07:25 , Oliver O’Connell
Eric Trump posts photo of father looking over speech
07:24 , Oliver O’Connell
Trump is set to speak at his campaign watch party in West Palm Beach. His son Eric posted a picture of him looking over his speech.
Trump’s niece reacts to uncle’s likely win
07:20 , Oliver O’Connell
I am so deeply sorry. I thought better of us.
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) November 6, 2024
Florida’s abortion rights amendment fails despite getting 57% of the vote
07:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Abortion access will not be a constitutional right in the state of Florida.
The measure proposed enshrining the right to abortion care in the state, which would overturn state-level bans on abortion at 14- and six-weeks of pregnancy, and land a major victory for abortion rights advocates two years after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade.
The measure is not projected to clear the 60 percent threshold required to amend the state’s constitution. Nearly 6 million people voted to support the measure, with 4.4 million voting against it, according to preliminary results.
Alex Woodward reports.
Florida’s abortion rights amendment fails, keeping six-week ban in place
MSNBC and CNN call Pennsylvania for Trump
07:08 , Oliver O’Connell
NBC News and CNN have joined Fox News in calling the state of Pennsylvania for Donald Trump.
The Associated Press has not yet named a winner of the state.
UK MP Nigel Farage ‘very happy’ press ‘got it wrong’ as he attends Trump watch party
07:00 , Oliver O’Connell
Nigel Farage ‘very happy’ as he attends Trump watch party
Fox News projects Trump wins 2024 election
06:56 , Oliver O’Connell
Fox News has projected that Donald Trump has won the election. The Associated Press has yet to declare a winner.
The network has put Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as wins for the Republican nominee.
The Fox News Decision Desk can now project that Donald Trump will become the 47th President of the United States.
The former president’s comeback will be complete with a win in Wisconsin, a state he narrowly lost four years ago.
He is the second president in U.S. history to win…
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) November 6, 2024
Watch the moment the network projected Trump has won Pennsylvania:
Trump supporters react as former president projected to win Pennsylvania
Trump wins Maine’s second congressional district
06:52 , Oliver O’Connell
The Associated Press has called the 2nd Congressional District in Maine and one electoral vote for Donald Trump.
Harris backers dejected as they leave watch party after disappointing night
06:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Kamala Harris’s pathway to the White House looked increasingly unlikely by the end of Election Day, as early voting totals across the US on Tuesday night showed favorable early signs and wins for Donald Trump.
At the Democrat’s watch party at Howard University in Washington, campaign officials told the dwindling crowd late Tuesday that Harris would not appear until tomorrow.
Graeme Massie reports.
Can Kamala Harris still win? Pessimism mounts inside Harris HQ
Historic flip for traditionally Democratic county in Texas
06:42 , Oliver O’Connell
Per the Cook Political Report:
One of the longest county voting streaks finally met its match tonight. Starr County, Texas — which was Democratic in every presidential election since 1896 — flips to Donald Trump.
Starr County sits on the border with Mexico.
One of the longest county voting streaks finally met its match tonight. Starr County, Texas — which was Democratic in every presidential election since 1896 — flips to Donald Trump.
— Cook Political Report (@CookPolitical) November 6, 2024
Top Harris surrogate Mark Cuban congratulates Trump
06:40 , Oliver O’Connell
The election is yet to be called but billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, a top surrogate for Kamala Harris, has congratulated Donald Trump — and Elon Musk.
Watch LIVE: Trump due to speak at Florida convention centre watch party
06:33 , Oliver O’Connell
Full story: Republicans see off fierce challenges and flip two seats to take control of the Senate
06:23 , Oliver O’Connell
Republicans will control the Senate in January, following a disappointing night for Democrats that the party had been fearing for months.
The tally as it stands is 51 seats for the Republicans and 42 seats for the Democrats, with seven races left to be called, the Associated Press reports.
John Bowden and Rhian Lubin report.
Republicans see off fierce challenge and flip two seats to take control of the Senate
Harris wins New Hampshire
06:18 , Oliver O’Connell
The Associated Press has called the state of New Hampshire for Kamala Harris.
Fox News anchor hails Trump as ‘biggest political phoenix from the ashes’
06:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Fox News anchor Brett Baier hailed Donald Trump as “the biggest political phoenix from the ashes” in the history of US politics, after the former president appeared to take a strong early lead on Election Night.
Despite a large number of votes in crucial swing states still being left to count, Baier made the bold claim live on Tuesday night, noting that Trump’s path to the White House was becoming “clearer.”
Mike Bedigan reports.
Fox News anchor hails as Trump ‘biggest political phoenix’ in US political history
06:09 , Oliver O’Connell
Trump wins Nebraksa’s 1st congressional district
06:07 , Oliver O’Connell
The Associated Press has called the 1st Congressional District in Nebraska and one electoral vote for Donald Trump
Trump wins Georgia
06:03 , Oliver O’Connell
The Associated Press has called the state of Georgia for Donald Trump.
1am ET — Polls close in Alaska
06:00 , Joe Sommerlad
And finally, the polls are closed in Alaska* and across all of America.
*some of Alaska’s results came through at 12am ET.
Harris adviser tells Independent he is ‘confident’ campaign will be in ‘better place’ tomorrow
05:55 , John Bowden
Harris-Walz campaign senior adviser Cedric Richmond tells The Independent that he is feeling “very confident” that the campaign will be in a better place tomorrow: “We left it all on the field.”
Harris senior adviser addresses crowd
05:46 , Oliver O’Connell
Senior adviser to the Kamala Harris campaign former US Rep Cedric Richmond just addressed the crowd at Howard University saying that Vice President Harris will not be addressing supporters tonight.
They will wait until all the votes are counted and Harris will address her supporters tomorrow.
“We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice is spoken. So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight, but you will hear from her tomorrow. She will be back here tomorrow.”
BREAKING: Vice President Kamala Harris will not speak tonight at her campaign headquarters at Howard University. She plans to speak tomorrow, Harris campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond announced. pic.twitter.com/6YPBDe8env
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 6, 2024
Watch: Trump fans cheer motorcade in West Palm Beach
05:40 , Oliver O’Connell
Who is with Trump at Mar-a-Lago tonight?
05:36 , Oliver O’Connell
Joining former president Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago tonight are Elon Musk, Robert F Kennedy Jr, Caitlin Jenner, Eduardo Bolsonaro, Nigel Farage, Dana White, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Reps Byron Donalds and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Meredith McGraw of Politico reports that Tucker Carlson did a three-hour show interviewing many of those present in the library bar underneath the portrait of Trump in tennis whites.
More from Mar-a-lago: Tucker Carlson just wrapped a 3 hour show with Elon Musk, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Cliff Sims, David Sacks, Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Mike Lee, Miranda Devine, Nigel Farage, Don Jr. and Eric, from the library bar, underneath the portrait of Trump in tennis whites
— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) November 6, 2024
Despair and stubborn hopefulness at Harris watch party
05:35 , John Bowden
The mood continues to flip between despair and a stubborn hopefulness at Kamala Harris’s watch party at Howard University, where thousands remained after midnight even when it was clear that Harris herself would not be speaking about the race Tuesday evening.
As the wind picked up and people began shivering, the streams of people heading for the exits continued. Loud dance music continued to blare over the speakers, but nobody was dancing. A large crowd remains in the main yard outside Frederick Douglass Hall, but it was a clear letdown for many who had looked forward to Harris making a speech as president-elect in front of the historic backdrop of her alma mater.
“It means a lot [for her to have her party at Howard],” current Howard student Baiyee-Ndang Agbor-Baiyee told The Independent, while expressing optimism that Harris would pull things through even given some “rocky” election returns. “Howard is a place that breeds excellence…and when you can show the next generation that excellence is in your face, it’s not something that’s distant…it’s achievable. It means a lot.”
Elon Musk claims early victory for Trump with 6 of 7 swing states still uncalled
05:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Elon Musk has proclaimed victory for Donald Trump as he took an early lead over Kamala Harris.
“Game, set, and match,” the Tesla and SpaceX boss declared on his social network X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday evening.
“America is a nation of builders. Soon, you will be free to build,” he followed up.
Io Dodds reports from San Francisco.
Elon Musk claims early victory for Trump with 6 of 7 swing states still uncalled
05:22 , Oliver O’Connell
Full story: Ted Cruz evades Democratic efforts to unseat him
05:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Despite millions of dollars and best-laid plans, Texas once again eluded Democrats as Senator Ted Cruz pulled off a photo finish to win a third term.
The controversial Republican appeared to have underperformed Donald Trump, who handily won the Lone Star State. In the final weeks of the campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris had held a rally in Houston with Beyoncé and Democratic challenger Colin Allred in hopes of boosting the Senate hopeful – but to no avail.
Eric Garcia reports from the Cruz watch party in Houston, Texas.
Ted Cruz evades Democratic efforts to unseat him again in Texas
Harris wins Nebraska 2nd congressional district
05:10 , Oliver O’Connell
Kamala Harris wins the 2nd Congressional District in Nebraska and one electoral vote, according to the Associated Press
Republicans take Senate
05:09 , Oliver O’Connell
The Associated Press has officially called the US Senate for the Republican Party.
Battleground state tracker — North Carolina goes to Trump
04:35 , Oliver O’Connell
Update: Where the 2024 Senate race stand now
02:18 , Oliver O’Connell
