New Delhi: Donald Trump has been elected as the 47th president of the United States – he earlier served as the 45th President of US during his previous term from 2016-20 – by defeating Democratic party nominee Kamala Harris.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Trump, saying that the former president has chalked a “historic election victory.”
Trump termed his victory as, “the greatest political movement of all time,” and said that “this will truly be the golden age of America.”
The Associated Press called the elections in favour of Trump after the 78-year-old won the state of Wisconsin, clearing the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency.
“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, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity,” Modi posted on X on Wednesday (November 6).
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
“We are going to help our country heal. We made history for a reason tonight,” said Trump, addressing supporters in his election night speech.
Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance termed the former President’s victory as “the greatest political comeback in the history of America.”
Polls in one of the most important elections in United States history have now closed in all states, including the battleground states of Wisconsin, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
The pro-Republican Fox News projected Trump’s win and said that he has defeated Kamala Harris to become the 47th president of the United States.
According to the CNN, Trump is leading over Harris in terms of the popular vote as well. While Trump has received 51.2 per cent of the popular vote, Harris is trailing with 47.2 per cent.
CNN also projected that Republicans will win control of the Senate, a victory for the party that has been unable to secure majority in the chamber since 2021.
World leaders also started congratulating Trump for his win.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he appreciates Trump’s commitment to “peace through strength”.
“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States,” Zelenskyy posted on X.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he looks forward to working with Trump “to advance peace through strength”.
The Associated Press reported that young voters have shifted perceptibly towards Trump. Black and Hispanic also voters appear slightly less likely to support Harris than they did Biden. Later, Trump is expected to speak with his supporters gathered at the Palm Beach Convention Center.
The AP also called Pennsylvania in favour of Trump . Trump first took two crucial battleground states of North Carolina and Georgia.
Meanwhile, Harris cancelled her election night speech as counting was underway.
“We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called yet. We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted. So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight, but you will hear from her tomorrow,” Cedric Richmond, Harris’ campaign co-chair, had earlier told the audience.
During the polling, Trump had also alleged that election fraud was taking place in Florida, a claim that was debunked after fact checking by DW.
Georgia was the first state to flip from the 2020 results, when Joe Biden had won the state and defeated Trump by a margin of 11,779 votes.
Below is a chart prepared by Matt Garrow, editorial web developer at The Conversation; it is reproduced under a Creative Commons licence.
States won
Among other states, Trump has also won Ohio, which has 17 electoral votes. Ohio is not a battleground state, but has become more Republican in recent cycles. It used to be a key swing state, and was won by Democratic President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.
Trump also won Texas which has 40 electoral votes. Although Democrats have hoped to flip the state due to its large metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas and Houston, the state still generally goes for Republicans in presidential races.
Crucially, Trump has also won Florida.
Trump has also won North Dakota, South Dakota, Louisiana and Wyoming. All of these states have voted for Republicans in recent presidential elections.
Kamala Harris has won the reliably Democratic states of New York, New Jersey and Delaware, and the midwestern state of Illinois with its 19 electoral votes. Despite having many rural areas, Illinois is considered a Democratic state due to the major city of Chicago.
Before being elected president in 2008, Barack Obama was a US Senator representing Illinois.
Harris has also won Colorado and Virginia.
Trump also won Nebraska’s first district. Nebraska splits its electoral votes in two. Harris hopes to win Nebraska’s second district, which includes the major city of Omaha, as a key part of her strategy to get to the 270 electoral votes to take the White House.
Donald Trump has won Kansas and Iowa. Kansas has been mostly considered a red state in recent presidential cycles.
Iowa, meanwhile, went for Democratic President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.
With inputs from DW.
