Donald Trump was elected president, completing a stunning comeback four years after being voted out of the White House. His victory heralded a new era of American leadership that is expected to challenge both domestic democratic institutions and international relations.
At 78 years old, Trump reclaimed the presidency on Wednesday by surpassing the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win, according to Edison Research projections.
His campaign, marked by divisive rhetoric, deepened the nation’s political polarization.
Trump’s win in Wisconsin, a critical swing state, pushed him past the threshold, and as of 5:45 a.m. ET (1045 GMT), he had secured 279 electoral votes, compared to Kamala Harris’ 223, with several states still to be counted. He also led Harris by about 5 million votes in the popular vote.
“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” Trump declared early Wednesday morning to a cheering crowd of supporters at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in Florida.
Trump’s political future had seemed bleak after his false claims of election fraud incited a mob to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful attempt to overturn his 2020 defeat. However, he managed to dominate within his Republican Party, defeating Democratic nominee Kamala Harris by tapping into voter concerns about rising prices and, without evidence, claiming that illegal immigration was driving a surge in crime.
Harris, who did not speak to the supporters gathered at her alma mater, Howard University, was represented by her campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond. He briefly addressed the crowd after midnight, reassuring them that votes were still being counted and that Harris would speak later in the day.
In the meantime, Republicans secured a majority in the U.S. Senate, but control of the House of Representatives remained uncertain, with no party yet holding a clear advantage, although Republicans currently have a slim majority.
