Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States.
He’s the first president in 130 years to win non-consecutive terms. He’s also the first convicted felon to ever run the White House.
Trump inched his way to victory overnight, taking two swing states that were held by the Democrats after the 2020 election, Georgia and Pennsylvania. That cost Harris a devastating 25 electoral college votes.
But Wisconsin was the deciding state.
Nearly all of the state’s votes were in at about 6:45 a.m. AST., with Trump pushing ahead by only one per cent.
But the 10 electoral votes from Wisconsin pushed Trump over the 270 threshold to win the race for the White House.
He spoke to supporters at a campaign party in Florida early Wednesday morning.
“We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible, and it’s now clear that we’ve achieved the most incredible political thing,” Trump said, as the crowd cheered.
Harris had about 224 electoral votes when Trump crossed the finish line.
Alaska, Arizona, Michigan and Nevada have not counted all their votes, but so far they’re leaning Republican. Maine will also most likely choose the Democrats.
In the U.S., voters choose which president and vice-president on a ballot as part of the general election. Based on those results, each state gets a certain number of electoral college votes, which vary depending on the state.
By comparing the popular vote, the Harris and Trump were close overall. Harris had 47.5 per cent of the vote at about 66 million and Trump had 51 per cent at nearly 71 million.
Harris planned to speak to supporters at Howard University, her alma mater, last night but changed her plans as early election results were rolling in. She’s expected to speak some time today to concede.
Senate and House Election
In the senate election, the Republicans managed to flip three seats, pushing them to up to 52, recapturing the majority they had four years ago.
The House of Representatives election has still up in the air. According to the New York Times, the Republicans only need to win 16 more seats to come out on top, but the Democrats needs 25.
World leaders congratulate Trump
Canada’s Prime Minister is congratulating Donald Trump on his win.
“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate Donald Trump on being elected as President of the United States of America for a second term, and Senator JD Vance for his election as Vice-President of the United States (U.S.),” stated Justin Trudeau.
He says he knows he will work together with President Trump to create more opportunity, prosperity and security for both nations.
“During President Trump’s first term, we successfully renegotiated the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which has created thousands of good-paying jobs and has brought investment and opportunity to our communities,” the Prime Minister wrote.
Canada’s opposition leader Pierre Poilievre as congratulated Trump, as well as the leaders of the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, India, France, Turkey, Spain, Germany, and more, according to Reuters.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Trump’s commitment to peace through strength would help is country in their fight against Russia.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Trump’s win was historic and “offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.”
“This is a huge victory!” he wrote on social media.
