Donald Trump has done it again. Eight years after his stunning upset of Hillary Clinton and four years after Joe Biden evicted him from the White House, the former president is now the next president.
His victory represents a remarkable comeback for a man who left the presidency amidst the wreckage of 6 January, with his reputation seemingly in tatters. After being roundly condemned by Democrats and even some Republicans, he set out on a four-year journey that returned him to the pinnacle of American power.
Trump was at times unfocused and abrasive in his rally speeches, but he surrounded himself with a savvy, professional staff. Surveys indicated that Americans trusted Trump on the top two issues of this election – immigration and the economy – and his campaign relentlessly hammered his message on them.
While Trump’s team appeared initially uncertain about how to handle the late switch from Biden to Kamala Harris, the former president ultimately found his footing and rode the wave of anti-incumbent sentiment back to the White House.
Now he has four more years to govern – this time with a more developed political organisation behind him, eager to turn his campaign promises into action.
CBS, the BBC’s US partner, is projecting that another swing state has gone to Donald Trump – Wisconsin – meaning he has 276 electoral college votes, more than the 270 needed to win the overall race.
As a result, Trump is now projected to have won the presidency and will re-enter the White House as America’s 47th president.
Five things Trump said in his victory speech
In the past hour, Donald Trump has declared victory in the US presidential election, delivering a wide-ranging speech to supporters at his watch party in Florida.
In case you missed it, here’s what he said:
- Trump thanked voters: “I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honour of being elected your 47th president and your 45th president”
- He said he’d won the popular vote: Votes are still being tallied, but Trump does look set to win a majority of votes at this election. “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” he said
- JD Vance “turned out to be a good choice”: Trump praised his running mate, who himself said Trump had just pulled off “the greatest political comeback in American history” during the speech
- Elon musk is a “star”: A section of Trump’s speech was dedicated to the tech billionaire, who Trump said was “an amazing guy”
- RFK Jr will “make America healthy again”: Trump appeared to suggest Robert F Kennedy Jr – the former independent presidential candidate, who has a history of supporting unfounded conspiracy theories about vaccines – will have a role relating to healthcare in his administration. Kennedy withdrew from the race in August to endorse Trump
Source: BBC
