Florida’s Palm Beach: In his victory speech early on Wednesday, US President-elect Donald J. Trump declared to a boisterous audience that “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.”
With 291 electoral college votes to Kamala Harris’ 223, the 78-year-old secured the White House, making him just the second man in the nation’s history to win two non-consecutive terms in office, after Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s.
In the popular vote, he was ahead of Harris by over 5 million votes.
He will also be the only one elected as a convicted criminal because he is scheduled to be sentenced for fraud in a New York court on November 26. Furthermore, there is still debate surrounding his rejection of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
With a majority of at least 52 to 43, his Republican party took control of the US Senate at the same time. With about 50 contests still to be called, it is still uncertain who will control the House of Representatives, but the party gained three seats to its 220 to 212 advantage.
The election defeat left some Democratic Party officials and voters stunned, and anger and introspection swept across the party.
While vowing to support Trump when he returns to the White House, defeated Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris told supporters on Wednesday that “we must accept the results” of the US election.
“The outcome of this election must be accepted. In a concession statement at her alma school, Howard University in Washington, Harris said, “Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory.”
“I also assured him that we would facilitate a peaceful handover of power and assist him and his team in their transition.”
Democratic President Joe Biden, who will speak to the nation today (Thursday), also called to congratulate Trump on his win and extend an invitation to meet in the White House. Biden also pledged “to ensure a smooth transition and emphasised the importance of working to bring the country together,” according to a statement from the White House.
Following his surprisingly significant election victory, which few commentators or media outlets anticipated, Trump was greeted as the “comeback king” by the US media on Wednesday.
Polls had predicted a close race between Trump and Harris, but the Republican won decisively and ahead of schedule. As news of Trump’s victory spread, major global stock markets soared, the dollar appeared poised for its largest one-day rise since 2020, and bitcoin reached a new high.
Speech of victory
In Florida, Trump was greeted by jubilant fans who were celebrating their apparent victory.
Along with his wife Melania and a few of his children, he stepped to the platform at his campaign headquarters to deliver his victory speech, which was the only one to declare him the winner of the election. He said that he was “going to help our country heal.”
“We have a nation that is in dire need of assistance,” he stated.
Trump proclaimed “a political victory that our country has never seen before,” joined by J.D. Vance, his vice presidential nominee.
Trump said that his “magnificent” victory would “allow us to make America great again” as supporters screamed “USA!”
