WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – With a win in Wisconsin, former President Donald Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency, and he will return to the White House, the Associated Press declared just after 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.
At the time, Trump had secured 277 electoral votes to Harris' 224, around 6 a.m. Alaska also went to Trump, pushing his total to 280. Several states have yet to be declared, but the contest is essentially over.
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Before the vote for president was made final early Wednesday morning, Trump took the stage in Florida to celebrate his historic and improbable return to the White House.
His win over Vice President Kamala Harris came by virtue of wins in key battleground states, including Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and North Carolina, helping him penetrate the “blue wall.”
“This is a movement like nobody’s ever seen before,” he said.
Election Results 2024: Complete results for president, Florida, Georgia races
The results cap a historically tumultuous and competitive election season that included two assassination attempts targeting Trump and a shift to a new Democratic nominee just a month before the party’s convention. Trump will inherit a range of challenges when he assumes office on Jan. 20, including heightened political polarization and global crises that are testing America’s influence abroad.
In his remarks, Trump promised that he would “not rest until we have delivered the strong safe and prosperous America.”
“Every single day,” Trump said, “I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body.”
Most of the important people in Trump’s personal and political life joined him on stage in West Palm Beach, Florida, to celebrate.
First lady Melania Trump stood near her husband and was joined by Barron, the president-elect’s youngest son. Trump’s older children, Don Jr., Eric, Ivanka and Tiffany, all joined their father on stage, too.
Trump’s top political minds, including top campaign advisers Susie Wiles, who has strong ties to Jacksonville, and Chris LaCivita, joined Trump on stage. And his political allies were on stage, too, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Trump also celebrated a few celebrities in the audience and on stage. Dana White, the CEO of UFC, was on stage with Trump, and the former president called golfer Bryson DeChambeau on stage. Trump also shouted out Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, who has become one of his most high-profile supporters. “We have a new star. A star is born: Elon,” Trump said.
Trump is the first former president to return to power since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election. He is the first person convicted of a felony to be elected president and, at 78, is the oldest person elected to the office.
His vice president, 40-year-old Ohio Sen. JD Vance, will become the highest-ranking member of the millennial generation in the U.S. government.
Trump’s win against Harris, the first woman of color to lead a major party ticket, marks the second time he has defeated a female rival in a general election. Harris, the current vice president, rose to the top of the ticket after President Joe Biden exited the race amid alarm about his advanced age. Despite an initial surge of energy around her campaign, she struggled during a compressed timeline to convince disillusioned voters that she represented a break from an unpopular administration.
Trump, someone whose political career has been defined by division and acrimony, told the audience at his election night party early on Wednesday that it was “time to unite” as a country.
“It’s time to put the divisions of the past four years behind us,” Trump said. “It’s time to unite.”
“We have to put our country first for at least a period of time,” he added. “We have to fix it.”
There will be far fewer checks on Trump when he returns to the White House. He has plans to swiftly enact a sweeping agenda that would transform nearly every aspect of American government. His GOP critics in Congress have largely been defeated or retired. Federal courts are now filled with judges he appointed. The U.S. Supreme Court, which includes three Trump-appointed justices, issued a ruling earlier this year affording presidents broad immunity from prosecution.
“Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!” wrote Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X. “Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.”
French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X: “Ready to work together as we were able to do during four years. With your convictions and mine. In respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”
