- D. Trump snatches an assured victory
- The US election saw a surge in voter turnout, but also security threats from false bomb threats and threats of violence
- What is known about the candidates
D. Trump snatches an assured victory
The pro-Republican Fox News reported on Wednesday morning that Donald Trump has won the number of electoral votes he needs to win the presidency: 277 (at least 270 are needed). According to the channel's forecast, the former president won in the main "swing state", Pennsylvania, as well as in Wisconsin. The CNN and AP forecasts also confirm Trump's victory in Pennsylvania. However, these publications had no information on Wisconsin. According to CNN, Mr Trump had 266 electoral votes and, according to the AP, 267.
Vice President Kamala Harris had 226 votes on Wednesday morning. The final figures actually confirmed the morning's information, with Mr Trump finishing with 277 votes and Ms Harris with 224.
Robert Kennedy Jr. has already congratulated Mr Trump on his victory. He was previously an independent candidate but withdrew to support the Republicans.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, also called Mr Trump the President-elect of the United States, Reuters reports.
The states that endorsed Harry were Washington, Vermont, Virginia, Hawaii, Delaware, Illinois, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, District of Columbia.
States that supported Trump: Idaho, Iowa, Alabama, Arkansas, Arkansas, Wyoming, Georgia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Dakota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, South Dakota, South Carolina, Utah.
The New York Times predicted before the results were announced that D. Trump had an 86% chance of winning the presidential election based on preliminary results and exit poll data. The paper estimated that he could attract between 250 and 335 voters (average 297), while his Democratic rival, K. Harry, could attract between 203 and 288 (average 241).
In the Senate elections, the Republicans are still in the lead with 51 seats to the Democrats' 42. In the House of Representatives, the Republicans have 186 seats and the Democrats 160.
The US election saw a surge in voter turnout, but also security threats from false bomb threats and threats of violence
Three states have seen turnout above 2020 levels. These are Delaware (145.7% compared to four years earlier), Connecticut (126.6%) and South Carolina (117.4%), according to the Washington Post.
False reports of bombs planted at several locations were "Russian in origin", said Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. He did not specify why the authorities had reached this conclusion. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied accusations of interference in the US elections and has stated that Washington is using Russia "as an instrument of political struggle", sacrificing bilateral relations.
A man was arrested in Michigan after posting online threats of a shoot-out in D. ABC reports, citing the indictment documents. "Suspicious accounts with threatening names such as "PlanningToKillTrump" appeared on Reddit, and law enforcement officials arrested the creator, Isaac Sissel, at a hotel in Canton Township.
Capitol Police detained a man who tried to enter the visitor centre with a flashlight and a gun. The visitor centre was then closed for the rest of the day.
According to data from the University of Florida's UF Election Lab Project, more than 84.7 million Americans voted in advance. Of these, 37.6% are registered as Democrats and 35.8% as Republicans.
What is known about the candidates
The Democratic candidate is K. Harris, the current Vice President. She is the first woman and the first black politician to hold the office in US history. She was previously the Attorney General of California and represented that state in the Senate.
Ms Harris was not originally a candidate - incumbent President Joe Biden was due to run, but he withdrew from the race. Following his withdrawal, the Democrats nominated Ms Harris as their candidate. She is running with the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Waltz, whom she has chosen as her Vice President.
The Republican candidate is Trump, the 45th President of the United States, a billionaire businessman (Forbes estimates his wealth at USD 5.6 billion). He defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, and lost to George W. Bush in 2020. Biden. Trump chose Senator James David Vance of Ohio as his Vice President.
Harris is 60 years old and Mr Trump is 78 years old.
The inauguration will take place on 20 January 2025. If Trump wins the election, he will be the oldest person to be elected President at the time (78 years, seven months and six days). This "title" is currently held by George W. Bush. Biden, who was 78 years and two months old before his inauguration.
