Getty ImagesRepublican Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States – a victory that will ensure him a historic return to the White House.
Projected results in key states – including North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – have been in favor of the 78-year-old, who has already been president once before.
The race with Democrat Kamala Harris was thought to be on a razor’s edge, but overnight results showed Trump received more than the required 270 electoral votes.
How did Trump win?
The race between Trump and Harris came down to the results of seven swing statesthat, before Election Day, pundits thought either Harris or Trump could win.
On election night, CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, projected Donald Trump as the winner:
- North Carolinathe first swing state to be projected
- Georgiathat Democrat Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020
- Pennsylvaniawhich Biden also narrowly won last time
- Wisconsinwhich was also won by Biden in 2020
A victory in these swing states, combined with Trump’s previous victories in solidly Republican states, would mean he would reach the magic 270 electoral votes necessary to secure the presidency.
CBS projected Donald Trump as the clear winner just after 5:30 a.m. EST (10:30 GMT).
The race was considered very close by CBS in other swing states:
When is the official result announced?
Trump has already been congratulated by world leaders.
There was concern that what appeared to be a knife race in many states would complicate the speed with which the media projected a winner. Narrow victories could also have meant recounts.
But the 2024 results arrived in many battleground states much faster than expected, allowing the media to portray Trump as the clear winner.
But it may still take days, if not weeks, for detailed final election results to be officially confirmed in each state. Some local legal challenges are also possible, even after Trump’s victory.
Is Donald Trump already president?
Donald Trump, as president-elect, will be sworn in as president following an inauguration on Monday January 20, 2025.
Before that, once every valid vote has been included in the final results, a process known as the electoral college comes into play.
In each state, a varying number of electoral college votes can be won. It is securing these elements – not just the support of voters themselves – that will ultimately win the presidency.
Typically, states award all of their electoral college votes to whoever wins the popular vote, which is confirmed after the meetings of the December 17.
The new American Congress then meets on January 6 to count the electoral college votes and confirm the new president.
After the 2020 election, Trump refused to concede and rallied his supporters to march to the U.S. Capitol as Congress met to certify Joe Biden’s victory.
Getty ImagesWhen were the results of previous presidential elections announced?
In the 2020 election, US television networks did not declare Joe Biden the winner until four days after Election Day, when the outcome in Pennsylvania became clearer.
In other recent elections, voters had to wait much shorter.
In 2016, Trump was declared the winner shortly before 3:00 a.m. EST (08:00 GMT), hours after polls closed.
In 2012, when Barack Obama won a second term, his victory was projected before midnight on election night.
However, the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore is a notable exception. The race wasn’t decided for five weeks, when the U.S. Supreme Court voted to end Florida’s vote recount. This kept Bush victorious and won him the White House.
Additional reporting by Sam Cabral
