- Trump declared victory whilst speaking to supporters in Florida. However, the winner has not been officially called.
- Current predictions from ITV News’ US partner CNN have Trump on 266 votes in the electoral college, and Harris on 205.
- In Congress elections, Republicans have won a majority in the US Senate, seizing control of the chamber for the first time in four years
- Initial exit polls showed economy, immigration and the future of democracy were the leading issues for voters
- Twelve counties in Georgia had their voting hours extended due to hoax bomb threats
Donald Trump has declared victory in the US presidential election in a speech to supporters at his watch party in Florida.
However, the winner of the election has not been officially called yet.
Trump was joined by his family and running mate, JD Vance, as he thanked the crowd, describing this as “the greatest political movement in all time”.
Speaking to his supporters, he said: “This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again.”
He said he was going to “help our country heal” and “fix everything” about the United States.
World leaders have begun congratulating Trump. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said “we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise”.
“This will truly be the golden age of America”, Donald Trump told supporters in Florida as he declared victory
Trump appears to have won three key battlegrounds in the race to become the next US president, putting him on a path to victory over Kamala Harris.
Trump is projected to have won the states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia – three of the seven swing states expected to decide the election.
The former president took an early lead in the hours after the first polls closed in CNN projections.
Four crucial battleground states Nevada, Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin have yet to be called.
Trump watched the results come in overnight from his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago. Among his guests were billionaire Elon Musk, who has been vocal in his support for Trump on X, the social media platform he owns.
In contrast, despondent supporters at a Harris watch party quickly left after they were told the vice president would not be addressing the crowd.
Addressing a crowd at Howard University in California, the vice president’s alma mater, Cedric Richmond, Co Chair Harris Campaign said: “We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken. So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight, but you will hear from her tomorrow.”
There was a further blow for Democrats in the Congress elections where Republicans won a majority in the US Senate, the upper chamber, seizing control of the chamber for the first time in four years.
Voting was extended at five polling places in Georgia’s Fulton County after they were briefly closed following hoax bomb threats believed to originated from Russia.
Exit polls showed an overview view of the issues that drew US voters to the ballot box, with the economy – and reducing inflation – a key issue for Americans. Other areas of concern for voters include immigration, protecting democracy and abortion rights.
The campaigns have been running for months to convince Americans to give them their vote, using everything from celebrity endorsements and dozens of rallies, to handwritten notes and tampon packaging to attract as many people to cross their name at the ballot box.
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