'We must accept the result': Harris vows peaceful transition of power to Trump

ITV News takes a look at how the election night unfolded

Trump has won the US presidential election and will become the 47th President of the United States
He will now serve a second term in a momentous comeback after losing four years ago
Projections from ITV News’ US partner CNN have Trump on 291 votes in the electoral college, and Harris on 223
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

Kamala Harris says her heart is full of gratitude despite the outcome of the election not being what she “hoped or fought for” in her first address after Donald Trump’s win.

Arriving on the stage backed by the cheers of thousands, Harris said she had conceded the election but not the fight that millions of Americans had supported in backing her campaign.

The vice president said “we must accept the results of this election” but that America “will never give up on the fight for democracy, rule of law, and for the sacred idea that every one of us no matter where we are or where we start out has certain fundamental rights that must be respected or upheld.

“We will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, courts, and public square.”

She also said that she had told Trump that she “will help him and his team with their transition, and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.”

It comes after Harris called the president-elect to offer her congratulations on Wednesday.

Delivering her remarks at Howard University, her alma mater and one of the most historically prominent Black schools in the country, she called on Americans to never “stop trying to make the world a better place”.

She also urged supporters to not give up and said now “is not the time to throw up our hands, this is a time to roll up our sleeves, this is a time to organise, to mobilise and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.”

Watch Kamala Harris make concession speech after crushing election defeat

Trump’s momentous comeback after his loss to Joe Biden four years ago comes after defying two assassination attempts, two presidential impeachments, his criminal conviction and many other criminal charges.

It also follows his attempt to overturn the 2020 election to stay in office.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump declared it a “magnificent victory” when addressing supporters at a watch party in Florida.

He was joined by his family and JD Vance – who will become the vice president – 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.

The Trump administration is expected to upend most of the policies of outgoing President Biden.

Voters hope election result will trigger a change in their fortunes, ITV News’ Rachel Younger reports on how Donald Trump was able to attract a broad coalition of support in key swing states like Pennsylvania

The upcoming 47th president of the United States added: “We’re going to make our country better than it ever has been.

“I said that many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason.

“And that reason was to save our country and to restore America to greatness. And now we are going to fulfil that mission together. We’re going to fulfil that mission.”

Trump will be sworn in at an inauguration ceremony on January 20, 2025. It will come after the new US Congress meets on January 6 to count out electoral college votes formally and confirm the new president.

His victory has broken several records. He will become the oldest man to be elected president at age 78, breaking Biden’s record.

He is also the second president to win a non-consecutive term. Grover Cleveland was the only other president to have a four-year gap between terms; he was the 22nd president in 1884 and the 24th president after the campaign of 1892.

Trump is also the first Republican to win the popular vote since George W Bush in 2004.