Donald Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania, addressed supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024. Major news outlets, including Fox News, CNN, Reuters, the Associated Press, NBC News, and ABC News, projected Trump’s victory, indicating he has secured over 270 electoral votes. Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is expected to have between 219 and 224. Although the final results are pending, the vote count continues.
Trump declared himself the new president of the United States. Following Fox News’ first projection of his victory, he addressed his supporters, announcing his election as the 47th President. Trump called the win an “astonishing” victory for Americans, promising happiness for U.S. citizens and strength and security for America. He stated he has no intentions of initiating wars, contrary to what some critics claim, emphasizing that he plans to “stop wars” instead.
Trump has already received congratulations from several leaders, including Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed eagerness to work with Trump, hoping that the “special relationship between the U.K. and the U.S. will continue to flourish on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also voiced his intention to continue cooperation to “support prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic.” French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to collaborate with Trump as before, “for greater peace and prosperity.”
In congratulatory remarks, some world leaders addressed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky referenced a “remarkable meeting” with Trump in September, during which they discussed the U.S.-Ukraine strategic partnership and potential paths to end Russian aggression. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan voiced hopes for the resolution of regional and global conflicts, including the Palestinian issue and the Russia-Ukraine war, and emphasized the need for efforts toward a more just world.
In Russia, the Kremlin reflected on Trump’s prior campaign statements promising swift action to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict if elected. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted that while the U.S. is “capable of facilitating the end of the [Ukraine] conflict,” he added that it “cannot be achieved overnight.” Peskov also mentioned that he was unaware of any plans for Russian President Vladimir Putin to congratulate Trump, remarking, “Let’s not forget, this is an unfriendly country directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state.”
Alongside the presidential election, congressional elections took place. The Republican Party secured a majority in the U.S. Senate, winning key seats in West Virginia and Ohio, bringing their total to at least 51 out of 100 seats. Media projections also suggest that Republicans have retained a majority in the House of Representatives.
At 78, Donald Trump, CNN notes, will become the second U.S. president to return to the White House after losing a previous election. Trump first won in 2016 but lost in 2020. The first such president was Grover Cleveland, who won in 1884, lost in 1888, and won again in 1892. Trump now matches Joe Biden’s age at the time of his inauguration in 2020, which made Biden the oldest sitting U.S. president.
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