Donald Trump has sealed an historic victory in the US presidential election and completed a rare political comeback by becoming the first former president to return to the White House in more than 130 years.
The 78-year-old Republican candidate comfortably defeated Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris in what most polls had wrongly suggested would be a very tight election.
Mr. Trump relatively smoothly secured more than the 270 Electoral College votes from the states needed to win the presidency after he convincingly won the crucial swing states of Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and appeared on track for a clean sweep of all seven battleground states.
He is ahead by more than five million votes in the overall popular vote nationally and the Republicans are set to regain control of the Senate and, although it’s too early to confirm, on track to retain control of the House which would ensure the incoming president won’t be at odds with Congress.
Donald Trump claimed his second presidency at a rally in Florida in the early hours of Wednesday morning US time, telling supporters: “This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again. This will truly be the golden age of America.”
“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” he declared.
“We’ve made history for a reason tonight, and the reason is going to be just that we overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible. It’s a political victory that our country has never seen before.”
“We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly. I will fight for you with every breath in my body and will not rest until we have delivered a strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve,” the President-elect vowed.
“We’ve been through so much together, and today you showed up in record numbers to deliver a victory. This was something special and we’re going to pay you back.”
The 45th President of the United States was elected the 47th Commander-in-Chief in an extraordinary comeback after refusing to accept defeat four years ago; being blamed for sparking a violent insurrection at the US Capitol; being convicted of felony charges; and surviving two assassination attempts during his presidential campaign.
His vice president, 40-year-old Ohio Senator JD Vance, will become the highest-ranking member of the millennial generation in the US government.
Donald Trump’s opponent Kamala Harris cancelled plans to attend a campaign party and declined to speak once the result became inevitable.
The Vice President called Mr. Trump to formally concede defeat later on Wednesday.
Despite an initial surge of energy around her campaign after her last minute call-up to replace President Joe Biden because of his health concerns, she struggled during a compressed timeline to convince disillusioned voters that she represented a break from an unpopular administration.
The Associated Press reports there will be far fewer checks on Mr. Trump when he returns to The White House.
He has plans to swiftly enact a sweeping agenda that would transform nearly every aspect of American government.
His GOP critics in Congress have largely been defeated or retired. Federal courts are now filled with judges he appointed.
The US Supreme Court which includes three Trump-appointees, issued a ruling earlier this year affording presidents broad immunity from prosecution.
Reuters reports his election victory will essentially end the criminal cases brought against him — at least for the four years he occupies the White House.
The President-elect has previously said he would fire Special Counsel Jack Smith who led the federal prosecutions over his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat and the retention of classified documents after leaving office — “within two seconds” of being sworn in.
His unique role as president makes it unlikely he will face legal consequences over either the New York hush money case or Georgia’s prosecution of him for trying to overturn his 2020 loss in that state.
Photo: Facebook – Donald J Trump
