US Election: Donald Trump Defeats Kamala Harris, Wins Second Term in White House
Taking to X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Trump on 'your historic election victory'.
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Donald Trump has been declared the winner of the US presidential election after having won 276 electoral college votes so far – six more than the halfway mark.
This comes after the 78-year-old secured crucial swing states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris, who has secured 219 votes, is yet to concede defeat.
Trump becomes the second former president in the US' history to win a second term after losing a reelection bid while still in office. The first was Grover Cleveland in 1893.
Earlier in the day, when he was just four votes shy of reclaiming the presidency, Trump addressed his supporters at a convention centre in West Palm Beach, Florida.
"This is a movement that nobody has ever seen before. Frankly, this was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time," he said amid cheers and applause.
He also vowed to "fight" for the people, adding that his second term will lead to a "golden age" for the US.
The president-elect also reflected on an assassination attempt on his life in July this year, saying that he was spared for a reason.
"God spared my life for a reason. And that reason was to save our country and restore America to greatness. And now we’re going to fulfill that mission together," he said.
"The task before us will not be easy, but I will bring every ounce of energy, spirit, and fight that I have in my soul to the job that you’ve entrusted to me," Trump added.
On the other hand, Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance thanked the former president for choosing him as his running mate.
“I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the US,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Trump on "your historic election victory".
"Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi said in a tweet.
These are the total number of states called in favour of Trump:
North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, Mississippi, Montana, Utah, Louisiana, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, Arkansas, South Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia, Nebraska, Indiana, and Kentucky.
On 4 November, a day before the polling was conducted, Trump made his final campaign pitch in Grand Rapids, Michigan – a key battleground state – which he had chosen in his previous two campaigns as well. He was accompanied by media personality Megyn Kelly at the rally.
At the nearly two-hour-long event, Trump took potshots at a number of Democrats. While he called Harris a "radical left lunatic who destroyed San Francisco”, he alluded to former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a "crooked" and "evil" person.
The event had started two hours behind schedule as Trump participated in three other campaign events in the day in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Reading and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania before travelling to Michigan.
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