With just four votes shy of reclaiming the US presidency, Donald 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.
Trump, 78, has been declared the winner in the crucial swing states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina. On the other hand, his opponent Kamala Harris is yet to concede defeat as counting is still on Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Michigan, among other states.
"There has never been anything like this in this country and maybe beyond. Now, it is going to reach a new level of importance because we are going to help our country heal. We have a country that needs help. We are going to fix our borders, fix everything about our country," Trump said.
He also vowed to "fight" for the people, adding that his second term will lead to a "golden age" for the US.
“I will fight for you, for your family and your future every single day. I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body. I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America."Donald Trump
The former president 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.
Meanwhile, even before the verdict was announced, 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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