Here’s what happened in the US election.
Donald Trump has won, defeating Democrat Kamala Harris in both the popular vote and the electoral college.
Trump is now one of two Presidents in U.S. history to win a second nonconsecutive term.
He is also the oldest presidential candidate to win an election.
Harris has not yet addressed the public, but has privately called Trump to concede.
Here’s what you need to know.
Voting
A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to be elected U.S. President.
A specific number of ‘electoral’ votes are assigned to each state, depending on its population size (roughly).
Whoever gets the most votes from a state’s population wins all of its electoral votes, which are cast in the “electoral college”.
A candidate needs to reach 270 electoral college votes in order to win the presidency.
Result
Trump is on track to win every ‘swing’ state across the country.
Swing states are those that have switched between voting Republican and Democrat in recent elections.
He is also the first Republican candidate to win both the Electoral College vote and the popular vote since 2004.
Other results
Trump’s party, the Republicans, secured a majority of seats in the Senate (Upper House). The results from the House of Representatives (Lower House) are still being calculated.
Before the election, the Democrats and the Republicans each had 49 seats, with two seats held by independents who voted with Democrats. Now, Republicans have 51 seats. This means they can control which laws pass.
11 states also voted to elect their Governors this week. Three Democrat state leaders and eight Republicans were elected.
Most states’ ballots also included other measures, including asking residents about abortion laws and wages.
In Florida, a vote to overturn the state’s ban on abortions after six weeks failed. It needed 60% of all votes to pass but received 57%.
A number of other states voted to improve abortion access, including Arizona, Colorado and Nevada.
In California, a vote to increase the state’s minimum hourly wage to $US18 ($AU27) failed. A vote to “end slavery” by stopping “involuntary work assignments” for prisoners also failed.
Trump
After an unsuccessful re-election bid against Joe Biden in 2020, Trump will return to the White House for a second term as President.
In his victory speech, Trump promised to deliver a “golden age of America,” and said, “We’re going to help our country heal”.
“Every single day, I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body.”
He is now the oldest person to be elected President (Biden was younger when he was elected in 2020). He is also the first convicted criminal to become President.
Harris
Harris did not speak to supporters on election night.
Instead, one of the co-chairs of her campaign said: “We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted. That every voice has spoken. So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight.”
It’s been reported that overnight (Australian time), Harris called Trump to concede.
She’s expected to address the public later today.
Next steps
Joe Biden will remain President until January. Before then, Trump will be referred to as the ‘President-elect’. Similarly, JD Vance becomes ‘Vice President-elect’.
On 6 January, the new members of the House and the Senate will meet to confirm the new President.
Trump will officially be sworn in as President in an inauguration ceremony on 20 January, 2025.
Harris will be required to certify Trump’s presidency due to her current role as Vice President.
