• Follow the latest on Kamala Harris’s concession here.
• With three states to declare, view all the results here.

Samuel Lovett, Madison

Lillian Ward, centre, with Caroline Clark and Jack Zimmer, left

MATTHEW GILSON FOR THE TIMES

The mood at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is sombre. Many of the students — young, progressive and firmly anti-Donald Trump — are still processing the result.

“I can’t believe it. I’m devastated,” said Lillian Ward, 18, who is studying journalism and international relations. “We’d seen so much community mobilisation around here. But it wasn’t enough.”

Across many of Wisconsin’s blue counties, including Dane county, home to Madison, Kamala Harris secured less votes than Joe Biden in 2020. Ward, a journalism and international relations student, struggled to explain why.

“I’m confused about that,” Ward said, adding that Harris’ position on Israel-Gaza may not have been strong enough. “I’ve got a few friends who said they weren’t going to vote for her because of it.”

Her friend Jack Zimmer, a 19-year-old environmental science student, said America risked sliding into dictatorship. “I’m worried that our rights are going to be taken away,” he said.

Hugh Tomlinson, Detroit

By winning in Michigan, Trump has secured the last of the rust belt’s three traditionally Democratic “blue wall” states, which he won in 2016 but lost in 2020. The other two are Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The president-elect outperformed his 2020 tally in every county of Michigan. Despite campaigning strongly here, Kamala Harris was unable to match Joe Biden’s level of support from four years ago, even conceding ground in the Democratic stronghold of Detroit, where the African-American vote is critical.

In Wayne county, which encompasses most of Detroit and neighbouring Dearborn, where Harris faced a fierce backlash from Arab-American voters in protest at the war in Gaza, Trump won 34 per cent of the vote, compared with 30 per cent last time.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia has called Trump to congratulate him, the kingdom’s ambassador to Washington has said.

Trump’s first foreign visit as president was to Saudi Arabia, and he has maintained warm relations with the royal family. His son-in-law Jared Kushner has profited handsomely: since leaving the White House, Kushner has received more than $2 billion in Saudi investments in his fledgling firm.

JABIN BOTSFORD/WASHINGTON POST

John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser and former US ambassador to the UN, told Times Radio: “I think a second Trump term is going to be a lot like the first Trump term, except worse.

“And I think Ukraine is a good example of it. What he just said about solving the war in one day is absolutely impossible. But I think the failure of that to happen will not be Donald Trump’s fault, because it’s never Donald Trump’s fault. It’ll be the fault of either Zelensky or Putin. And the odds are, given the history here, that it’ll turn out to be Zelensky’s fault in Trump’s mind.

“And that will have very negative consequences for USAID [agency for international development], Ukraine, for Nato’s continued involvement, and in fact, the continued involvement of the US and Nato.”

The swing state has been called by the Associated Press for Donald Trump. Only Nevada, Arizona and Maine remain undecided.

Martin Luther King III, eldest son of the assassinated civil rights leader, has spoken to John Pienaar on Times Radio.

The human rights activist said: “From my perspective what this means is that we have to work more diligently because of the issues around civil rights and around the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964.

“What has been stated is many of those things will be pushed back. That is what my concern is now. When my dad and his team were working, and my mother and her team, there were many battles that were lost, but you don’t stop working. You keep working. You have to find a way to even work harder.”

Robert F Kennedy, pulled out of the presidential race to back Trump in August

EVAN VUCCI/AP

Robert F Kennedy Jr, the right-wing conspiracy theorist promised a “big role” by Trump, has moved to assuage concerns that he wants to ban vaccines.

Kennedy, a nephew of John F Kennedy, has long claimed that vaccines give people autism, but today told MSNBC: “I will not take away anybody’s vaccine. If they are working for someone, I won’t take that away.”

He has pledged to sweep away swathes of the existing health agencies, and today said he would do so “in some categories”. He added: “Why do we have Fruit Loops [cereal] in this country that have 18 or 19 ingredients, when you go to Canada and they have three?”

Kennedy tweeted on Friday that on its first day in office a Trump administration would seek to ban fluoride in water, calling it “industrial waste” and saying it causes cancer.

AL DRAGO/BLOOMBERG

Mark Burns, a pastor and friend of Trump, has told John Pienaar on Times Radio: “I said to the president yesterday, God has spared his life twice for such a time as this, to lead not just America, but to lead the world. I believe that God has spared his life with two assassination attempts to allow him to have the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America. This without a shadow of a doubt is the hand of God.

“So many people would have fell by the wayside, but God has placed his hands on Donald Trump … The Bible says vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord. And I believe that God has showed up mightily by re-electing Donald Trump in historical numbers last night.”

BRANDON BELL/GETTY IMAGES

Nikki Haley, who served as Donald Trump’s UN ambassador before challenging him for the Republican candidacy, has commended him for his “strong win”.

Haley was his last primary rival and was scathing about him, calling him unhinged and a disaster for the country. But in May she endorsed him, saying he had not been perfect on every issue but President Biden had been “a catastrophe”.

She tweeted today: “The American people have spoken. Congratulations to President Trump on a strong win. Now, it’s time for the American people to come together, pray for our country, and start the process of a peaceful transition. That begins with Kamala Harris conceding. You can’t just talk about unity in a campaign, you have to show it regardless of the outcome.”

Keiran Southern, Las Vegas

Here in Nevada a winner of the state’s six electoral college votes is yet to be called, though Trump appears poised to add another state to his column.

With 86 per cent of ballots counted the president-elect has 660,000 votes and Kamala Harris has 601,000.

As it stands Trump has swept all Nevada counties besides Clark, home of Las Vegas and by far the state’s most populous. But Harris only has a narrow lead there, outweighed by Trump’s advantage in rural areas.

The Nevada Senate race is too close to call. The Democratic incumbent, Jacky Rosen, is locked in a tight contest with Sam Brown, a political newcomer.

Navajo Nation voters queue at a polling station in Chinle, Arizona

ANDRES LEIGHTON/AP

With votes still being counted, even in states which have been called, exact turnout figures are unclear.

Initial analyses suggest it will not break the record set in 2020 (66.6 per cent) but will beat previous high marks, including Barack Obama’s 2008 victory (61.6 per cent) and John F Kennedy’s win over Richard Nixon in 1960 (63.8 per cent).

Records are likely to be broken in most of the seven swing states, according to a Washington Post analysis. Eleven states are expected to break records set in 1980, when Ronald Reagan routed Jimmy Carter.

Mississippi has the lowest turnout this year at 49.3 per cent of eligible voters. Turnout was highest in Tim Walz’s staunchly Democratic home state of Minnesota (75.6 per cent), with Washington state (74.5 per cent) and Oregon (73.1 per cent) not far behind.

The White House says Kamala Harris will make her consolation speech at 4pm ET (9pm British time), not 6pm as had been reported.

RACHEL WISNIEWSKI/REUTERS

Elon Musk’s father Errol has told The Times from his home in South Africa that he is proud of his son’s role in the election.

“I think Elon was the turning point for Trump. People believe in Elon, so if Elon believes in Trump then people believe in Trump. The world is safe again. People are happy everywhere. It’s just time for America to clean house and Elon will help with that.”

Errol Musk, 78, said that his son was extremely busy but would “help him like a consultant.”

He added: “Elon will help Trump get rid of all the rubbish that is ruining the country. All these people sitting around doing nothing, the parasitic people, Elon will make sure they get back into being productive and he will help trim the public sector. He has helped the world tremendously this week, it’s wonderful.”

ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Donald Trump has vowed “on day one or sooner” to begin the biggest mass deportation in US history and slap 25 per cent tariffs on US imports from Mexico unless illegal migration and drug trafficking ends.

But the country’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has said she expects good relations.

At her usual morning press conference, she said: “To our countrymen and countrywomen, to their relatives who are here, there is no cause for concern. Mexico will always move forward, we are a free, independent and sovereign country and there will be good relations with the US. I am convinced of that.”

Sheinbaum’s predecessor, the veteran populist leftwinger Andrés Manuel López Obrador, got on remarkably well with Trump.

Binyamin Netanyahu visited Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in July

AMOS BEN-GERSHOM

Binyamin Netanyahu has spoken to Donald Trump, the Israeli prime minister’s office just said.

“Netanyahu spoke to President-elect Donald Trump and was among the first to call to congratulate him for his victory. The conversation was warm and cordial, and the two agreed to work together for Israel’s security and discussed the Iranian threat,” a spokesman said.

Netanyahu will be relieved by the re-election of Trump, who recognised Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights and Jerusalem as Israel’s capital during his presidency but has had sharp words for him since then.

After the election was called Netanyahu tweeted: “Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback! Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!”

Last month, according to The Washington Post, Trump privately told Netanyahu in a call about the war with Hamas and Hezbollah: “Do what you have to do.”

President Xi of China is yet to publicly congratulate Trump but the Chinese foreign ministry has sent a statement of support.

“We respect the American people’s choice and offer our congratulations to Mr Trump for his election,” it said.

Earlier a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry said that Beiing’s approach to the US would not change. “We will continue to view and handle China-US relations in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win co-operation,” she said.

Yet Beijing is bracing for bitter superpower rivalry over trade, technology and security issues. Trump has proposed tariffs on Chinese imports in excess of 60 per cent and ending China’s status as a “most favoured” trading partner.

American foreign policy will fundamentally shift when Trump succeeds President Biden, on Europe, Asia, the Middle East and beyond.

Our correspondents explore how the countries they cover will be affected

WILLIAM PUGLIANO FOR THE TIMES

Four states remain to be called: Arizona, Nevada, Maine and Michigan.

Donald Trump already has enough electoral college votes to claim the presidency but Michigan is still counting ballots, with the race too close to call. Despite making changes to speed up its counting process this year, Michigan was dogged by long delays on Tuesday night.

With about 97 per cent of ballots counted, Trump holds a 90,000-vote lead over Harris. But almost 200,000 votes are still outstanding, many of them from the Democratic stronghold of Detroit. Trump raced into a five-point lead as votes came in from rural counties on Tuesday. But Harris has eaten into that deficit as ballots from Detroit began to come in from about 2am.

Michigan’s Senate race is even tighter, with the Democrat Elissa Slotkin leading by fewer than 7,000 votes.

George W Bush, who did not endorse either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, has sent his congratulations to the president-elect.

“I congratulate President Trump on his election as 47th president of the United States of America, as well as vice-president-elect JD Vance and their families,” said Bush.

He thanked Joe Biden and Harris for their service, and said the peaceful vote on Tuesday was “a sign of the health of our republic and the strength of our democratic institutions”.

He added, referring to his wife: “Laura and I are grateful to the election officials, poll workers and volunteers who oversaw a free and fair election. We join our fellow citizens in praying for the success of our new leaders at all levels of government.”

HOLLIE ADAMS/BLOOMBERG

Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase and one of the most powerful bankers in the world, has ruled himself out of the running for treasury secretary, Reuters is reporting.

Dimon, 68, has run JP Morgan for almost 19 years and last year was paid a record $36 million by the bank. He has been frequently touted as a possible treasury secretary, for either Trump or Harris, but is apparently not interested.

On election day, before the results emerged, he issued a statement saying: “Our country is now concluding one of the hardest fought and at times divisive elections in our recent history. The American people are making their decision and soon it will be time for all of us to unite behind our president elect and all of our national leaders.”

The dollar and US government bonds are up sharply and US stock indices have reached record highs.

Buoyed by what investors call the Trump trade, the dollar strengthened against a basket of major currencies, including the pound. Traders are betting that his policies on tariffs, lower taxes and cutting red tape will push up inflation, keep interest rates higher for longer and strengthen the dollar.

The dollar index, which tracks the currency against six major currencies, gained 1.9 per cent. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached record highs after US markets opened on Wednesday, rising 1.7 per cent and 3 per cent respectively.

• Winners and losers: more from the markets

Reuters reports that Kamala Harris will address a crowd of supporters at Howard University at about 6pm ET (11pm British time). She has not been heard from since overnight results pointed to her defeat.

Samuel Lovett in Madison

There were no scenes of jubilation last night here in Madison, which is arguably the bluest and most educated of all Wisconsin’s cities.

Most of those in attendance at the Democrats’ official watch party, not far from the state capitol, had gone home by midnight when it became apparent that the country — and later the state — had voted in favour of Donald Trump.

One small comfort, however, will be that the Democratic senator Tammy Baldwin is projected to have retained her seat, narrowly beating the Republican Eric Hovde with 99 per cent of votes counted.

“Wisconsinites chose someone who always puts them first, shows up, listens, and works with everyone to get the job done,” Baldwin said.

Will Pavia

CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP

All comeback stories in American politics look trifling beside the victory that has secured Donald Trump’s place, at the age of 78, as a monumental figure in US history.

He is the second president in American history, the first since 1892, to win re-election after four years out of office. But this comeback is only the latest extraordinary turnaround for a man whose life has been filled with them.

• Read in full: the rise, fall and rise again of Donald Trump

Marco Rubio, 53, is a candidate for secretary of state

REBECCA BLACKWELL/AP

For secretary of state, contenders include the Florida senator Marco Rubio, the former national security adviser Robert O’Brien and the Tennessee senator Bill Hagerty.

Richard Grenell, the outspoken Trump loyalist who has been ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence, is an outside shot for secretary of state but would have a smoother route to becoming national security adviser, a post that does not require Senate confirmation.

Jamie Dimon, the JPMorgan Chase chief executive, is considered a potential candidate for Treasury secretary, along with John Paulson, a billionaire hedge fund manager and major Trump donor, and Robert Lighthizer, who was US trade representative under Trump.

Mike Pompeo, variously CIA director and secretary of state in the last White House, might be offered a role as secretary of defence, although he would be equally at home in another foreign or intelligence role. Tom Cotton, the conservative Arkansas senator, could also be in contention for defence.

Kamala Harris’s most high-profile Republican backer says the result must be respected. Cheney says she voted Democrat for the first time this year, having served as a Republican congresswoman in Wyoming from 2019 to 2023.

HANNAH MCKAY/REUTERS

The east coast of America is beginning its working day, but the public are yet to hear from Kamala Harris.

She pulled out of speaking to supporters at her alma mater Howard University in Washington last night, when early results suggested she would probably lose.

Cedric Richmond, a co-chair of her campaign, said she would address supporters at the university today, although no time has been specified yet.

• December 11: The deadline for governors to certify the results of the presidential election and submit their slate of electors.
• December 17: Electors cast a ballot in state capitols to formally vote for the president and vice-president.
• January 6: Members of the 119th Congress, three days after being sworn in, will count electoral college ballots.
• January 20: Donald Trump will be sworn in.

Donald Trump has been remarkably successful in winning over Latino men. Exit polls for NBC suggest one in three voters of colour backed him and that 54 per cent of Latino men supported him. Four years ago he won 40 per cent of Latino men to Joe Biden’s 57 per cent.

They appear to have been unmoved by a comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden calling Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage” in the final ten days of the race.

The Hispanic swing had long been feared by Democrats, as our correspondent explored during the race.

President Putin watches the launch of a Russian icebreaker on Wednesday

VYACHESLAV PROKOFIEV

President Putin and other members of the Russian political elite privately congratulated Donald Trump on his return to the White House, a Russian opposition website has said, citing MPs and Kremlin sources.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, has said that Putin had no plans to congratulate Trump, but journalists at Vyorstka said that Putin and other senior officials had done so informally through the Russian foreign ministry.

Unnamed sources said the move was linked to hopes that Trump would dramatically cut military assistance to Ukraine.

Sir Keir Starmer looks forward to speaking to Donald Trump “in due course”, Downing Street has said.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “Hopefully the president-elect is getting some well-deserved rest right now but the prime minister obviously looks forward to speaking to him in due course. He knows first-hand how busy the first couple of days are after winning an election.”

Trump is not known to have spoken to any world leaders since becoming president-elect.

John Thune, the South Dakota senator vying to become leader of the newly Republican-held Senate, vowed to work with Trump. Whoever replaces the retiring Mitch McConnell as Republican leader in the Senate will be one of the most powerful people in America.

“The incoming Senate Republican majority will work hand-in-hand with the Trump-Vance administration to lower costs for families, secure our southern border, and renew America’s energy dominance,” Thune said.

John Cornyn, Texas senator and another contender to replace McConnell, said: “I’m confident President Trump will hit the ground running to restore the office of the president to what it should be: one that keeps the American people safe and prosperous.”

Mike Johnson, who became Speaker of the House with Trump’s backing last year, said: “With President Trump back in the White House, there is no obstacle too great and no challenge too difficult.” The House race is still undecided.

Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, said: “Huge congratulations to Donald Trump on his historic victory. I think he has done it because he has shown in the past that he is capable of taking strong and decisive action. And I have no doubt that is what he is now going to do at home and abroad whether in the Middle East or in Ukraine.”

The Conservative minister turned Rest is Politics podcaster Rory Stewart has admitted he is “guilty of massive wishful thinking” after predicting Kamala Harris would win the US election “comfortably”.

He told Times Radio: “I’m guilty of massive wishful thinking and I suppose wishful thinking is about my believing that America wouldn’t do this.

“I became very invested in a story that maybe populism was not an inexorable rise and that maybe what had happened in Poland this year, what happened in India and to a lesser extent Turkey, maybe even Marine Le Pen’s not doing as well as she might have done in the French election maybe suggested a tide was turning and I became too hopeful.”

Stewart said he was “pretty cross” about the result and thinks it is awful.

Russian state television sought to downplay the result. Channel One, the country’s main station, opened its 3pm news programme with an item about the launch of a new nuclear icebreaker, news from the war on Ukraine and a prison sentence for an American “spy.” Trump’s victory was the fifth item.

Moscow has said it has “no illusions” about Trump’s return to the White House. “The ruling political elite in the United States, regardless of party affiliation, adheres to anti-Russian attitudes,” the foreign ministry said.

We are awaiting calls from Maine and the swing states of Arizona, Michigan and Nevada.

Even if Kamala Harris won them all she would finish shy of Trump’s 277 electoral college votes.

Jon Tester

WILLIAM CAMPBELL/GETTY IMAGES

Jon Tester has lost his Montana seat to the Republican challenger Tim Sheehy. It means Republicans have 52 Senate seats and Democrats 42, with six left to call.

Tester, 68, was first elected in 2007 and his campaign was noted for its focus on local issues, dodging national priorities and even declining to endorse Kamala Harris.

Donald Trump Jr appears to think the swing towards his father proves the 2020 vote was rigged, suggesting as much in this reply to the right-wing commentator Benny Johnson:

Harris has in fact won 66 million votes so far with several states left to declare. Biden won 81 million in 2020 to Trump’s 74 million.

At prime minister’s questions Kemi Badenoch has asked if Sir Keir Starmer will apologise on behalf of David Lammy for calling Trump a “neo-Nazi”.

Badenoch, the new Conservative and opposition leader, asked: “Will the PM show that he and his government can be more than student politicians by extending an invitation to Trump to visit parliament?”

Starmer said he and Lammy had a “constructive” two-hour dinner with Trump recently. “It is crucial we have a strong, special relationship,” he said.

Lammy, the foreign secretary, was a backbencher when he said in 2018: “Trump is not only a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath. He is also a profound threat to the international order that has been the foundation of western progress for so long.”

Republicans have won back control of the Senate, with hard-fought battles in Ohio, Texas and Nebraska going their way. Seven Senate races remain to call, including the eagerly watched fight in Montana, where Democrats had hoped Jon Tester would keep his seat and make the difference.

Control of the House is still undecided: there are 48 races still to call. Democrats have 188 seats and the Republicans, who are defending a four-seat majority, have 199.

TOBY MELVILE/REUTERS

The former Conservative home secretary Suella Braverman just told Times Radio: “I really welcome this election victory. I think it’s been an extraordinary campaign. Donald Trump nearly got murdered during the campaign and I think it does remind us that there is a real need for strong democracies around the world. But I am overall relieved that we have someone who will stand up for peace and security.

“We’ve got to keep taking the fight to Labour, whether it’s on foreign policy or global security. Interestingly, on their surrender deal with Mauritius and the Chagos Islands, I wonder whether Trump will withdraw support for that, forcing a U-turn on the part of this Labour government.”

• Listen to updates on Times Radio — and watch the station live on YouTube

Kamala Harris had a galaxy of stars on her side: Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga, Harrison Ford.

On election eve Trump had Mike Pompeo, his old secretary of state, telling his crowd in Pennsylvania: “So many celebrities here, it’s incredible: Mike Pompeo, please stand up.”

But in the end the lack of celebrity endorsements was no barrier to victory.

Marco Rubio, the Republican senator in Florida, just posted on Instagram: “Harris had celebrities. Trump had hardworking everyday Americans. The hardworking Americans won.”

Britain’s outgoing ambassador to Washington, Dame Karen Pierce, has congratulated Trump. Now for Sir Keir Starmer to choose a successor to work with a Republican administration.

The UK is said to be considering a political appointee such as Cathy Ashton, David Miliband or Lord Mandelson to the role, having chosen to not continue with Tim Barrow, the last government’s choice.

Starmer may judge that someone favourable to Trump will get more done.

Bruno Waterfield, Brussels

Ukraine is the number one fear in European capitals, from London and Warsaw to Kyiv.

One senior EU diplomat expressed concern that the Trump administration would undermine European support for the war at a time when Ukraine has hit a military impasse.

“We’re in the doldrums. The position of the United States will be decisive for certain member states,” said the official, referring to Germany.

Financial support for Ukraine has been secured for now with a Trump-proof European agreement on $50 billion in loans pledged against the profits from Russian assets frozen by EU sanctions.

But Europeans have failed to make good on promises of ammunition and weapons. Germany and others don’t want to let Ukraine strike inside Russia with western missiles.

As the prospect of a Trump 2.0 draws nearer, diplomatic talk of “Finlandisation” for Ukraine will gain ground, with neutral status for Kyiv and Ukrainian partition handing over territories occupied by Russia .

“Putin’s best hope of achieving his current war aims is Trump,” one diplomat said.

Sir Keir Starmer said the special relationship would “continue to prosper” after he congratulated Donald Trump on his “historic election victory” earlier.

But that relationship is likely to look very different under a second Trump presidency, from trade to defence, foreign affairs and climate change. This is how.

JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS

The European Union has congratulated Trump but its leaders have deep misgivings about the prospect of his second term in the White House.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, sought to remind him of a “true partnership” cemented by two world wars, the Nato alliance and the postwar period.

“I look forward to working with President Trump again to advance a strong transatlantic agenda,” she said. “This bond runs deep, rooted in our shared history, commitment to freedom and democracy, and common goals of security and opportunity for all.”

In a veiled reference to Trump threats to levy new protectionist trade tariffs hitting European imports to the US, she said that “millions of jobs and billions in trade and investment on each side of the Atlantic depend on the dynamism and stability of our economic relationship”.

EU leaders will discuss how to respond to a Trump second term at dinner in Budapest tomorrow night.

Elon Musk has cemented his position as one of the powerful men in the world by throwing his weight and wealth behind the Trump campaign. He is expected to secure power over the federal budget in return.

The South African-born billionaire celebrated by rehashing his stunt when he bought Twitter, now X, and carried a kitchen sink into the San Francisco headquarters.

Musk tweeted in the early hours a doctored image of himself carrying said sink into the Oval Office:

• How much power will Musk have? These are Trump’s likely picks for powerful jobs

The Kremlin said it would judge Trump on his actions and that it was not aware of any plans by President Putin to congratulate him.

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said he was “not aware of [Putin’s] plans to congratulate Trump on the election”, since the US is an “unfriendly country”.

Peskov said relations between the two nations were at a historic low and it was practically impossible to worsen them. “We’ll see in January,” he said, referring to the day Trump takes office, January 20.

Damian Whitworth

Harris supporters left her victory party en masse when it became clear she would not speak

ALAMY

DANIEL COLE/REUTERS

KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS

By the time it was confirmed that Harris would not be turning up to her own election night party, the initial joy and promise of the evening had turned to tears and many had given up waiting. Their candidate, rather than becoming the first female president, looked as though she would be vanquished in the greatest comeback in American political history.

• Read our dispatch from the Harris party that never was

Analysis by David Charter

In the end Americans voted narrowly to reinstate a man they believed ran a better economy and a better border than the Democrats.

Forget his obsession with the biggest crowds, Trump had almost all the biggest policy ideas. Just as with the “big, beautiful wall” in 2016, his supersized promises resonated with Americans: mass deportations, “drill baby drill”, end all wars.

Harris could not match their appeal despite trying to sell the biggest idea of all — saving American democracy.

• Read the full analysis: How Trump won a US election like no other

You can see how election night unfolded by catching up on our overnight coverage.

• Read: Trump hails ‘magnificent victory’ — as it happened

Sierra Sorenson of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, makes the most of election night

ANDY MANIS/GETTY IMAGES

Donald Trump won the swing state of Wisconsin and with it the ten electoral college votes to make his election victory official.

The Associated Press called the race at 5.34am Wednesday local time. The victory meant Trump surpassed the 270 threshold needed to seal his return to the White House.

Both the Trump and Harris campaigns had poured time and money into Wisconsin, knowing victory there would go a long way to winning the race overall.

Ultimately, following an intense and bitter campaign, Trump came out on top. He won Wisconsin in 2016, becoming the first Republican since Ronald Reagan to do so.

Trump lost to President Biden in Wisconsin in 2020 but Harris could not repeat the feat and now becomes the second woman defeated by Trump in a presidential election.

Donald Trump has secured enough electoral college votes to win the US presidential election.

After flipping the key swing states of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin from blue to red, Trump passed the 270 threshold to put him back in the White House

We have reporters in ten states to bring you the latest updates and analysis — and you can see up-to-the-minute results as they come in with our tracking page.