Donald Trump has been elected the 47th president of the United States, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
Here’s what to know:
Electoral vote count: Trump’s win in Wisconsin put him over the 270 threshold needed to clinch the presidency. See the results.
Trump’s victory speech: In earlier election remarks at Florida’s Palm Beach Convention Center, Trump vowed not to rest “until we have delivered the strong and prosperous America.”
How does the AP call races? Instead of relying on crowd-sourcing or vulnerable technology, our 50-state network of local reporters have first-hand knowledge of their territories and trusted relationships with county clerks and other local officials. Read more about the AP’s role in elections.
Trump wins Michigan
Former President Donald Trump won Michigan on Wednesday, reclaiming the battleground state and its 15 electoral votes for the Republicans after Joe Biden flipped it in 2020 on his way to the White House. Trump won Michigan in 2016 by just over 10,000 votes, marking the first time a Republican presidential candidate had secured the state in nearly three decades. Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, faced concerns that discontent among Democrats in metro Detroit over the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war could jeopardize her campaign.
Donald Trump’s election is historic — in more ways than one
Donald Trump’s election victory was history-making in several respects, even as his defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris prevented other firsts. She would have been the nation’s first Black and South Asian woman to be president.
- He’s the oldest to be elected
- It’s the second time someone has won two non-consecutive terms
- He is in line to become the first U.S. president with a felony conviction
- He’s been impeached (twice)
Nikki Haley calls Trump’s win ‘a great moment for democracy’
Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who became one of Trump’s more vocal challengers in the 2024 Republican primary before eventually endorsing him, said on her radio show Wednesday that he “defied gravity” with his win.
“He got through two assassination attempts. He got through two impeachments, he got through numerous indictments, and America still elected him because, at the end of the day, they knew what they were getting with Donald Trump. And that’s what they wanted to see,” she said.
Haley called it “a great moment for democracy.”
Voters in Amarillo, Texas, overwhelmingly rejected a sweeping anti-abortion proposal that would have essentially imposed a travel ban on those seeking abortions out of state by allowing civil lawsuits against anyone who assists them, even if it’s in another state.
Dubbed the “Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn” ordinance, the 18-page proposition was rejected by nearly 60% of voters.
Lindsay London, a local nurse who helped found a volunteer group opposing the effort, described the vote as a “defining win.”
“Amarillo is the first city in the nation to reject an abortion ban,” London said. “We hope to set the tone for not only the state but the nation, that we will not penalize anyone for seeking health care when they’re facing an extreme travel ban in their own state.”
The vote was the culmination of a yearlong effort by abortion opponents who tried unsuccessfully to get city leaders to approve the ordinance.
Netanyahu says he spoke with Trump on Wednesday
“The conversation was warm and cordial,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. “The Prime Minister congratulated Trump on his election victory, and the two agreed to work together for Israel’s security. The two also discussed the Iranian threat.”
Netanyahu’s office said he was among the first world leaders to call Trump after his victory.
Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East at a time when Israel is at war with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and has recently traded fire with Iran. The president-elect, who was a staunch supporter of Israel during his previous term, has not said how he will do it.
Trump and Prince Mohammed have spoken, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry says
Prince Mohammed “expressed — may God protect him — the kingdom’s aspiration to strengthen the historical and strategic relations between the two countries, wishing the friendly American people progress and prosperity under his excellency’s leadership,” a statement from the foreign ministry read.
Trump made his first foreign trip as president to Saudi Arabia. He stood by the kingdom, even as ties became strained over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi operatives in Istanbul.