Having 267 electoral college votes to Kamala Harris 224 votes, Donald Trump is set to go occupy White House again.
Republican candidate Donald Trump surged ahead as results of the United States presidential election trickled in.
As at press time (4:00am), Trump had amassed more Electoral College Votes than Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump was leading in 20 states with 198 Electoral College votes. Harris had won in 10 with 109 Electoral College votes.
There are 50 states in the United States.
The states won by the Republican candidate are: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kentuky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri,Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming Harris won so far in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Colorado.
The former president took the lead in the early results that trickled in, taking crucial swing state of Georgia.
Both candidates were battling to find a path to the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.
President Joe Biden was at the White House making congratulatory calls to Democrats who won their races.
He called Senator-elect Lisa Blunt Rochester from his home state of Delaware.
Blunt Rochester had breakfast with Biden last Monday when he voted in his home state.
He also called Delaware’s Govenor-elect Matt Meyer and Wilmington’s new Mayor, former Governor John Carney.
The 81-year-old also talked to New Jersey’s incoming-Democratic Governor, Representative Andy Kim and North Carolina’s incoming-Democratic Governor, Attorney-General Josh Stein.
Harris is in Washington, D.C. to watch the election results at Howard University, her alma mater. Should she win, Harris would make history as the first U.S. president to have graduated from a historically Black college or university (HBCU), a milestone she celebrated with supporters at Howard, saying: “I am ready to be the next president.”
Trump: I would acknowledge it if I lose
Trump said: “I would be the first one to acknowledge it if I lost,” as he cast his vote alongside his wife, Melania, in Palm Beach, Florida.
Wearing his signature “Make America Great Again” hat, Trump emphasised his willingness to respect a fair election outcome, signaling readiness to accept the results under the right conditions.
However, Trump voiced sharp criticism over potential delays in Pennsylvania, calling them “an absolute outrage” and suggesting that extended counting timelines could lead to legal challenges if the process extends into the coming days.
Trump underscored his ongoing concerns about election integrity, vowing to accept the outcome if, in his view, the election is conducted fairly.
His remarks added to the tension surrounding Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state, as both campaigns brace for a possibly prolonged and contested vote count.
Calls for immediate results as mail-in ballots delay counts
At a final rally in Michigan, Trump called for an immediate election-night result, raising concerns about his insistence on a rapid conclusion despite the high volume of mail-in ballots.
He told a crowd of supporters that “we want the answer tonight.”
Experts warn that the influx of postal ballots, especially in swing states like Pennsylvania, may delay the outcome by days.
