Former President Trump has secured a return to the White House, according to a Decision Desk HQ projection.
The call came shortly after DDHQ projected Trump as the winner in Pennsylvania, marking a victory in a coveted battleground state that was increasingly seen as the center of gravity in the presidential election.
Around 2:30 a.m., Trump took the stage at a party in West Palm Beach, Fla., to thank supporters.
After he was projected to win North Carolina and Georgia, the path to the White House for Vice President Harris narrowed, though her campaign said late Tuesday she was not out of the race yet.
One outcome came into sharper focus very late: Republicans were poised to take control of the Senate, with wins in Ohio and West Virginia. Control of the House was too early to call.
A spate of bomb threats disrupted voting in several places. At least five states reported fake threats, something the FBI later attributed to Russia.
Follow live updates from the final day of the presidential election here.
Zelensky congratulates Trump on victory
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Trump on his “impressive” victory, saying he looks forward to working with him and continuing the two country’s partnership.
“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States,” Zelensky said in a post on X, alluding to his hope for continued U.S. support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Continued aid to Ukraine has increasingly become a polarized topic in the U.S., with more Republicans calling for an end to it. Trump himself has said he would end the war within 24 hours if he returned to office but avoided directly saying if he wants Ukraine to win the war.
Zelensky said Ukraine is interested in “mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation” for both countries.
Trump doesn’t mention Harris, predicts success will unite the country
Trump capped his speech to supporters after about 25 minutes by vowing to keep his promises during his second term and predicting success would help a deeply polarized country unite.
“I’m asking every citizen all across our land. It’s time to put the divisions of the past four years behind us. It’s time to unite,” Trump said. “And we’re going to try. We have to try. It’s going to happen. Success will bring us together.”
Trump made no mention of Vice President Harris during his speech.
Aguilar sails to victory in California House reelection
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (Calif.) is projected to sail to victory in his reelection bid, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Aguilar, the third-highest ranking Democrat in the House, easily won a sixth term representing a San Bernardino-based district just north of Riverside, Calif. He faced off against Republican Tom Herman, a church administrator and real estate investor.
Trump praises Vance, Musk
The former president quipped to supporters that choosing Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate “turned out to be a good choice.”
“I took a little heat at the beginning,” Trump said.
He later praised Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX owner, as a “star.”
Musk joined Trump to watch election results come in and has indicated he would serve on a commission to slash government spending.
Harris wins Minnesota
Vice President Harris will win her running mate’s home state of Minnesota, adding 10 electoral votes to her total, Decision Desk HQ projects.
Trump says GOP has ‘powerful mandate’
The former president told supporters at Mar-a-Lago that the country had given him and Republicans “a powerful and unprecedented mandate” as Republicans took control of the Senate and the House remained up for grabs.
“This will truly be the golden age of America. That’s what we have to have. This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again,” Trump said.
Trump takes the stage
The former president took the stage in Florida just before 2:30 a.m. as “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood played.
He was joined by his family and several campaign staffers.
Harris wins Nebraska’s 2nd district
Vice President Harris is projected to win Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, in the third time ever that Nebraska has split its electoral votes, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Nebraska is one of two states that does not use a winner-take-all system for awarding its electoral votes. Instead, three electoral votes are awarded based on each candidates’ performance in each of the congressional districts, and the state awards two additional electoral votes to whichever candidate outright wins the state’s popular vote.
Mike Johnson: ‘We have saved America’
House Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated Trump’s apparent victory in a post on X early Wednesday: “We have saved America.”
“The American people have spoken, and President Trump and Senator JD Vance are going to the White House. We are ready to get to work for the American people.”
Lindsey Graham calls for bipartisanship
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a Trump ally, tried to reach across the aisle to Democrats as Republicans looked poised to return to the White House.
“To my Democratic colleagues: been there. Let’s work together where we can and improve the country. Our best days are ahead. You will be amazed how much President Trump wants to do big things, working together,” he posted on the social platform X.
Frank Luntz warns of impact of Trump victory on Supreme Court
Republican pollster Frank Luntz warned of the impact former President Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election would have on the U.S. Supreme Court.
“The Supreme Court, with the Senate going red and with Trump at this point more than likely to be elected, still not a sure thing, but if he gets elected then he gets the appointment and with the Senate going Republican whomever he wants is going to end up on the Supreme Court,” Luntz said during his Tuesday night appearance on NewsNation.
DDHQ projects Wisconsin for Trump
Former President Trump was projected to defeat Vice President Harris in battleground Wisconsin, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Trump is set to take the swing state’s 10 electoral college votes, scoring a critical win for Republicans in the Midwestern “blue wall.”
Republicans flip Michigan House seat
Former Michigan state Sen. Tom Barrett (R) will win his House race to represent the state’s 7th Congressional District, flipping the seat to GOP hands, Decision Desk HQ projects.
Barrett defeated Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr., also a former state senator, in the open seat being vacated by Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D), who decided against seeking another term to instead run for the state’s open Senate seat.
Pelosi clinches landmark 20th House term
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will return to Congress next year for a landmark 20th term, Decision Desk HQ projects.
The San Francisco liberal easily won reelection on Tuesday in California’s deep-blue 11th District, dismissing a nominal challenge by Republican Bruce Lou, a former “Jeopardy!” champion, who likened Democrats to communists.
No. 2 House Democrat easily wins reelection in Massachusetts
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, the No. 2 House Democrat, is projected to easily win reelection in Massachusetts after running uncontested, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Clark was guaranteed another term in the House representing Massachusetts’ 5th Congressional District, which is situated just outside of Boston, as no one ran against her this cycle.
Trump is second president to win nonconsecutive terms
Trump is only the second president in U.S. history to win two nonconsecutive terms as president, with a loss sandwiched between the victories.
The first to do so was Grover Cleveland, who served as the 22nd and 24th president, from 1885-1889 and 1893-1897. He was unsuccessful in his first attempt at reelection in 1888, losing to Republican Benjamin Harrison, before coming back to beat Harrison four years later.
Musk says Trump has ‘crystal clear mandate for change’
Elon Musk said early Wednesday morning that the “people of America gave @realDonaldTrump a crystal clear mandate for change,” shortly after Decision Desk HQ called the race for the former president.
“The future is gonna be fantastic,” he added in a separate post on X, accompanied by a photo of a rocket.
The billionaire threw his support behind Trump in July and has played a key role in the former president’s campaign, joining him at rallies and holding town halls in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Vasquez defeats Herrell to keep New Mexico House seat in Democratic hands
Rep. Gabe Vasquez won a second term on Tuesday in the highly contested battleground of New Mexico’s 2nd District, preserving a Democratic seat that was among the top pickup opportunities for the Republicans this year.
Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans wins reelection in Virginia Beach district
Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) on Tuesday won reelection to Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, Decision Desk HQ projects, defeating a challenge from Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal.
Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot and a nurse practitioner, had flipped the Virginia Beach district to Republican control in the 2022 midterms.
Mark Cuban congratulates Trump, Musk
Billionaire investor and Harris surrogate Mark Cuban congratulated Trump just moments after DDHQ projected the former president as the winner of the general election.
“Congrats @realDonaldTrump You won fair and square. Congrats to @elonmusk as well. #godspeed,” Cuban wrote on X.
Cuban emerged as one of Harris’s most visible supporters in recent months, often publicly criticizing Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk, who has become a top ally for the former president.
Cuban last month said the race became the “Harris campaign vs. Elon” not Trump.
Trump wins White House, DDHQ projects
Trump has won the White House, Decision Desk HQ projects, completing an improbably comeback for a candidate facing multiple federal convictions and scandals.
Read the full story here.
DDHQ calls Pennsylvania for Trump
Former President Trump has won Pennsylvania, securing a coveted battleground state that was increasingly seen as the center of gravity in the presidential election, according to a Decision Desk HQ projection.
Pennsylvania comes with the prize of 19 Electoral College votes, the most of any swing state. It’s a major victory for Trump, after he lost the state in 2020 to President Biden.
NYT: Trump election victory ‘very likely’
The New York Times predicts that former President Trump’s election victory is “very likely.”
The Times’ chief political analyst, Nate Cohn, wrote before 11 p.m. ET, Trump is “likely to win the presidency.”
“He has an advantage in each of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. To win, Harris would need to sweep all three,” he said.
The Times’ presidential forecast needle points toward a “very likely” Trump win early Wednesday morning.
The outlet has called two of the critical battleground states for the Republican nominee, Georgia and North Carolina. Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Pennsylvania have yet to be called by the Times.
Trump wins Alaska
Former President Trump has won the state of Alaska and its three Electoral College votes in the 2024 presidential election, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ.
Alaska has gone to the Republican presidential candidate in each election since 1964.
CNN’s John King: Trajectory suggests ‘overwhelming Trump victory’
CNN elections guru John King said, “The trajectory we are on is an overwhelming Donald Trump victory in the electoral college.”
King noted Trump’s leads in key swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as of 1 a.m. EST on Wednesday. Regarding Trump’s gains in suburban areas near major cities like Detroit and Philadelphia, King said Democrats need to ask themselves “how did this happen.”
Crowds at Howard University disperse
Around 1 a.m., the crowds at Howard University dispersed.
Many were disappointed Harris didn’t come out at her campaign’s election night party, but said they would remain hopeful and hear what the Democratic nominee has to say tomorrow, even as results show Trump creeping toward 270 electoral votes.
“I’m eager to see what happens tomorrow,” said Rachel Howell, an alumni of the HBCU. “I don’t prepare for worst case scenarios.“
Dearborn, Michigan breaks for Trump
One of the hubs of Arab and Muslim Americans in the United States voted for former President Trump with 46.8 percent of the city’s votes with 47 of the 48 precincts reporting results.
Vice President Harris won 27.8 percent of the city’s vote, while the Green Party’s Jill Stein won 21.95 percent of the vote. In 2020, Biden won the city by 50 points.
Arab and Muslim voters in Dearborn and across Michigan are a key constituency for Democrats, as they have historically backed Democrats by a two to one margin.
However, the demographic has soured on Democrats amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Trump has invested heavily in winning over Arab and Muslim voters, with Tiffany Trump’s father in law, Massad Boulos, dedicating considerable time in the city. Trump was also the only major party candidate to visit Dearborn this election cycle.
Polls closed in all 50 states
Polls closed at 1 a.m. Eastern in Alaska, the last state where they remained open.
Democrat Don Davis holds off Republican to keep North Carolina House seat
Rep. Don Davis (D) staved off a stiff challenge in North Carolina on Tuesday, securing a second term in a newly configured district that had been a top target of House Republicans, Decision Desk HQ projects.
Republican Mike Lawler wins second term in New York
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) held off former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) to win a second term representing New York’s 17th Congressional District, Decision Desk HQ projects.
Lawler’s win is a setback for Democrats who hoped to flip his district, one of four battlegrounds in New York that the party had been eyeing to win back. Decision Desk HQ rated the race as a toss-up.