Trump wins US election, Netanyahu, Starmer react

Republican Party candidate Donald Trump has won the United States presidential election after garnering 279 electoral college votes.

Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party, who now has 223 electoral college votes, is preparing her concession speech which will be delivered soon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the UK’s Keir Starmer have been among the first world leaders to congratulate Donald Trump on winning the US presidential election.

In his statement, Netanyahu – who has had a difficult relationship with President Joe Biden – spoke of “history’s greatest comeback”, adding that Trump’s return to office offered a “new beginning for America, a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America”.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “I look forward to working with Trump in the years ahead.”

He added: “From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come.”

Kamala Harris under pressure as her path to victory narrows

Donald Trump has won North Carolina and Georgia and taken a lead over Kamala Harris in most of the other five battleground states that will decide the winner of the US election, BBC’s US partner CBS projects.

CBS says Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are leaning towards Trump and he is ahead in the other so-called Rust Belt state of Michigan. The results are not final.

Incomplete returns also suggest Trump has a lead in Nevada, while the race remains tight in the other sun belt battleground of Arizona.

In more good news for Trump’s fellow Republicans, the party is projected to win majority control of the Senate.

As expected, Trump has won conservative strongholds from Florida to Idaho, while Harris swept liberal states from New York to California, CBS projects.

The Democrat was expected to spend election night at Howard University in Washington DC, where she was an undergraduate, but it emerged after midnight that she would not attend.

Following the announcement by campaign co-chairman Cedric Richmond, the crowd all but disappeared from Harris HQ at the historically black college.

The party-like atmosphere of a few hours earlier at Howard had already turned sour as two swing states were called for Trump.

From Harris HQ, Democratic fundraiser Lindy Li told the BBC that it is “pretty grim right now”.

“People are getting increasingly anxious,” she said, “but there is still a pathway. I am still holding on to that, but this is not the night we wanted.”

Trump was expected to appear shortly at his campaign watch party in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the mood was celebratory.

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and Trump mega-donor, is spending election night with the Republican nominee.

Whichever way it goes the result will be historic – giving America its first woman president or marking a seismic political comeback for Trump.

Whoever takes the White House may have their hands tied by Congress, which is also up for grabs in Tuesday’s vote.

CBS projects Republicans will win control of the Senate after wresting two seats in West Virginia and Ohio from the Democrats and beating off a stiff challenge in Texas.

Neither party seemed to have an overall edge in the House, which Republicans narrowly control.

Around 86 million voters cast their ballots early amid one of the most turbulent campaigns in recent American history.

Vice-President Harris, 60, only became the Democratic Party candidate in July, after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race under pressure from within the party.

Trump, 78, was the target of two assassination plots – narrowly avoiding a sniper’s bullet in Pennsylvania.

The former president said he felt “very confident” as he voted earlier on Tuesday near his home in Palm Beach, Florida, with his wife, Melania.

“If I lose an election, if it’s a fair election, I’m going to be the first one to acknowledge it,” he said.

He posted earlier on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying “law enforcement coming” to Philadelphia because of “massive cheating”.

Harris defeats Trump in Virginia

Vice President Kamala Harris has clinched victory in Virginia, ensuring that the Democrats retain control of the state at the presidential level, even amid recent Republican advancements.

Polling in the lead-up to Election Day indicated Harris held a comfortable lead over former President Donald Trump.

Preliminary results now show her leading Trump with 49.3 percent of the vote to his 45.1 percent.

For two decades, Virginia has proven to be a steadfast state for Democrats in presidential elections.

However, Republicans have made notable gains in recent years, particularly with Governor Glenn Youngkin’s victory in 2021.

This year, Democrats’ prospects in Virginia were not initially regarded as strong.

Before he stepped down from the race earlier in the year, President Joe Biden was seen struggling in the typically blue-leaning state, with polls reflecting a more competitive landscape than in previous cycles.

Harris defeats Trump in Virginia