US Election: Trump declares victory as he addresses supporters

US Election: Trump declares victory as he addresses supporters

Former US President, Donald Trump declared victory in Tuesday’s election, saying he and his campaign “overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible,” marking a remarkable return to power for the former American leader.

Trump stated this while addressing jubilant supporters in Florida, but votes in key states are still being counted.

Speaking at West Palm Beach, he said,: “Look what happened – is this crazy? I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honour of being elected your 47th president.

“I will fight for you and your family and your future, every single day I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body.”

He told the crowd he had won a “magnificent victory for the American people” while claiming he had also won the popular vote, something he failed to secure during his 2016 and 2020 presidential bids.

“Winning the popular vote was very nice, it’s a great feeling of love,” he said.

Trump has won in the key battleground states of Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina – and is leading in several others – narrowing Kamala Harris’s path to victory significantly.

“We overcame obstacles that no one thought possible. My beautiful wife Melania and my amazing children.

“We’re going to help our country heal, we have a country that needs help and it needs help very badly,” he said while doubling down on his promise to crack down on illegal immigration.

Trump also mentioned the assassination attempt made on him in July, which he survived after a bullet grazed his ear at a campaign rally.

He told the crowd his life was “saved for a reason” – a suggestion that was made throughout his campaign.

Trump says he’ll bring “every ounce of spirit and fight” to the White House, and that being president is the “most important job in the world”.

He adds that he’ll run his government on the motto: “Promises made, promises kept.”

As at the time of filing this report, US media have so far projected that Trump has won in more than half of the 50 US states, including three key battlegrounds: Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, two of which voted Democratic in the last election.

This gives him 266 electoral votes, just shy of the 270 needed to win the presidency. Fox News has already called the race in Trump’s favour.

Harris has so far captured 195 electoral votes, including major prizes California and New York, as well as the US capital, Washington.