Former President Donald Trump speaks during his penultimate campaign rally the day before the 2024 election in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Nov. 4.
Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump will return to the White House, according to a race call by the Associated Press.
Trump won the key states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, with a combined 29 electoral votes to clinch the 270 necessary to win the presidency. As of 5:34 a.m. ET Wednesday, Trump had 277 electoral votes total.
Related: See full results for local, state and national races
Prior to the race call for Wisconsin, and before the Associated Press had called the race in his favor, Trump spoke at Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he stood flanked by family and staff and spoke to a crowd of supporters.
“We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible,” Trump said.
“Every single day I will be fighting for you and with every breath in my body, I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America,” he said.
“We’re going to help our country heal, help our country heal,” Trump said.
Trump said that he won the popular vote, but those results have not been fully tabulated.
He will return to the White House after falsely claiming the 2020 election was rigged and stoking the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He is also the first convicted felon to win the White House.
Republicans say Trump won the election for one simple reason. Voters felt that they were better off four years ago than they were today.
“Voters have really short memories,” said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who helped lead Senator Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign in 2016. “And while I think everyone is appalled by what happened on January 6, they’re also appalled by what they have to pay for eggs today. People think about inflation every single day when they’re buying gas, when they’re going to the grocery store.”
The former reality star and real estate magnate weathered crisis after crisis, each one career ending for most any politician. But he maintained steadfast and unwavering support among his base and convinced just enough Americans to send him back to the White House.
The results were a blow not only to Vice President Harris, but also to the legacy of President Biden whose administration struggled with border challenges, high inflation and increasing uncertainty around the world.