Donald Trump has been declared the winner by two major US broadcasters as he pulled ahead in the 2024 US election.
Fox News, a right-wing broadcaster, and NBC, a left-wing broadcaster, have said the former president has triumphed over Democrat candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris after a tough fight.
He is due to appear in front of supporters in West Palm Beach, in Florida, where he will give a speech at any moment.
The first state to declare Trump the winner was Kentucky at 12am UK-time. This was soon followed by Indiana, West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama and Oklahoma.
The balance also largely tipped in his favour after Florida – a state with one of the highest numbers of votes in the Electoral College – declared him the winning candidate an hour later.
Other key states won by Trump include Georgia and Texas.
Harris meanwhile kept a stronghold in the north east coastline, with states New York and New Jersey remaining blue, while Washington, Oregon and California along the west coast have voted Democrat.
Some of the states still left to declare their results include Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Trump’s campaign, which saw him survive two assassination attempts, focused on his policies of revitalising the economy, stopping illegal immigration and putting an end to global warfare.
The election result mirrored polling and betting odds in the days and weeks leading up to Election Day. While Harris and Trump were virtually 50/50, some recent polls and betting markets had the Republican candidate narrowly ahead in critical battleground states.
The 2024 election had shaped up to be among the closest in American history, with tensions reaching a fever pitch.
In Washington, DC, the Secret Service had 10-foot-tall fencing installed around the White House, Harris’ Naval Observatory residence and other crucial buildings. Storefronts were boarded up amid fears of riots breaking out.
What are swing states and why are they important?
‘Swing states’ are those of the 50 United States where both major political parties have a genuine chance of winning over the majority of voters in a presidential election.
For this election, the seven states that both the Democrats and Republicans agreed meet the criteria for being swing states, are: Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin and, of course, Pennsylvania.
Elsewhere, ballot boxes were set on fire and voters got into fights with poll workers.
Hours before the final result was called, a series of fake bomb threats were made at polling stations in Georgia and Michigan, with the FBI quashing the rumours that an attack was going to take place and blaming Russia for the threats.
The reports were later denied by the Russian Embassy in the US, which described them as ‘malicious slander’.
Trump, 78, ran a relentless campaign firing up MAGA fans through personal and political attacks on Harris, President Joe Biden and his Democratic opponents.
At his Monday rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Trump attacked Harris for taking ‘a day off every other day’.
‘I don’t even sleep,’ he said. ‘You know, I’ve gone through 62 days without a day off. Every single day.’
Trump overcame a slew of attempts by Democrats to stop him on the campaign trail, including being charged in four separate criminal cases. In the end, none of these stopped him, as none went to trial before the November election.
Instead, Trump managed to get roughly half of America on his side.
At his Madison Square Garden rally, held in the Democratic stronghold of New York City nine days before the election, tens of thousands of his supporters of all ages and ethnicities filled the arena and streets outside.
In mid-July, Trump suffered minor injuries after surviving an assassination attempt and has since embraced some faith leaders’ beliefs that God protected him so he could win the presidency and ‘save’ America.
The gunman, a Republican named Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead at the scene by officials.
Two months later, multiple shots were fired while Trump was golfing at the Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach in Florida. He was not hurt in the second shooting.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, a contractor and Ukraine activist living in Hawaii who , was charged in relation to the shooting.
Harris, 60, who entered the race in late July when Biden dropped out, ran her campaign on the promise to be ‘a president for all’ and to uphold freedom.
What happens after the votes are counted?
After every vote has been counted and verified for each state, the Electoral College swings into action.
Members of the Electoral College are scheduled to convene in each state on December 17 to certify the result, while the declaration of the result in Congress will occur on January 6, 2025.
The winner will then be sworn into office in a ceremony known as the inauguration on January 20, 2025.
The period between the election and the inauguration is known as transition and gives the new administration time to appoint cabinet ministers and make plans for their term.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.
MORE : What do the US election results mean for abortion rights?
MORE : Five people killed after flash floods tear through state on election day
MORE : Bitcoin surges to new £58,000 record hours after odds slashed on Trump win
Get your need-to-know
latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.