Donald Trump has won the US presidential election.
According to media reported on Wednesday, he defeated Kamala Harris in a stunning political comeback that has set shockwaves around the globe.
The polarising Republican’s victory, following one of the most hostile campaigns in modern US history, was particularly remarkable given an unprecedented criminal conviction, a near-miss assassination attempt, and warnings from a former chief of staff labelling him a “fascist.”
“It’s a political victory like our country has never seen before,” Trump told a victory party in Florida.
Vice President Harris, who joined the race in July after President Joe Biden stepped down, ran a centrist campaign that highlighted Trump’s inflammatory messaging and use of openly racist and sexist tropes.
However, Trump’s apocalyptic warnings on immigration and advocacy for isolationism resonated with voters worn down by the post-Covid economy and eager for a change from the Biden years.
While the campaign appeared set for a closely fought contest, the results came in surprisingly quickly, delivering a decisive victory that included wins in the swing states of Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
Trump is the first president in more than a century to win a non-consecutive second term.
He is also the only person to be elected as a convicted felon — he faces sentencing in a New York court for fraud on November 26.
Now 78, Trump is on course to break another record as the oldest-ever sitting president during his term, surpassing Biden, who will step down in January at 82.
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