Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on November 6, 2024. As of 3:00 PM ET, the former president had secured 292 electoral votes — 22 more than the 270 needed to win the presidency.
Trump is also on track to win the national popular vote. As of late November 6, the 78-year-old had garnered almost 72 million votes, while his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, had about 67 million. If he wins, Trump will be the first Republican candidate to get both the electoral and popular vote since President George W. Bush was reelected in 2004.
Trump's second victory is historic for several reasons. At 78 years old, he is the oldest person to be elected US president. Trump is also only the second person to win the presidency for two non-consecutive terms. The first was Grover Cleveland. He served as the 22nd and 24th president from 1885 to 1889 and 1893 to 1897.
Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, made history in his own right. At 40 years old, he is set to become the country’s first millennial vice president. Millennials are generally defined as people born between 1981 and 1996. Vance will also be one of the youngest vice presidents in US history.
Along with winning the presidency, the Republican Party also secured a majority of seats in the Senate. The race for the House of Representatives is still undecided but appears to be leaning in favor of the Republicans. As of this afternoon, they had won 201 of the 218 seats needed for a majority.
In his victory speech to his supporters, Trump declared, “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."
Resources: CNN.com, NPR.com, Newsweek.com, APnews.com
