Former President Donald Trump took the stage and declared victory in the early hours of Wednesday morning, sealing an extraordinary political comeback.
Minutes earlier, news organizations called the 2024 presidential race for him.
“We made history tonight for a reason, and the reason is that we overcame obstacles that no one thought possible,” he said.
“And it is now clear that we have achieved the most incredible political result.”
The moment of truth came earlier when Fox News called Pennsylvania the biggest of the battleground prizes, followed by Wisconsin and then the entire race in his favor.
The Associated Press still had not called an election for Trump, but he still claimed victory on stage.
“We made history tonight for a reason, and the reason is that we overcame obstacles that no one thought possible,” Trump said
It meant that Trump had won three of the most important states, making victory inevitable.
“It’s real,” shouted a young supporter who ran forward as if it were a mosh pit, high-fiving friends and strangers.
Trump was joined on stage by family – including daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner who were absent from the campaign – aides and political supporters.
He thanked his supporters and promised a golden age for the nation.
His runningmate JD Vance spoke for many when he said the result marked a remarkable turnaround in political fortunes.
“I thank you for the trust you placed in me,” he said, “and I believe we have just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America.”
The first major call was broadcast into the room at 11:25 p.m., when North Carolina went to Trump.
The crowd’s energy quickly went from nervously excited to joy mixed with relief.
The crowd’s energy quickly went from nervously excited to joy mixed with relief
And for supporters dubbed “garbage” and “deplorables,” who had supported the candidate through election defeats, lawsuits, impeachment and the fallout from the January 6 riot, it brought a dose of political redemption.
Hours before polls closed, Trump claimed without evidence on his Truth Social site that there was “a lot of talk about massive cheating” in Philadelphia, a Democratic stronghold.
It echoed his 2020 claims of election fraud in Democratic-controlled cities.
Nervous excitement gave way to joy at the Trump viewing party as Tuesday evening turned into morning
Supporters of former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump cheer near his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach
And it raised concerns that he and his team could be preparing for a repeat of the legal and political challenges that ended when hundreds of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
“If I lose an election, if it’s a fair election, I’ll be the first to acknowledge that,” Trump told reporters after voting on Tuesday.
Allies said he could try to claim victory on election night, even if millions of ballots have to be counted and states have to be called, as he did four days ago at the White House.
But as the evening wore on, it seemed that Democratic hopes that the undecided would find their way evaporated, as result after result suggested Trump
Roger Stone, a longtime Republican provocateur and Trump ally, said he was on course for an extraordinary comeback fueled by four criminal charges.
‘It’s a story of perseverance. It’s a story about resilience and just perseverance,” he told DailyMail.com. “I mean, just grind it out.”