Donald Trump defeats Kamala Harris in a historic US presidential election

Donald J. Trump has officially won the US presidential election. With those latest crucial projections from Alaska and Wisconsin, the AP reports that Trump now has 279 electoral college votes, surpassing the 270 needed to win. 

His victory marks a remarkable comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts. 

Trump declared victory before the race was officially called, speaking at his campaign's election watch party in West Palm Beach, Florida, promising to usher in the "Golden Age of America". Highlighting key themes of his campaign, which centered largely around cracking down on immigration and turning around a supposedly failing economy under President Joe Biden, Trump promised, “We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country.”

Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat marks the second time in eight years that a woman became the Democratic Party’s nominee only to fall short of a historic, barrier-breaking triumph. 

Throughout the night, the world reacted as Donald Trump edged further towards victory. Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin have congratulated the President-elect as he appeared to clinch the election, before the race was called. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs have also pledged to work to maintain and fortify the historic links between Ireland and the US. 

In a statement, the Taoiseach said: “I congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election. Ireland and the United States have deep and historical bonds of people, and we will work to make these even stronger in the years ahead.

“The world faces many challenges and needs leadership to meet them. With the US and Ireland’s shared commitment to democracy and international law, we can, and will, tackle these challenges.”

French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed that the European Union’s 27 member states should coordinate their strategies over how to strengthen Europe once Trump was announced as victor. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also praised Trump’s win, as his election victory brought uncertainty to Ukraine’s future, amidst a war with Russia. Mr Zelensky, in a message shortly after Mr Trump claimed victory before the race was officially called, said he looked forward to an "era of a strong United States of America under President Trump's decisive leadership."

In another election victory, Republicans won control the US Senate with triumphs in West Virginia and Ohio, ensuring Trump's party will control at least one chamber of Congress next year, with a 51-49 majority.

The party has also won several races that could allow them to expand their 220-212 majority in the House, although the final outcome may not be known for days. Democrats will need to flip at least six seats to take control of the 435-seat chamber to ensure a blue victory in the House.