VICE President Kamala Harris faced a crushing defeat overnight as the Democrats cancelled their victory party – sending aides and supporters home.
Donald Trump flipped three vital swing states and declared a win in the early hours with a landslide majority in the electoral college.
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Harris’ camp soon announced that she would not be coming out to speak to supporters just as Trump’s motorcade was winding its way down to Palm Beach Convention Center for a triumphant speech.
Pictures showed downcast supporters flagging in the early hours after North Carolina flipped from blue to red.
When Georgia was called in his favour the mood dipped further.
Some leant on the railings, others sat, and many held their heads in their hands before giving up and going home.
READ MORE ON THE US ELECTION
Shortly after the Republican nominee took Pennsylvania – effectively marking the end of Harris’ hopes for the presidency.
Before 6am ET gloomy pictures showed the once bubbly atmosphere now a deserted ghost town, with rubbish strewed across the ground and discarded American flags.
Scores of dejected Democrat fans had deserted the watch party grounds at Howard University in Washington DC, appearing to accept defeat.
Fox News reported that Harris’ press spokesperson told staff not to speak to the media as her poll numbers dwindled across the country.
One CNN reporter at the Harris campaign HQ in Washington DC confirmed that they too were getting “silence” from the Harris team.
The campaign HQ even turned off their live CNN broadcast during the party, AP reported.
A defeated Harris went into hiding, presumably at the VP mansion she will call home for only a few more weeks, and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Harris had selected her alma mater Howard University as the location for what she hoped would be a victory celebration.
Not unlike Hilary Clinton’s glass ceiling-topped room in 2016 – it was symbolic as an ivy league institution known for educating Black Americans over generations.
Early in the evening the university’s gospel choir sung Oh Happy Day and countless students gathered to hear the results, dancing, singing and celebrating.
By the morning Harris’ had refused to concede with her camp still insisting the votes still had to be fully counted.
In an email sent out by campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon to staff, she remained upbeat.
“We have known all along that our clearest path to 270 electoral votes lies through the Blue Wall states,” she said.
“And we feel good about what we’re seeing.”
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Earlier in the night, a source close to the Harris campaign warned her path to victory was very difficult.
“Her path is so narrow and she is not doing what she needs to do in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin,” the source told Fox News’ Senior White House Correspondent, Jacqui Heinrich.
Co-chair of the Harris-Walz campaign Cedric Richmond told supporters Harris would not be speaking at Howard University until Wednesday, triggering a stampede for the exits.
CNN said that it was “not a happy crowd” at Howard, with one talking head quoting Bob Dylan saying, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”
They also pointed to the similarities with 2016 when Hilary Clinton’s campaign chair John Podesta made a similar speech on election night and said the candidate would be speaking the following day.
Clinton did speak the next day to concede to Donald Trump.
Harris is expected to give her first statement since the resounding loss at 4pm ET, local time, from her campaign HQ in Washington DC.
She is still yet to concede the election after going radio silent.
Despite this Harris is due to remain as Vice President until Trump is inaugurated in January.
TRUMP BACK IN OFFICE
On January 20, Trump will be sworn into office in a ceremony held at the U.S. Capitol.
His described his winning campaign as “the greatest political movement of all time” as he declared victory during a triumphant speech to supporters.
Speaking at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Trump vowed to help America “heal” and said there was a lot of “love” in the room.
Trump’s crushing victory comes after weeks of polls suggesting it would be a neck-and-neck race.
The former president took what appears to be an unassailable lead over the Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris early on Wednesday morning.
Addressing hundreds of supporters on Wednesday morning, Trump vowed to return America to its “golden age” after four years out of the Oval Office.
Joking about the criticism that his vice-presidential pick, JD Vance, had received, Trump gestured to his running mate and said, “he turned out to be a good pick.”
He added, “I took a little heat at the beginning, but I knew the brain was a good one.”
Vance now becomes the youngest vice president-elect since the 1860s.
Trump was flanked by his wife, Melania, his daughter Ivanka, and his youngest son Barron.
Trump has already laid out an extensive policy agenda for his second term, focusing on combating illegal immigration, revitalizing the US economy, and withdrawing from US involvement in Ukraine.
Reviving the scale of his 2016 promise to construct a wall along the Mexico border, Trump has vowed mass deportations of over 11 million undocumented individuals residing in the US.
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His economic plans include imposing tariffs on all imports, with a 60 per cent levy on goods from China.
Economists have warned that this approach could act as a tax on Americans and drive up inflation if he regains the presidency.
Donald Trump has won… so what now?
Trump is now set to become the 47th POTUS – but not until January.
He will be inaugurated after a transition period in the coming weeks where he can plan and organise the upcoming administration.
On January 20 2025, Trump will be sworn into office in a ceremony held at the US Capitol in Washington DC.
After taking the Oath of Office, he will officially begin his term.
Once in the Oval Office, he can officially nominate key cabinet members likely selected during the transition period.
These appointments need to be confirmed by the Senate.
Trump can then begin implementing his agenda through executive orders, which are legally binding directives to federal agencies.
Early engagements often focus on key priorities like economic plans, healthcare, or national security.
He may also begin discussions with members of Congress to ensure cooperation on their legislative agenda.
The ‘First 100 days’ will be a critical period for Trump to establish himself as President and set the tone for his four-year term in power.
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