By Admin
Former U.S. President and Republican candidate in the Nov. 5 presidential elections Donald Trump has declared victory in the US election while the results are still being collated.
The 78-year-old is projected to win 267 electoral college votes, three short of the magic figure of 270.
The opponent, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris is trailing at 224.
“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” Trump told a jubilant crowd of supporters in Florida.
Trump described the Republican campaign as the “greatest political movement of all time”.
“We are going to help our country heal, fix our borders, we made history for a reason tonight. We have achieved the most incredible political win.
“I want to thank the American people. I will fight for you and your family with every breath in my body,” he said.
Trump said the Democrats were now looking at a massive electoral votes score of 315.
A massive factor in Trump’s victory was the Republican sweep in seven swing or battleground states.
From a 6-1 score in favour of Democrats in the 2020 polls, these seven states swung to a 7-0 advantage for Trump.
The Republican leader has already won three swing states — Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina — and is leading in Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada.
What makes the Republican victory bigger is the fact that they have also taken control of the Senate and are leading in the election for the House of Representatives.
In his victory speech, Trump thanked his supporters, running mate JD Vance, wife Melanie Trump and his children for their support in what has been a challenging campaign.
He also gave a shoutout to Tesla CEO and X boss Elon Musk, who has been voicing support for Trump.
With Trump performing well in his bid to retake the White House, one area of US foreign policy that could be strongly affected by a potential win is Ukraine.
Trump has infamously said he will resolve the war between Ukraine and Russia in 24 hours.
“If I’m president, I will have that war settled in one day,” he said during a CNN town hall last year.
He previously praised Vladimir Putin and boasted of his relationship with the Russian president.
At the same time, he has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s requests for additional US assistance amid the war, saying “it never ends”.
“I will have that settled prior to taking the White House as president-elect,” Trump said at an event in June.
It remains to be seen if Trump will curtail US aid to Ukraine if he is re-elected, but the prospect has raised serious concerns among Ukrainian leaders.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron and other EU leaders congratulated Donald Trump after he claimed victory in Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election, saying they were ready to work together but would defend Europe’s interests.
Macron’s message on X was not as enthusiastic as ones by Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban and far-right leaders across Europe, who hurried to congratulate Trump early on Wednesday, even before he claimed victory.
A backdrop to the congratulatory words was a worry among many European leaders about the impact of a Trump return to the White House on the wider world.
Given turbulent transatlantic relations in Trump’s previous term, his past strong criticism of NATO, his ambivalent view of Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion and stance on climate change, many European officials had said ahead of the election they were worried about a win for Trump.
But Macron was among the first to reach out to establish a good relationship.
“Congratulations, President Donald Trump. Ready to work together as we did for four years,” Macron said on X. “With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”
Macron added in another message on X that he had talked with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz – whose coalition faces make-or-break talks this week – to ensure they will work together for a stronger, more united Europe that defends its interests and values.
NATO chief Mark Rutte was among many others in Europe who congratulated Trump and hoped for good cooperation.
Alongside foreign policy, European trade could face a bumpy ride: Trump said last month that the European Union would have to “pay a big price” for not buying enough American exports if he won the election.
