US Election 2024: Donald Trump wins the White House after dismal night for Democrats

We’ll be bringing you the latest updates from voting day in the US, as well as explainers on the process and key players.

Polling stations have opened in some US states, with many voters having also taken advantage of early voting and postal voting.

As Americans make their decision for the next leader of the country, there are a handful of issues that are swaying the voting public one way or the other.

Economy

Harris has said that she will tackle the economy for millions of Americans by introducing a federal ban on food gouging, reintroducing Child Tax Credits and Earned Income Tax Credits for millions of Americans, as well as a focus on small businesses via the Opportunity Economy Agenda.

Trump has position his campaign around strengthening the economy, after 44% percent of Americans said they were worse off financially since Joe Biden entered the White House in 2020, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll.

He has made pledged on cutting taxes, increasing tariffs on imported items, cutting corporation tax and focus on cutting outsource from outside the US.

Abortion rights

Kamala Harris has advocated for abortion rights and women’s healthcare after the monumental political turning point of Roe v Wade being overturned. The Supreme Court ruling saw stricter abortion laws introduced in some states across the country.

Donald Trump has previously bragged about his role in shaping the Supreme Court which took the decision to overturn Roe v Wade. He has also said that his preference to have the issue decided on a state-by-state basis as opposed to an outright national ban, but failed to say whether he would veto a national ban if voted on by Congress.

Immigration

Harris has pledged to provide an “earned pathway to citizenship” for immigrants to the US, with a proposed increase of employment-based and family visas. She has also pledged to add 1,500 new border agents and improve drug detection technology at the border.

Trump on the other hand has said that he will conduct the “largest deportation operation in American history” and deport millions of undocumented migrants. He has also supported increased security at the US-Mexico border, screening immigrants on their ideology before being allowed into the US and ending birth right citizenships of children of undocumented parents.

Israel-Palestine conflict

Harris has backed Israel’s “right to defend itself”, while also advocating for an end to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. She has also said she wants to “allow Palestinians to realise their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination”.

Trump has spoke out about his support for Israel in the Middle East conflict, speaking at length with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu. He said said that he was seeking an end to the conflict.

Democratic candidate Kamala Harris was boosted on Monday night with stars such as Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey backing her at a public rally in Philadelphia before polling opened.

The ‘Poker Face’ singer took to the stage to sing ‘God Bless America’ as the VP drew her campaign to a close.

Other celebrities to throw their weight behind Harris included Cardi B, Beyonce, Taylor Swift and even former Republican governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Trump on the other hand has been backed by the likes of billionaire Elon Musk, Russell Brand, Nigel Farage and Jake Paul

A look at how the outcome of the US election could impact politics across the world:

This election has been one of the most closely fought in recent memory, with national polling putting Kamala Harris and Donald Trump almost neck-and-neck.

One poll from 538/ABC News has put Harris marginally in the lead with a 48% chance of winning, with Trump sitting on 46.8%.

While the US election and eventual presidential winner hinges on the candidates reaching 270 electoral college votes across the country, there are some states in which Trump and Harris have been fighting harder for votes.

These ‘swing states’ are majority important to both campaigns due to the similar support for each candidate and/or party. Some states are fairly easy to determine whether they will lean blue (Democratic) or red (Republican).

However, in these swing states, every vote counts - meaning that who ever triumphs will receive a major boost in reaching 270 electoral college votes.

The ‘swing states’ can vary from election year to election year - this year there are seven. These are:

All eyes will be on these states as results begin rolling in.

Kamala Harris has risen through the ranks and is now on the brink of becoming the US’s first ever female president.

She has already broke barriers with his role as Vice President, becoming not only the first female VP but also the first African-American and Asian-American.

Her husband Doug Emhoff has been by her side throughout the rigorous presidential campaign over the last few months, as have her stepchildren, Cole and Emma.

Read more about Kamala Harris here: US Vice President and presidential hopeful's life and career explained

For those of us in the UK who are braving an all-nighter to keep up with the latest lines from the US election, there are plenty of options to keep you up to date as results come in.

While NationalWorld’s live blog will bring you the newest lines, you can also watch the action unfold on television.

BBC, Sky News, ITV and Channel 4 are all hosting coverage of the election. Find out more about how to watch here:

US election 2024: how to watch the presidential election in the UK - is it on BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky?

It’s been a long polling day which will soon be drawing to a close in the next few hours in the US.

Although some states may start trickling through from early Wednesday morning, with this election set to be closely-fought, it may take some states several days for states to declare a winner.

As a result, we may not know who will be the 47th president of the United States for a few days.

In 2020, issues with postal votes and fine margins which led to recounts saw Joe Biden wait four days before the Associated Press called his home state of Michigan for the Democrat, securing him the presidency.

Read more here: US Election 2024: When will we know results? Kamala Harris and Donald Trump go head-to-head across US states

Good morning, and welcome back to our coverage of the US Election results.

Donald Trump has surged ahead in the results overnight, gaining the key battleground. such as North Carolina. With 270 electoral college votes needed to win, Trump currently has 230, while Kamala Harris sits on 169.

Harris has taken New York, Hawaii and Washington among others.

Democratic supporters will be getting nervous as votes continue to roll in with Trump increasingly expected to get over the line, as well as winning the popular vote

A spokesperson for Republicans Abroad has said that the Democrats are on course for a “shellacking”, adding that Kamala Harris’ path to victory is “getting narrower and narrower”.

Sara Elliot told Times Radio: “I think that we will probably know the winner before 6am London time tonight. It does not look like it’s going to be close at all.

“New York Times has just predicted that Donald Trump will win the popular vote in addition to the electoral college. And he looks slated to win not only the Sun Belt, but the Blue Wall as well. This is what we would call in America a shellacking, a thumping.

“It is definitely not what we expected in some ways, being that the polls were as close as they are.”

She added: “Her just path to victory is getting narrower and narrower, and it doesn’t look possible. So this is a real realignment for the Republican Party, because this is a very unique coalition that has crossed the finish line, or appears to be crossing the finish line. But it is also a new day in America.

“You know, 70% of Americans felt that the country was on the wrong track. The main issues in this campaign have been the economy and immigration. And those are the issues that Donald Trump polls much better than Kamala Harris.

“And again, there is a huge gender gap in this election campaign. Male vote is coming out for Donald Trump and the female vote coming out for Kamala Harris.”

Billionaire Elon Musk has spent the evening with Donald Trump as results rolled in.

He took to his own social media site X (formerly Twitter) to share a picture of the pair chatting at a results party.

Donald Trump is expected to pick up 16 more electoral college votes in the key swing state of Georgia, bringing him vitally closer to the 270.

The Republican candidate is now sitting on 246 votes, with just 24 votes needed to get over the line and be declared the 47th president of the US

American were not only voting on the next president, but also the make-up of the US Senate.

Democrats held a slim majority after the 2020 election, but the Republicans look to have overturned this, according to the Associated Press.

The US Senate is the upper chamber of Congress which proposes legislation, and drafts or amends bills.

The Republicans holding the Senate will be a major boost to the Donald Trump if he is declared the winner, with fewer barriers to introducing his legislation.

Kamala Harris supporters have been left stunned by the results which have come in overnight, with Trump looking likely to be declared winner and becoming the first Republican candidate to win the popular vote in 20 years.

Many were spotted at election night events with their heads in hands, with some in tears.

Donald Trump is due to speak at to his supporters at an election party in Florida.

It comes as he looks set to become the 47th president of the US.

Fox News has declared Donald Trump the winner of the 2024 election.

Donald Trump looks set to have succeeded in his aim of returning to the White House after his 2020 loss.

His return to the White House marks the first time a president has returned to office after a defeat following his first term since Grover Cleveland in the 1800s.

Trump also hold the history-making record as becoming the first convicted felon to be elected as President of United States, after he was found guilty of 34 charges in a New York hush money trial.

Read more about the hush money trial here:

Donald Trump: Ex US president could face prison after being found guilty in Stormy Daniels hush money trial