Republican Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary 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. With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency. Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his election victory.
Republicans reclaimed control of the Senate, picking up seats in West Virginia and Ohio. Top House races are focused in New York and California, where Democrats are trying to claw back some of the 10 or so seats where Republicans have made surprising gains in recent years.
Doc Rivers: ‘We want him to do the best job for the country, at the end of the day’ Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers had campaigned for Kamala Harris and called Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally “atrocious” during an Oct. 28 pregame availability. Rivers struck a conciliatory tone Wednesday while discussing the election results.
“I was disappointed in the results, you know, I really was,” Rivers said during a postpractice media session. “This is the most involved I’ve ever been in an election. A lot of it was personal because I’ve known Kamala for over 15 years. I thought she would have been a terrific president. The problem is 65-million-plus disagreed with me, and now Donald Trump’s our president, and we’re going to have to support him. We want him to do the best job for the country, at the end of the day.”
El-Sissi: Egypt ‘looks forward’ to working with Trump during his new term President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt has spoken with President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on his election, according to a statement from the Egyptian leader’s office.
El-Sissi has affirmed: “Egypt looks forward to completing the joint work with President Trump during his new term … in a way that benefits the Egyptian and American peoples and achieves stability, peace and development in the Middle East,” the statement said.
El-Sissi cultivated close ties with Trump during his previous term. He was the first foreign leader to congratulate Trump when he won 2016 elections.
UN chief commends voters for ‘their active participation in the democratic process’ U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated President-elect Donald Trump and said he stands ready “to work constructively with the incoming administration to address the dramatic challenges our world is facing.”
“I reaffirm my belief that the cooperation between the United States and the United Nations is an essential pillar of international relations,” the U.N. chief said in a statement.
Guterres also commended the American people “for their active participation in the democratic process.”
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, responding to questions from reporters on Wednesday, said during Trump’s previous administration four years ago, “the secretary-general had very good relations with the president.”
“The fact that they had different opinions about a number of issues was clear to all,” Dujarric said. “It did not stop the secretary-general from engaging with the United States government just as all previous secretary-generals have.”
Democrats get a little breathing room in their Senate minority Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s reelection win in Wisconsin won’t change who controls the Senate, but it does give Democrats just a little breathing room.
With a handful of Senate races still undecided, Republicans on Wednesday have been anticipating just how much they could grow their majority. The Senate’s filibuster rules prevent one party from passing most major pieces of legislation without at least 60 votes, so if Republicans gain more seats, it gives their conference more strength in cobbling together a filibuster-proof vote.
There are also a few Trump critics within the Republican conference who may be willing to vote against his nominees for Cabinet positions. Outgoing Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday morning declined to go into whether he would support confirmation for potential Trump Cabinet picks like Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Democrat Nellie Pou wins election to US House in New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District Democrat Nellie Pou won election to a U.S. House seat representing New Jersey on Wednesday. Pou won the seat vacated by longtime Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., who died earlier this year. She defeated Republican Billy Prempeh and two others. Pou is a longtime state legislator, serving in the Assembly from 1997 to 2011, then the state Senate from 2011 until now. The Associated Press declared Pou the winner at 1:47 p.m. EST.
Hakeem Jeffries says the US House is still in play House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries says the “House remains very much in play” as Democrats hold out hope for avoiding a sweep in Tuesday’s election.
He says the path to the majority now runs through close pick-up opportunities in Arizona, Oregon, Iowa and California.
“The party that will hold the majority in the House of Representatives in January 2025 has yet to be determined. We must count every vote,” Jeffries said.
Democrat Tammy Baldwin wins reelection to U.S. Senate from Wisconsin Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin won reelection to a third term representing Wisconsin on Wednesday. She defeated Republican millionaire businessman Eric Hovde, who was making his second run for Senate, having previously lost in the 2012 Republican primary. Baldwin argued that Hovde was disconnected from Wisconsin, given that he owns a multimillion-dollar estate in California. She also hammered Hovde over his prior opposition to abortion rights. Baldwin was first elected to the Senate in 2012. The Associated Press declared Baldwin the winner at 1:42 p.m. EST.
Republicans continue to chip away Democratic support in South Texas Republicans had a big night in South Texas, flipping predominately Hispanic counties along the U.S.-Mexico border that have been a backdrop of President-elect Donald Trump’s promises for tougher border measures.
Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz won reelection and Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, who was indicted earlier this year, survived his most competitive race in a decades-long career. Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez also won reelection by a narrow margin.
The GOP has targeted South Texas to make headway among Latino voters since Democratic support began to erode in previous elections. The border districts made an even bigger rightward swing toward Trump this election compared to 2020. Hidalgo and Cameron, the two most populous border counties, flipped entirely to Trump.
The trends represent weakening Democratic support in a region formerly considered a stronghold for the party. De La Cruz ran on border security and immigration enforcement to appeal to the district’s predominately Latino and working-class population.
Harris called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on election victory WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris called President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his election victory, a senior Harris aide said.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the call.
The aide said Harris discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power with Trump ahead of her planned concession speech Wednesday afternoon.