US election recap: Exit polls reveal who voted for Donald Trump and Kamala Harris presidency
Donald Trump has been elected President of the US for a second non-consecutive term. Recap a huge week in politics by scrolling through the posts below.
Key Events
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As election week draws to a close, so too does The Nightly’s live blog.
If you’re just joining us, feel free to scroll through the posts below to recap a huge week in world politics.
Thank you for joining us throughout the week as we witnessed an historic election result and the return of Donald Trump to the White House.
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Republican states start to project votes
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia have only just started to announce their first votes, but a win for Donald Trump already looks likely.
Which states have already given electoral college votes?
Indiana and Kentucky have been called for Mr Trump.
The former President won both states in the 2020 election.
Vermont has been called for Ms Harris.
President Joe Biden won Vermont in the 2020 election.
First calls of the US election announced
States are starting to be called across the east of the US.
Former President Donald Trump is currently in the lead with 19 electoral votes.
Vice President Kamala Harris has three electoral votes.
Rudi Giuliani arrives for Trump’s watch event
Former Associate Attorney General of the United States Rudy Giuliani has arrived at the Palm Beach Convention Center in Florida.
Former President Donald Trump is holding an election watch party in the centre on Tuesday night.
Stage set for Harris at Howard University
Vice President Kamala Harris will be watching the election from Howard University.
She attended the educational facility in 1986.
The stage has been set and supporters will be let in around 9pm local time.
They have been warned not to bring items along with them and be prepared to be waiting outside for some time.
Voters turn out in big numbers and face long queues
Americans have cast their vote in what may be the highest voter turnout elections in living memory.
Voters faced long queues across the country, some waiting around three hours.
In Arizona Phoenix, the election form itself took voters around 45 minutes to complete due to the amount of propositions included.
US Ambassador to Australia speaks about ‘clear choice’
From Canberra reporter Ellen Ransley:
US ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy earlier said the alliance was unbreakable and the close relationship wouldn’t change - no matter who became president.
The daughter of former president John F. Kennedy said it was a historic election, with a clear choice between candidates.
“Australia is our most trusted capable ally and that’s going to continue. We’ve got AUKUS, we’ve got incredible trade, we’ve got critical minerals,” she said.
“So there’s just so many things to bring us together as well as a love of elections, US politics and sports.”
She said while she’s “not supposed to talk about politics” as an ambassador, she noted “the issues on the ballot this time are important to women”.
“She (Harris) has made that really clear. Donald Trump is focusing more on immigration,” she said.
She also noted that the big unknown in the US was turnout, given they don’t have mandatory voting like in Australia.
“We need to get people to the polls, and I think that knowing how my children feel, the younger vote is going to really be determinative in this election. So that’s an important change,” she said.
Trump takes the lead as states announce votes
Kentucky and Indiana have announced the first portion of their votes.
Both states, which are traditionally Republican, are staying red.
Eight counties in Indiana are already being projected as a likely win for Mr Trump.
Mr Trump currently holds 60 per cent of the votes counted.
Allen County in Indiana is likely to go to Mr Trump, however, the count there is significantly closer.
In Kentucky, Mr Trump is leading with 65.9 per cent and Ms Harris is holding 32.9 per cent.
Both states still have a large portion of votes to count.
Harris aides reportedly preparing speech
Kamala Harris and her team are reportedly working on a speech for Tuesday night.
However, it is understood that they are preparing for multiple scenarios including if former President Donald Trump calls the election before votes are counted.
Ms Harris has made clear she will talk tonight regardless of where the country is at in the vote count process.
Reports Donald Trump is planning to speak tonight
Sources have said Donald Trump is preparing to speak tonight, even if the election has not been called.
Supporters are preparing to gather en masse at the Palm Beach Convention Center near Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
When speaking to reporters after he voted in Florida, Mr Trump said he was not aware of plans to speak or not speak and said he had not written a speech.
He also told reporters he would not tell his supporters to refrain from violence after the result because his supporters are not violent people.
