US election recap: Exit polls reveal who voted for Donald Trump and Kamala Harris presidency

Australia has been scrambling to maintain a strong relationship with the USA under a Trump presidency.

Ambassador Kevin Rudd has even deleted past statements he made about the US president-elect Donald Trump.

Dr Rudd’s office said removing his previous commentary was to prevent any misunderstanding that the statements reflect his positions as an ambassador or the Australian government.

Anthony Albanese has vowed to build a strong relationship with Donald Trump that serves Australia’s national interest despite previously admitting the incoming US President “scares the s... out of me”.

But in the wake of Mr Trump’s election, the Prime Minister has also warned democracies cannot simply “trust (in) the weight of tradition” to maintain people’s support.

Instead, they must push back against “the corrosive forces of cynicism and division” by demonstrating they were delivering for people.

Read more ​here​.

Premier Roger Cook has vowed to “keep fighting” for WA jobs, two days after declaring a potential Donald Trump victory a “dark road” for the western world.

Mr Cook rejected Opposition claims his comments risked “alienating” the United States, but struck a more conciliatory tone on Thursday after the result was locked away with the Republicans securing a Senate majority as well as the keys to the White House.

“I extend my congratulations to President-elect Trump on his successful campaign,” he said.

Read the full story here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called to congratulate Trump and said the pair will maintain close dialogue and advance cooperation.

According to the Saudi ambassador, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has conveyed his best wishes towards the president.

According to CNN, other leaders who have congratulated the President-elect include Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Donald Trump’s return to the White House has wiped billions of dollars from Australian-listed gold stocks on Thursday.

Gold mining heavyweights Northern Star Resources, Evolution Mining and Westgold Resources all shed at least 6 per cent.

Read more here.

Elon Musk has posted to X that it has been clear Donald Trump would win the election for months.

“For anyone, whether in America or other countries, who finds this result shocking, they should reconsider where they get their information.,” he wrote.

“This trend was obvious on 𝕏 for months, but almost all the legacy mainstream media pushed a completely false reality.”

Chinese President Xi JinPing extended his congratulations to Donald Trump on his election victory.

In his message to Trump he said that the United States and China will “benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation.”

It’s a terrible time to be in government seeking re-election, particularly in one where inflation has dominated your term in office, writes Latika M Bourke.

In her opinion piece, Bourke has spelled out exactly why Albanese should be worried.

As Americans came to terms with the outcome, many were at pains to explain why one side got it so right and the other so wrong.

Reflecting on what was a whirlwind campaign for Harris, voters have critiqued the Vice President, voicing their disappointment and adding that they were “looking forward to change.”

Read the full story here.

The Republicans may not have clinched the House of Representatives yet, but already two Key GOP figures are making big promises about Trump’s first 100 days in office as they jostle for the top two jobs in Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise sent Dear Colleague letters to their GOP party mates on Wednesday, local time, asking for a second term in the top jobs.

Mr Johnson used football metaphors to rally his colleagues, writing: “I look forward to playing the biggest offense of our lives”.

“To truly make America great again, we will need to begin delivering for the people on day one,” he wrote, noting the Republicans had prepared with a “priority list of key conservative policy wins” for Congress to roll out.

Fellow Louisiana representative, Mr Scalise outlined a “First 100-Day Agenda”, including plans to “lock in the Trump tax cuts”, “unleash American energy” and “surge resources to the Southern border” to build the Trump Border Wall.

Mr Johnson’s letter echoed this sentiment, and also vowed to “drastically reduce regulations, expand school choice, end the woke agenda, and restore fiscal sanity to Washington”.

“We, of course, are the players who will make all this happen, and I look forward to the pre-game warm-up over the next several weeks,” he wrote.

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