DONALD Trump has vowed to “heal” America and usher in a “Golden Age” after declaring an election win after sweeping swing state gains.

The triumphant president called the campaign “the greatest political movement of all time”, with his commanding performance leaving Democrats humiliated.

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Donald Trump speaking onstage in Florida to declare an election winCredit: AP

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Donald Trump walks on with wife Melania and son BarronCredit: AP

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Trump is joined by his family and campaign team onstageCredit: AP

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Trump kisses Melania Trump during his speechCredit: AP

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From left to right: Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared KushnerCredit: Getty
Speaking to fans, Trump gushed that it would “truly be the golden age for America”.

“Every single day I will be fighting for you, with every single breath in my body,” he continued.

“I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that children deserve.

“And that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age for America.”

The victorious president took to the stage to address crowds of fans in Florida after leaving his star-studded watch party at luxury resident Mar-a-Lago.

He said that America had given them an “unprecedented and powerful mandate”, and therefore looks to “help our country heal”.

Reflecting on the two assassination attempts made against him, the victorious Republican added that he’d been told “God spared my life for a reason”.

Trump added: “Frankly I believe this was the greatest political movement of all time.”

“We have a country that needs help very badly”, he told the audience, promising to “fix everything”.

He declared: “It’s clear that… this is a political victory”.

“We can do things that nobody else can do”, Trump promised, as he swore to lower taxes and tackle immigration.

‘World will need to recalibrate’ after Trump’s historic election victory

Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director for the think tank Henry Jackson Society, told The Sun that the world will need to adjust after Trump’s US election win and that lesson can be learned from the ex-president’s former stint in the White House.

He said: “Donald Trump’s comprehensive victory means that US allies and enemies alike are going to have to recalibrate their positions to reflect that, it is now going to be his global agenda that the world moves to.

“It would be a mistake to assume that anything – whether the end of the war in Ukraine or the future of the Middle East – is a foregone conclusion.

“The history of the first Trump administration from 2016-20 shows that those who engage and respect the USA did well, while those who denigrated and challenged it did badly.

“Lessons can be learned from that, about how to position internationally to make sure that countries are in the driving seat of history rather than its passengers.

“Trump’s unpredictability will be as positive a factor in the world stage as it was in his first term.

“It will keep allies on their toes, working hard to maintain an alliance that requires burden sharing rather than passengers, and enemies will need to watch their step rather than assume that America is asleep at the wheel.”

His Vice President pick JD Vance described Trump’s win as “the greatest political comeback of all time”.

Trump also paid tribute to his ally Elon Musk who has been a fixture during the campaign – dubbing him a “super genius”.

He said: “We have a new star – a star is born, Elon [Musk]!

“He is an amazing guy, we were sitting together tonight. He spent two weeks in Philadelphia and different parts of Pennsylvania campaigning.”

Speaking about watching a rocket launch, Trump said: “That’s why I love you, Elon.”

The new president-elect also thanked his “beautiful” wife Melania and gave her a kiss on the cheek – saying she did “a great job”.

Fans of the Republican nominee gathered outside the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, in the early hours of Wednesday.

Trump bagged sweeping gains with a projected win in swing state North Carolina and Georgia before 1am local time.

The Associated Press called Pennsylvania for him moments before he stepped on stage just after 2am ET.

North Carolina and Georgia both offer 16 electoral college votes, with 19 in vital Pennsylvania.

Trump needed 23 electoral college votes from the remaining swing states, while Harris needed 60 to hit the finish line of 270.

Winning Pennsylvania took him to just three votes shy of his target after bagging one in Maine – all but guaranteeing his path to the White House.

Just under 200,000 votes are still to be counted – but Trump holds a strong lead of an unbelievable 120,903.

And congratulations have been pouring in for the new president, with French President Emmanuel Macron taking the lead.

He took to X to praise the Republican candidate: “Congratulations President Donald Trump.

“Ready to work together as we have done for four years.

What is the Electoral College?

And why swing states are important.

The Electoral College is the body of 538 electors divided among the states who select the next president of the United States.
To become president, a candidate must win a majority of 270 electoral votes.
Every state is assigned one elector for each of its House representatives and two additional electors for the state’s senators.
In 48 states, a presidential candidate will be awarded all the electors in a state if they win the state’s popular vote.
Two states, Nebraska and Maine, are outliers, awarding two electoral votes to the state’s popular vote winner, and awarding one electoral vote to the winner of each of the state’s congressional districts.
Sometimes, electors vote against the state’s popular vote winner, becoming known as “faithless electors.”
Many states will be virtual shoo-ins for the Democratic candidate (such as New York and California) or the Republican candidate (such as Texas and Missouri), while a minority are genuinely up for grabs by either candidate.
These states, known as purple or swing states, are the main targets for presidential candidates.
In 2024, those states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

“With your convictions and with mine. With respect and ambition.

“For more peace and prosperity.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has also congratulated Trump on an “impressive” election victory.

The pair met in September where they discussed Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

Zelensky said on X: “I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.

“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership.”

Sir Keir Starmer also congratulated Trump on his sweeping election victory.

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Trump supporters cheer at the Florida convention center as they wait for him to appearCredit: Getty

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Donald Trump’s son Eric shared this picture on X of his dad reviewing his speech before heading onstage
In a written statement, the PM declared he looks forward to working with the incoming President and continuing to foster the US-UK “special relationship”.

Sir Keir said: “Congratulations President-elect Trump on your historic election victory. I look forward to working with you in the years ahead.

“As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.

“From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come.”

Two assassination attempts and trash talk failed to dampen Trump’s parade as he clinches the keys to the White House.

Trump – who beat Hillary Clinton in 2016 before losing to Biden four years ago – is to be the first president in more than a century to serve nonconsecutive terms.

His presidency and ventures since have been marred by controversy, with the businessman caught up in a series of scandals and legal battles.

Trump was twice impeached by Congress, but acquitted, and has been hauled through the courts over the January 6 Capitol riots and allegations of sexual harassment.

Earlier this year, he was convicted of falsifying business records – yet has used his controversies to round up support by claiming he’s the victim of a Democrat-lead witch hunt.

How do the US presidential elections work?

BY Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter

The Democratic and Republican parties nominate their candidates with a series of votes – called state primaries and caucuses – in the run up to the election in November, held every four years.

This gives members the opportunity to choose who they want to lead the party into an election – this year, Donald Trump and following Biden’s resignation, Kamala Harris.

There are also some independent candidates running for president – arguably the most well-known was Robert F Kennedy Jr who pulled out in August and endorsed Trump.

In US elections the winner is not the candidate who gets the most votes across the country.

Instead Trump and Harris will compete to win smaller contests held in each of the 50 states.

Many of the states often vote the same way – but seven of them – Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona – tend to go in either direction.

Each state has a number of electoral college votes – partly based on population sizes – with a total of 538 across the country up for grabs.

The winner is the candidate that gets 270 or more, marking a majority in the electoral college.

All but two of the US’ 50 states – Maine and Nebraska – have a winner-takes-all rule.

Meaning whichever candidate gets the highest number of votes wins all of the state’s electoral college votes.

In 2016 Hillary Clinton won more votes nationally than Donald Trump – but she still lost the election because of electoral college votes.

The candidate who will win this election is the one who secures 270 or more college ballots.

Usually the winner is declared on the night, but it can take days to finalise the result.

In 2020 Joe Biden wasn’t officially announced as the president-elect until November 7.

The new president will be sworn into office in January on the steps of the Capitol building in Washington DC.

The night started with the two neck-and-neck, but as the results began rolling in and Trump taking wins, there were reports of “silence” at the Democrat’s campaign HQ.

Pictures from the Harris camp in DC showed downcast voters amid reports of a “silent” atmosphere as early celebrations wound down.

Meanwhile fans deserted the arena grounds in the early hours – as a Trump victory looked more and more likely.

Fox News reported that Harris’ press spokesperson has told staff not to talk to the media.

A CNN reporter at the Harris campaign HQ in Washington DC said that they were getting “silence” from the Harris team.

Kamala Harris is not expected to speak to supporters tonight – with her campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond saying “we still have votes to count”.

Speaking to the audience gathered at Harris’ election night party at Howard University, Richmond said: “We still have states that have not been called yet.

“We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken.

“So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight but you will hear from her tomorrow.”

Republicans have reclaimed control of the US Senate – bagging seats in West Virginia and Ohio.

The Democratic party has long controlled over three-quarters of the seats in both the House and Senate.

As Trump’s victory nears to being solidified, the eyes of the world will now very much be glued to the White House for the next four years as the eager Republican navigates his second term as leader.

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Harris supporters leave the watch party grounds in DC

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The mood at Kamala Harris’ watch party in DC is downcast

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Trump supporters wave flags outside the Convention CenterCredit: Reuters

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Trump supporters gather near the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, FloridaCredit