Good morning. Donald Trump will be the next U.S. president – we’ll get straight into the latest on the election, and you can find more headlines at the bottom of the newsletter.
Donald Trump addresses the crowd in Florida early this morning.Julia Demaree Nikhinson/The Associated Press
U.S. Election
Trump’s triumph
The votes are still being counted, and there are a few states left to call, but Donald Trump has fought his way back into the White House. Already, he’s picked up four battleground states and is ahead in the three others. His party reclaimed control of the Senate for the first time in four years. And while Republicans hadn’t won the popular vote since the 2004 election, Trump seems poised to do it: He’s currently leading Kamala Harris by nearly five million votes.
“This will truly be a golden age in America,” Trump told his supporters early this morning, before the race had been called, in what had all the hallmarks of a victory speech. His running mate, JD Vance, “turned out to be a good choice,” Trump continued, and “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.” He added that he hoped the crowd would look back on Nov. 5 “as one of the most important days of your life.” Here’s where the map stands at the moment.
The swing states
North Carolina, the first of seven battleground states to decide the election, was called for Trump by 11:30 pm ET last night. About 90 minutes later, Georgia tipped into his column as well. Trump picked up Pennsylvania at 2:30 in the morning, and three hours after that, the Associated Press declared him the winner of Wisconsin – and the next U.S. president.
So far, the rest of the swing states – Michigan, Nevada and Arizona – remain outstanding, and final returns could take a while, though Trump currently leads in each of those states. The polls may have been nail-bitingly close, but the results won’t be: Trump could make good on his pledge early this morning to win 315 Electoral College votes.
Congress
Trump has promised everything from the mass deportation of illegal immigrants to sweeping tariffs to a military campaign against “the enemy from within.” At this point, it doesn’t look as though Democrats will have much standing to challenge those policies: After flipping seats in Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, Republicans now have a majority in the Senate. Control of the House of Representatives remains undecided and could take days to call, but momentum isn’t in the Democrats’ favour. Trump has also vowed to enact many of his plans whether he has congressional backing or not.
What happened?
You’ll hear a lot – so much – in the coming days and weeks about how exactly Trump managed to mount this comeback. But around the world, voters have been fed up with incumbents – witness this year’s elections in Britain, South Africa and Japan and very likely the upcoming contest here at home. However much Harris tried to sell herself as a change candidate and create distance from Joe Biden, roughly 65 per cent of Americans believe their country is on the wrong track. Anxieties about inflation and especially immigration proved too much for Harris to overcome.
And though the data is still partial, and exit polls need to be treated with skepticism, it does seem that both Black and Hispanic voters moved closer to Trump – in Florida, in Michigan, even in his native New York. The demographics of the Republican coalition are shaping up to look a little different, and white suburban women did not flock to Democrats in sufficient numbers to make up the gap.
More from The Globe
David Shribman says Donald Trump’s victory is “an unmistakable cry of rebellion,” and Konrad Yakabuski agrees that Trump’s spectacular comeback was “fuelled by America’s angst.” The Globe had reporters on the ground last night in Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan, while The Decibel takes you inside our newsroom’s election night coverage.
You can also follow updates throughout the day on our live blog here.
The Shot
‘It’s letting go to make space for something new.’
Danny Teng bows with incense during a lion head retirement ceremony in Pelham, Ont.allen agostino/The Globe and Mail
Members of the Hong Luck Kung Fu Club – one of the first Chinese martial arts clubs in Canada – performed a lion-head retirement ceremony in Pelham, Ont. Ten aging heads, used for lion dancing, were set ablaze to release their spirits back to heaven. Read more about the tradition here.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: With the House of Commons still – still! – mired in a dispute over documents that has brought work to a standstill, Auditor-General Karen Hogan says she won’t intervene.
Abroad: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over what he called a “crisis of trust,” installing close ally Israel Katz to steer the country’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
At rest: A public funeral will be held in Winnipeg on Sunday for Murray Sinclair, the Anishinaabe jurist and former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Boosted: Carleton University in Ottawa is opening a new nursing school that’ll operate on a fast-tracked schedule, training more registered nurses more quickly to help keep a struggling health care system afloat.
Blobbed: Those mysterious white blobs that have been washing up on Newfoundland beaches and smell like the inside of a Canadian Tire? Yeah, they’re made of plastic, a scientist has found.