President-elect Donald Trump has secured enough electoral votes to officially clinch the presidency, marking a significant milestone in the electoral process. The final confirmation came when Texas' electors awarded him the state's 40 electoral votes during their meeting in Austin on Tuesday.
Although Trump emerged victorious in the election on November 5, his win was formally solidified as presidential electors convened nationwide as part of the constitutional procedure known as the Electoral College. To secure the presidency, a candidate must garner at least 270 of the 538 electoral votes. In the November election, Trump garnered 312 electoral votes compared to Vice President Kamala Harris' 226.
Notably, all electors have cast their votes in alignment with the candidate they were elected to represent, underscoring the adherence to the electoral process. The next step in the process involves the transmission of each state's votes to Congress. Lawmakers are scheduled to convene in a joint session on January 6 to formally tally the electoral votes and officially announce Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance as the next president and vice president.
Following the congressional confirmation, Trump and Vance are set to assume office at noon on January 20, 2025, marking the commencement of their presidential term.
