Donald Trump has won the 2024 US presidential election over his rival, Kamala Harris.
Claiming a “magnificent victory for the American people”, during an election night event in Florida, Mr Trump has currently won 277 electoral votes compared to Ms Harris’s 224 – with 270 votes needed to win the election.
Can Kamala Harris still win the electoral vote?
Mr Trump has officially surpassed 270 electoral votes, meaning he will return for a second term and become the second president in history to serve non-consecutive terms after Grover Cleveland in the 1800s.
Mr Trump won the electoral vote in Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – four swing states where Ms Harris also had a strong chance of winning. He is also forecast to win the electoral vote in Arizona, Nevada and Michigan, three more swing states that both candidates were hoping to win.
Will Kamala Harris win the popular vote?
While the electoral vote refers to votes cast by members of the Electoral College (there are a total of 538 available with 270 needed to win), the popular vote describes the individual votes made by any qualifying voters. However, winning the popular vote doesn’t necessarily mean a candidate will win the election. For example, in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote with more than 65 million votes, compared to Mr Trump’s nearly 63 million. However, Mr Trump won 306 electoral votes – winning the election over Mrs Clinton’s 232.
According to the Associated Press, as it stands, Mr Trump is also leading the popular vote, scoring more than 71 million votes over Ms Harris, whose votes top 66 million.
