Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump won a second stint as US president after winning the electoral college - and now he looks on track to win the popular vote as well.

When he ran the first time in 2016, Trump lost the popular vote - the total number of votes cast across the country - to Hillary Clinton. But in the US, the election is ultimately won by whoever wins at least 270 electoral college votes - more on that here.

The last time a Republican presidential candidate won the popular vote was in 2004, when George W Bush also won the electoral college.

Trump is currently ahead of Kamala Harris in the popular vote, but the figure is about nine million votes below Joe Biden's result in 2020.

(As a reminder, you can see the latest vote tallies at the top of this page - it's currently Donald Trump on 72,717,236, and Kamala Harris on 68,023,088)

Image source, EPA

Nearly a full day after Donald Trump's victory speech, reactions to his return to the White House are still trickling in.

Latvia's President Edgars Rinkēvičs says he's not nervous about a second Trump administration.

"Everyone is now trying to figure out" the incoming government's foreign policy, "particularly vis-à-vis Ukraine," he tells BBC Radio 4's World at One programme.

Asked about the suggestion Trump could enforce a settlement between Ukraine and Russia, he adds: "Whatever the political process there is, it must include Ukraine."

Western leaders have been calling on president-elect Trump to renew American support to Ukraine.

But France's Emmanuel Macron warns European leaders "we cannot delegate our security to the Americans forever", adding it is now time for Europe to "write its own history".

• Donald Trump has repeatedly said he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine "within 24 hours" but has not clarified what either side would have to give up to secure a peace deal

Image source, EPA

Back to Europe now, where Ukraine's president says relations between the US and the continent "must be valued and cannot be lost" after Donald Trump's US election victory.

Speaking at a European leaders' summit in Budapest, Volodymyr Zelensky says: "We do hope that America will become stronger."

"This is the kind of America that Europe needs," he says. "And a strong Europe is what America needs - this is the connection between allies that must be valued and cannot be lost."

Zelensky, according to AFP news agency, also tells the summit it would be "unacceptable for Ukraine" and "suicidal for all Europe" if Russian leader Vladimir Putin is offered any concessions.

James FitzGerald

Continuing our round-up of Donald Trump's electoral pledges, here's another four issues he says he will be focusing on during his second term in the White House:

End the Ukraine war

• Trump said he would end the Russia-Ukraine conflict “within 24 hours” through a negotiated deal. However, he has not said what either side should give up to do so

No abortion ban

• During the presidential debate with Harris, Trump said he would not sign into law a national abortion ban. But he has regularly said states should be free to decide their own laws on abortion but has not presented a consistent message on the topic

Pardon some Jan 6 rioters

• He will "free" some of those convicted of offences during the riot in Washington DC on 6 January 2021, he has maintained. As a reminder, his supporters stormed the Capitol building in an effort to thwart the 2020 election victory of Joe Biden

Sack Special Counsel Jack Smith

• "Within two seconds" of taking office Trump has said he will sack the veteran prosecutor leading two criminal investigations against him. We have more on what will happen to those legal cases here

Our story has further details on these seven policies

James FitzGerald

Image source, Reuters

In his victory speech, Trump vowed he would "govern by a simple motto: Promises made, promises kept. We're going to keep our promises".

But in some cases, he has given little detail of how he might achieve his aims. As we continue our coverage of the election's aftermath, here's a look at some of the pledges Trump made during the campaign.

Deport undocumented migrants

• Trump has promised the biggest mass deportations of undocumented migrants in US history, as well as the completion of a wall at the border with Mexico that was started during his first presidency

Moves on economy, tax and tariffs

• The future president has said he will "end inflation", make sweeping tax cuts and has proposed making tips tax-free. He has also suggested new tariffs of at least 10% on most foreign goods

Cut climate regulations

• As he did during his first term, Trump has vowed to again cut environmental regulations, particularly as a way to help the American car industry
• He also wants to increase production of US fossil fuels - saying he will "drill, drill, drill" on day one in favour of renewable energy sources such as wind power

Stay with us, we'll have more on this shortly.

Why vote totals aren’t 'proof' of voter fraudpublished at 13:56 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November

13:56 GMT 7 November

By Mike Wendling

Partisans on both sides are pointing to live vote totals on news websites and arguing that they prove some kind of fraud - in different directions.

The reasoning goes like this: there seems to be just as much interest in this election as there was in the 2020 presidential election, when more than 158 million votes were cast.

Currently you can see at the top of this page that around 140 million votes have been tallied for the two major party candidates.

Republicans who distrust the voting system and backed the “stop the steal” movement say the numbers “prove” the last election was rigged and that the total vote was artificially high in 2020.

Meanwhile Kamala Harris supporters are wondering where all their “missing” voters are - although the candidate is not entertaining these conspiracy theories and there is little sign that a large-scale movement is brewing.

Both sides are missing a very simple fact: votes are still being tabulated.

In fact, the University of Florida’s Election Lab turnout tracker, external is showing roughly the same number of votes in 2024 as were cast in 2020.

Once again, “fraud” claims just do not stack up, but that won’t stop dedicated partisans from making claims based on faulty evidence.

Image source, EPA

UnHerd Washington DC journalist Emily Jashinsky says there's a "fundamental misunderstanding" when it comes to how Donald Trump succeeds electorally.

She claims around 30% of his supporters are a "hardcore, MAGA, partisan group". But other Republican voters are "merely kind of putting up with Donald Trump because they find the left to be more threating to them", she tells the Today programme.

Jashinsky refers to comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe during a Trump rally, where he used racist stereotypes and called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage".

She says people can be "offended" by this yet "tolerate it", because they are "more offended by millions of people coming across the border in the span of just a couple of years, or a few years under the Biden presidency".

• Since January 2021, US border officials say there's been more than 10 million 'encounters', with about 8 million coming over the southwest land border with Mexico. You can read more from BBC Verify's analysis on immigration figures here.

Image source, Reuters

Historically, Republican candidates perform well with older, white voters, while the Democrats typically secure votes from women and minority groups.

The traditional thinking changed this year. Trump maintained popularity with his party’s base, but made gains in demographics which usually vote Democrat.

• Latino voters: Despite a stand-up comedian referring to Puerto Rico as an "island of garbage" at a Trump rally, the Democrat ticket got 13% less votes from Latino voters in 2024 than 2020 (52% in 2024 vs 65% in 2020)
• Women: Kamala Harris's campaign prioritised abortion rights, something Democrats believed would bring in more female voters. Harris won 53% of women's votes, 4% less than Biden's 57% in 2020
• Young voters: Harris lost six points with voters under 30, down from Biden's 60% win in 2020. It's been touted as the "bro vote" for Trump, after he featured on a number of popular podcasts popular with young men

These numbers may change as the rest of the votes are counted, but they indicate certain patterns that have emerged from this year's race.

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us, here are the top stories as America wakes up on Thursday morning:

• Dozens of US House of Representatives races remain uncalled, but Republicans have grown optimistic that they can retain their slim majority and therefore hold unified control of Washington again as they did at the start of Donald Trump's first term

• Speculation is swirling in Washington over who will staff the incoming Donald Trump administration as his transition team begins vetting potential candidates and ironing out its to-do list
• The Justice Department has begun winding down its twin federal prosecutions against Trump, in line with a long-standing policy of not prosecuting a sitting president
• Trump's win on Wednesday sent the US dollar soaring against other currencies, including the pound, euro and Japanese yen

• As his landslide victory comes into sharper focus, a Democratic blame-game is escalating, with fingers pointed at President Joe Biden for not stepping away from the race sooner
• Biden will address the nation for the first time post-election later today

A sense Israel will have a 'much freer hand'published at 13:11 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November

13:11 GMT 7 November

Returning to the Middle East, Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet now references the conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump last night.

They are said to have spoken about working together on Israeli security, including the threat from Iran.

Doucet says there is a "sense" Israel will now have a "much freer hand" to attack nuclear infrastructure in Iran under a Trump presidency.

With that, the panel concludes its discussion.

What does a Trump administration mean for abortion access?published at 13:09 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November

13:09 GMT 7 November

BBC journalist Bernd Debusmann says seven states in the US have approved measures to protect or expand abortion rights, including "Conservative states like Missouri [and] Arizona".

But bids to restore protections for the procedure failed in Florida, South Dakota and Nebraska.

Trump has never really taken a firm position on the abortion access issue, Debusmann says, adding the president-elect has distanced himself from the wing of the Republican party that has taken a hard-line stance and called for a national ban.

But it's been one of the primary concerns among women in the aftermath of his victory, Debusmann says.

Trump has been short on specifics about what he would do in the White House when it comes to abortion access, Debusmann says.

Is there a risk to Ukraine?published at 13:05 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November

13:05 GMT 7 November

Doucet is asked if Trump would "throw Ukraine under the bus" and if there would be issues surrounding the possible end of the Russia-Ukraine war.

As a reminder, the US and Nato allies agreed in 2020 to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan. Speaking at the time, Trump said it was "time after all these years to bring our people back home".

Doucet says Trump wanted to withdraw US troops and his decision to remove them from the country wasn't out of concern for Afghanistan.

Ukraine needs support from America in its war with Russia, and the "overriding assumption" is Trump would "cut critical support" to Ukraine, Doucet says.

She adds that Trump won't be able to end the war in one day, like he promised on the campaign trail, unless he gives in to Russia's President Vladimir Putin's claims on land.

Will Trump 'drill, drill, drill'?published at 13:00 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November

13:00 GMT 7 November

Speaking again on climate, correspondent Matt McGrath speaks on Trump's vow to "drill, drill, drill".

He explains Trump has signalled he wants to go after "liquid gold" - oil - and that he wants to expand production of oil and gas. Production has increased already under Biden's government.

The future president has also talked about going after the Inflation Reduction Act - Biden's signature policy on climate change.

What about Trump's pledge to increase tariffs?published at 12:58 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November

12:58 GMT 7 November

Speaking on tariffs, presenter Tadhg Enright says it's "the major economic talking point" because it could have a "very dramatic impact".

Trump has proposed to increase tariffs on all goods coming in the US.

Enright says tariffs are an "obstacle to cross-border trade" as it's "more difficult .. .more expensive". That means anyone who exports to the US is concerned.

He cites UK think tank Niesr, which estimates that Trump's tariff proposals could "halve UK growth", especially in the Eurozone.

However, Enright points out that "campaign pledges don't always translate into reality", so the tariff proposals could be the "opening of a negotiation" that gets Trump what he wants.

On whether Trump has a firm policy in the Middle East, Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet explains Trump is "not a details man".

Speaking from Jerusalem, she says Trump has "big broad ambitions", and points to the president-elect's comments that he would end the Ukraine war "in a day".

Doucet refers to his boasts in his victory speech that he ends wars and doesn't start them.

"We'll soon find out" Trump's policies, she concludes.

Are Trump's policies environmentally friendly?published at 12:53 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November

12:53 GMT 7 November

BBC News Environment correspondent Matt McGrath says it took Donald Trump more than three years to remove the United States from the 2015 Paris Agreement - a pledge by nations to try and prevent global temperatures rising by more than 1.5C.

Three months later, on his first day in office, Biden reversed, external that decision.

McGrath says this time round, it's a lot easier for Trump if he makes the same move. But there's a concern Trump's advisers want to go further.

If they leave UNFCCC, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, that would be much more difficult - as going back into might require approval by the Senate, McGrath says.

Is Trump's mass deportation plan feasible?published at 12:48 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November

12:48 GMT 7 November

BBC reporter Bernd Debusmann is asked how Donald Trump would be able to fulfil his promise to carry out the biggest mass deportations of undocumented migrants in US history.

He says Trump has suggested he would start by deporting one million people and call in the national guard, but he would likely be met with legal challenges.

Debusmann adds that the logistics of this would be "extremely difficult" and also expensive, with such a plan requiring facilities to detain such a large number of people.

How the economy factored into the electionpublished at 12:41 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November

12:41 GMT 7 November

Business Presenter Tadhg Enright is currently speaking with our colleagues on the news channel.

He is asked whether Kamala Harris could have focussed more on improvements in the economy during the campaign without antagonising existing Democrat supporters.

Enright explains she could have said more about improving the economy but points to the reality that she was and continues to serve as vice-president.

Although a vice-president has "limited power" they are still held responsible by the electorate, he explains.

It's hard to "publicly criticise" your boss - but Harris was criticised for not saying enough on economic policy at the start of the campaign.

Enright says she did have economic policies including for first time buyers and protecting consumers from bad actors.

Image source, The Washington Post / The New York Times

As America wakes up, people picking up a newspaper this morning will be seeing headlines and pictures of Donald Trump dominating the front pages.

"Trump Storms Back" is written on the front of both The New York Times and Arizona Republic, while the Wall Street Journal's is leading with "Trump Triumphs Again".

The New York Post's front page has a picture of Trump giving a thumbs up next to the headline "Life of the Party", while the Daily News has headlined its edition today on "Win Sends Shockwaves".

The Boston Globe is headlining its Wednesday edition on "In a Changing Country, Trump's Triumph Resounds" while the Washington Post front page has "Dawn of new Trump era". Both their front pages feature a picture of Trump at his victory speech on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, the San Francisco Chronicle's front page has a picture of Kamala Harris at her concession speech yesterday alongside the headline "Trumped".

Join our correspondents as they answer your questions on the US electionpublished at 12:20 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November

12:20 GMT 7 November

At 12:30 GMT, our correspondents across the world will be answering your questions on the US election.

Business presenter Tadhg Enright, chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, climate correspondent Matt McGrath and US reporter Bernd Debusmann will talk about how this election impacts the global economy, conflict in the Middle East, the climate and immigration.

You can watch the special programme by clicking 'Watch live' at the top of the page.