Brandon Livesay
Reporting from Washington DC

Assassination attempts, criminal convictions and a change in political opponent couldn’t stop Republican Donald Trump winning the 2024 US election.

Trump swept to a decisive victory on Wednesday morning after winning several crucial battleground states.

In three months’ time, the 45th president of the United States will become the 47th at an inauguration at the US Capitol.

It’s the same location his supporters stormed and ransacked with a goal of stopping the certification of Joe Biden’s election on 6 January 2021.

Since then, Trump has made a remarkable political comeback that culminated with a victory speech to a sea of supporters wearing his iconic red MAGA caps.

"America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” he said to a crowd heaving with excitement.

At the same time, hope had drained away from Kamala Harris's supporters, who were leaving in droves from the Democratic Party event where she was hoping to make her own victory speech.

Instead, she gave a concession speech telling tearful supporters to "never give up" on their ideals and pledging a peaceful transfer of power.

America has chosen its next leader.

Dulcie Lee
Live editor, reporting from Washington DC

After a truly momentous 48 hours, there's undoubtedly a lot to digest.

Fortunately, whether you want a speedy overview or a deep dive, we've got you covered.

The top analysis:

• This result hands Trump free rein, writes our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher
• A flawed candidate or a doomed campaign? Why Harris lost
• How small gains delivered Trump's big win - in maps

What's next:

• Seven things Trump says he'll do as president
• What happens to Trump's legal cases?
• The outstanding races to watch

Get new perspectives:

• Watch US voters on why Trump won... and Harris lost
• What does Trump's win mean for the world? Our correspondents give the global view
• Trump's win is complicated for the UK, our political editor Chris Mason writes

Stay up to date:

• Subscribe to our US Election Unspun newsletter
• Listen to Americast on BBC Sounds

For ongoing updates, read our latest live coverage.

For a quick overview, read our story of the night, or watch the highlights in 14 minutes on BBC iPlayer.

And for the blow-by-blow account of an extraordinary night, just keep scrolling.

Away from the presidential race, Republicans have also retaken control of the US Senate, after flipping seats in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana.

Several races for seats in the House of Representatives remain undecided, but its control is also currently leaning Republican, according to our US partner CBS News.

If successful, that would put the party in control of Congress, the Senate and the White House when Trump is sworn in in January.

All in, a clean sweep for the Republicans is looking likely after a hotly-contested campaign.

• Head here for a full list of the results state-by-state in all three races

Twenty-four hours ago, it grew increasingly clear that Donald Trump was on track to win the presidency of the United States, and gain an historic second term.

The hours and events that followed have been eventful, to say the least.

Here's a look back on the day, in pictures:

Image source, Getty Images

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Image source, Reuters

Former and now incoming First Lady Melania Trump has shared a statement following Donald Trump's second presidential election victory.

Posting on X she writes: "The majority of Americans have entrusted us with this important responsibility. We will safeguard the heart of our republic – freedom.

"I anticipate the citizens of our nation re-joining in commitment to each other and rising above ideology for the sake of individual liberty, economic prosperity, and security.

"American energy, skill, and initiative will bring together our best minds to propel our nation forward forevermore."

Former President Bill Clinton and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - who was defeated by Donald Trump in 2016 - have released a joint statement reacting to the election result.

It reads: "The American people have voted, and Donald Trump and JD Vance will be the next president and vice president of the United States.

"We wish them well and hope they will govern for all of us."

Donald Trump's former ambassador to Nato says she hopes he will "let Ukraine attack [Russian] forces on the other side of the border" to end the stalemate in the war.

Speaking to the BBC, Kay Bailey Hutchinson says the government in Kyiv should aim to "get an agreement that would be negotiated in their favour" after talks with a new Trump White House.

Trump has previously criticised the amount of of aid spending the US has committed to Ukraine under Joe Biden, and is widely seen as being less supportive of Kyiv's war effort.

Hutchinson also says Trump will seek to ensure "free and fair trade" with China, or move manufacturing back to the US to create jobs at home.

Courtney Subramanian
Reporting from the convention

Image source, Reuters

Nearly a month ago, Kamala Harris appeared on ABC's The View in what was expected to be a friendly interview aimed at pitching herself to Americans who wanted to know more about her.

The sit-down was quickly overshadowed by her response to a question on what she would have done differently to Joe Biden.

"Not a thing comes to mind," she replied.

Harris's answer - which became a Republican attack ad on loop - underscored the political headwinds that her jumpstart campaign failed to overcome in her decisive loss to Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Publicly, she conceded the race late on Wednesday afternoon, telling supporters "do not despair" - but soul-searching over where she went wrong and what else she could have done will likely take longer, as Democrats begin finger-pointing and raising questions about the future of the party.

You can read more analysis about Harris's collapse here.

Control of the House of Representatives is currently leaning Republican, according to our US partner CBS News.

As of right now, Republicans are projected to win 211 seats - leaving them just seven short of controlling the House.

The Democrats would need 15 more seats to clinch a majority.

Some context: Republicans have already retaken control of the US Senate. If the same were to happen in the House, that would put the party in control of Congress, the Senate and the White House when President-Elect Donald Trump is sworn in in January.

Peter Hoskins
Business reporter, BBC News Singapore

Most stock markets in Asia lost ground on Thursday as investors consider the impact of a second term as president for Donald Trump on the region and the global economy as a whole.

On the campaign trail he pledged to raise trade tariffs on imports to the US, especially on goods from China.

Australia’s ASX 200 index and the Nikkei 225 in Japan were down by about 0.3% in morning trading after rising sharply on Wednesday.

The Hang Seng in Hong Kong and the Shanghai Composite in Mainland China were both up by more than half a percent.

The US dollar edged up after jumping by about 1.65% against a basket of other major currencies as Trump moved closer to victory.

Earlier, major stock markets in the US hit record highs on expectations that the president-elect’s plans to cut taxes and raise tariffs will push up inflation and reduce the pace of interest rate cuts.

Higher rates for longer mean investors will get better returns on savings and investments they hold in dollars.

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

As Donald Trump emerges victorious, eyes will now turn to his takeover of the White House.

Howard Lutnick, one of the people leading the transition team, was on stage with Trump last night.

The billionaire chief executive of the financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald has already been soliciting resumes as he looks to fill thousands of political roles for the new administration.

Lutnick has grisly experience of rapidly staffing up. The 11 September attacks on the World Trade Center killed every Cantor Fitzgerald employee in the office that day – more than 650 people, including Lutnick's brother.

Despite his Wall Street ties, Lutnick has said he is committed to Trump’s populist Make America Great Again agenda.

“His transition team will ensure the implementation of President Trump’s common sense agenda starting on Day 1,” Lutnick and co-chair Linda McMahon said in a statement on Wednesday.

President-Elect Donald Trump will begin choosing his cabinet in the "days and weeks ahead", the team leading his transition to the White House says.

In a statement, co-chairs Linda McMahon and Howard Lutnick say they will presenting Trump with a "wide array of experts from which he can select for his team".

They say he will select personnel that enact policies that "make the life of Americans affordable, safe, and secure".

While the ultimate result may be a foregone conclusion, we're still waiting to see the final results from some states.

Our next complete set of results will probably be coming in from Nevada, one of the key swing states, where 90% of votes have been counted so far.

The state is home to more than three million people and is famous for Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam.

Of the votes counted so far, about 51.6% have gone to Donald Trump, with 46.7% going to Kamala Harris.

Image source, Reuters

Well, Kamala Harris will continue to serve the rest of her term as vice-president alongside President Joe Biden, until the handover of power to Donald Trump and JD Vance on 20 January.

But after President-Elect Trump and Vice-President-Elect JD Vance are sworn into office on inauguration day, both Biden and Harris will no longer have any political position in the US government.

And unlike in UK politics, there is no equivalent position of "leader of the opposition" - Harris will just be out of a job. Not that she'll be short of offers.

Image source, X/Narendra Modi

Leaders from around the world have been reacting to Donald Trump's election victory. Here's what some had to say:

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his "heartiest congratulations" to his "friend" and said they would work together to "promote global peace, stability and prosperity".

Brazilian President Lula Da Silva said he hopes Trump "cares about working for the world to have peace" and that his relationship with Brazil "will be civilised".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - whose relations with Trump will be closely watched in the coming months - said the pair held an "excellent" call after this victory.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer offered "hearty congratulations" and said he looked forward to working with him "across all areas of the special relationship".

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier today, Vice-President Kamala Harris gave an emotional concession speech on the steps of her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington.

She urged the crowd watching not to give up fighting for a brighter future for America - a message she has reiterated to her supporters over her campaign email.

In it, Harris is emphatic in her gratitude for those who backed her.

She acknowledges that the outcome of the election "is not what we wanted" but adds: "The light of America's promise will always burn bright - as long as we never give up and keep fighting".

"While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign," she says.

What Musk could gain from Trump's presidencypublished at 01:26 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November

01:26 GMT 7 November

Lily Jamali
San Francisco correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump’s return to the White House might prove to be a win for one of his most visible supporters: Elon Musk.

The world's richest man spent election night in Florida with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort as returns came in.

"The people of America gave Donald Trump a crystal clear mandate for change tonight," Musk wrote on X - the platform he owns - as Trump’s victory began to appear all but certain.

And at his victory speech at the Palm Beach Convention Centre, Trump spent several minutes praising Musk and recounting the successful landing of a rocket manufactured by one of Musk's companies, SpaceX.

You can read more on what a Trump presidency might mean for Musk here.

Image source, Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, writes on X that Senate Democrats will be committed to working with Republican colleagues after the party won the majority in the upper chamber.

"As I've said time and again, in both the majority and the minority, the only way to get things done in the Senate is through bipartisan legislation while maintaining our principles - and the next two years will be no different." he adds.

The Republican Party retook control of the Senate, after flipping seats in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana.

A handful of races remain undecided, with ballots still being counted. Here's a look at where things stand:

George Bowden
BBC News

President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in at the presidential inauguration on 20 January 2025.

It is at this point he will legally assume the power and responsibilities of the presidency.

Prior to January, the electoral college process plays out. Each state generally awards their electoral college votes to whoever wins the popular vote. This is confirmed on 17 December.

The new US Congress then meets on 6 Januaryto count the electoral college votes and certify the results, thus officially confirming the next president.

It was this part of the process that Trump's supporters tried to stop when they stormed the US Capitol in 2021 after he refused to concede defeat to Joe Biden.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Washington, DC

Image source, Reuters

Recent polling data shows white men represented overwhelmingly the biggest percentage of voters who backed president-elect Trump in the 2024 presidential election, at 60%.

Close behind were Latino men, who supported the former president by 19 more points than in the 2020 vote. Trump received 55% of the votes from Latino men, while Harris won 43%, marking the greatest demographic shift this election cycle.

Latino women also increased in their support for Trump, with 38% backing the president-elect. This is an eight-point increase compared to 2020.