Donald Trump has defeated Kamala Harris in the US presidential election, sealing an improbable comeback that is expected to pitch American democracy, US alliances and global markets into an era of upheaval.
Trump’s resounding victory ends a volatile White House race that saw the billionaire Republican face two assassination attempts, a criminal conviction and the eleventh-hour change of his Democratic opponent after President Joe Biden abandoned his re-election bid.
The president-elect gained ground on the Democrats in 48 of the 50 states in the union, sweeping past Harris in the “blue wall” of Midwestern states she had thought could deliver her the White House. He was also on track to win the popular vote — something no Republican has done since George W Bush in 2004.