According to the US Federal Election Commission, Republican candidate Donald Trump won with 312 electoral votes, while Democratic candidate Kamala Harris received 226 electoral votes.
President-elect Donald Trump won a clean sweep in this year's seven battleground states, securing all 93 electoral votes. In terms of the popular vote, Trump received 72.9 million votes, far ahead of Harris with 68.2 million votes.
The state electors are scheduled to meet on December 17 to cast their official electoral votes to elect candidate Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States. The results of the Electoral College vote will be announced on January 6, 2025, and Trump will be sworn in on Capitol Hill on January 20, 2025.
In addition to winning the White House race, the Republican Party has also regained a majority in the Senate. Meanwhile, the results of the House of Representatives election are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Trump's rival, Kamala Harris, has conceded the White House race and pledged a peaceful transfer of power: “We will engage in the transition process fully. A fundamental tenet of American democracy is the peaceful transfer of power. That tenet is essential to our democracy, as is the rule of law. And anyone seeking to undermine that tenet and the rule of law is not only attempting to discard the will of the American people but is also seeking to unravel the very fabric of our nation.”
President-elect Donald Trump has now set up a transition team to begin the 75-day handover process. Trump's top priority before taking office will be to fill about 4,000 government positions in his new administration, including key roles such as secretary of state and cabinet members. About 1,200 of the president-elect's nominees will need to be confirmed by the US Senate. President-elect Trump revealed on November 6 (US time) that former presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. and billionaire Elon Musk are likely to join his administration. As one of Donald Trump's strongest supporters, Elon Musk is predicted to push for major reforms to the US government.
In his victory speech, Trump also praised billionaire Elon Musk: "Let me tell you, we have a new star. Elon Musk. He's a special guy. He's a super genius. We have to cherish our geniuses in this country. We don't have that many of them".
Elon Musk is expected to lead a new agency called the “Department of Performance Excellence”. In this role, the Tesla CEO plans to push for reforms and reduce red tape, focusing on areas such as artificial intelligence, space exploration, and electric vehicle development. Elon Musk believes that the current bureaucracy is a burden on the country and he is committed to streamlining it.
In addition to planning his new administration, Trump has also begun receiving daily intelligence briefings during the transition period.