Former President Donald Trump took the stage and declared victory in the early hours of Wednesday morning, cementing an extraordinary political comeback.
Minutes earlier news organizations called the 2024 presidential race for him.
‘We made history for a reason tonight, and the reason is that we overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible,’ he said.
‘And it is now clear that we’ve achieved the most incredible political thing.’
The moment of truth came earlier when Fox News called Pennsylvania, the biggest of the battleground prizes, followed by Wisconsin and then the entire race in his favor.
The Associated Press had still not called the election for Trump, but he claimed victory onstage nonetheless.
It meant Trump had won three of the key states, making victory inevitable.
‘It’s real,’ screamed one young supporter who raced to the front of the crowd as if it were a mosh pit, high fiving friends and strangers.
Trump was joined on stage by family – including daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner who had been absent from the campaign – aides and political supporters.
He thanked his supporters and promised a golden age for the nation.
When he invited is running mate to the microphone, Sen. J.D. Vance said the result marked a remarkable turnaround in political fortunes.
‘I thank you for the trust that you placed in me,’ he said, ‘and I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America.’
The first big call was broadcast in the hall at 11:25pm, when North Carolina went to Trump.
The crowd’s energy went quickly from nervously excited to joy mingled with relief.
