Liberal outrage as iconic NYC landmark sparkles red to celebrate Donald Trump's victory in North Carolina

The Empire State Building sparkled red for Donald Trump late on Tuesday night as he secured victory in crucial swing states North Carolina and Georgia.

From 11.22pm to 11.27pm, the top of the iconic New York City building twinkled red for the first time of the evening, commemorating Trump's win .

'We will be sparkling red for the next 5 minutes,' the official X account for the tourist hotspot read.

The decision sparked outrage as devastated blue voters in New York said the building was 'celebrating the potential end of democracy.'

'Celebrating the potential end of democracy is pretty wild for New York,' one critic said.

But the official X account clarified that a decision was made ahead of time to light up either blue or red for the winner of each swing state.

'As a reminder we will be sparkling for all battleground state calls from the Associated Press,' a spokesperson said.

Along with North Carolina, the other six battleground states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

These seven states have a combined 93 electoral college votes - making them crucial for both campaigns.

Within minutes of the Empire State lighting up, critics began slamming the decision online.

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'Wow, now I even hate the Empire State Building,' one person wrote.

'What is wrong with you?' another added.

Another argued that he 'didn't win NY so this shouldn't be relevant.'

'This does not look cute on you,' another heartbroken voter wrote.

North Carolina was the first swing state to be called on Tuesday night, with 92 per cent of the votes counted and Trump ahead with 50.8 per cent of the vote .

Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania are all leaning red, while Georgia has now also been called for Trump .

In Nevada, it's too early to predict at all.

North Carolina was a key target for both campaigns and was the scene of frenzied campaigning, with Trump making stops there in each of the last three days of the race.

The result has seen Trump soar to an all-time high in the betting markets with his chances of reaching the required 270 Electoral College votes passing 90 per cent.

And it prompted 'silence' among Team Harris as their hopes now rest on pulling off victories in a number of close contests.

A Democrat presidential candidate has not claimed victory in North Carolina since Barack Obama in 2008. Trump has now won it in three straight elections.

More than 4.2 million North Carolinians voted early before Election Day, breaking the record turnout in 2020.

Turnout in some western counties hit by Hurricane Helene outpaced the rest of the state as election officials made sure victims could cast their ballots.

Trump's victory came despite an exit poll showing only 43 percent of voters in North Carolina had a favorable view of him, while 48 said that of Harris.