Watch live: Donald Trump claims victory in race for presidency
Donald Trump wasted no time declaring victory in the 2024 election early Wednesday, even as several key battleground states continued counting ballots.
Appearing before a cheering crowd at his Mar-a-Lago election watch party, Trump pointed out that he was leading Vice President Kamala Harris in both the Electoral College count and the popular vote.
"In addition to having won the battleground states of North Carolina - and I love these places - Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, we are now winning in Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and Alaska, which would result in us carrying at least 315 electoral votes," Trump said.
Trump's appearance came not long after FOX News called the race in his favor.
Is this crazy?" he continued. "It's a political victory that our country has never seen before. Nothing like this."
The electoral vote count
Based on race calls by the Associated Press, Trump was only three votes shy of the 270-vote threshold for victory.
Harris still had a very narrow path to victory. Several critical states were still processing ballots early Wednesday – especially mail-in votes, which tend to skew Democratic.
Michigan (15 electoral votes): The state was sitting at 75% of all votes counted as of early Wednesday, with Trump in the lead.Arizona (11 electoral votes): The state was sitting at 52% of all votes counted as of early Wednesday, with Trump in the lead.Wisconsin (10 electoral votes): The state was sitting at 91% of all votes counted as of early Wednesday, with Trump in the lead.Nevada (6 electoral votes): The state was sitting at 80% of all votes counted as of early Wednesday, with Trump in the lead.Democrats emphasize "count every vote"
Harris had no immediate comment and there was no word that she had made any call to concede the race. The co-chair of her campaign had previously announced that she would not be appearing at her Howard University watch party, noting that "we still have votes to count."
But Trump did not appear to be troubled by the lack of a concession. He spoke for nearly a half hour, calling for unity, thanking supporters by name, and laying out his vision for the next four years.
"I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president and your 45th president," Trump said. "And every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future. Every single day. I will be fighting for you. And with every breath in my body, I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America. This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again."
