Trump wins U.S. presidential election, returning to White House

Message on immigration and economy beat out fears over democracy

Former U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage to address supporters in Florida in the early hours of Nov. 6, as election results showed him on the verge of returning to the White House. © Reuters

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent

November 6, 2024 19:41 JST

WASHINGTON -- Former U.S. President Donald Trump has secured the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the 2024 U.S. presidential election, major news outlets reported, defeating Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the key battleground states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia to secure a second term in the White House.

Harris needed to repeat President Joe Biden's success in 2020 in the major population centers of the seven swing states, but underperformed in most of them.