Republican Donald Trump won eight states in Tuesday’s US presidential election while Democrat Kamala Harris captured three states and Washington, DC. Edison Research projected, but the outcome of the race remained uncertain with critical battleground states unlikely to be called for hours or even days.
The data underscored the depth of polarisation in a nation where divisions have only grown starker during a fiercely competitive race. Trump employed increasingly apocalyptic rhetoric while stoking unfounded fears that the election system cannot be trusted. Harris warned that a second Trump term would threaten the underpinnings of American democracy.
“If I lose an election, if it’s a fair election, I’m gonna be the first one to acknowledge it,” Trump told reporters. Trump attended a morning meeting about turnout but appeared bored by the data talk, according to one source briefed on the meeting. All Trump wanted to know, the source said, was: “Am I going to win?”
A dizzying race churned by unprecedented events – two assassination attempts against Trump, President Joe Biden’s surprise withdrawal and Harris’ rapid rise – remained too close to call after billions of dollars in spending and months of frenetic campaigning.Harris, 60, the first female vice president, would become the first woman, Black woman and South Asian American to win the presidency.