It’s over! Donald Trump has been elected the 47th president of the United States, with Associated Press declaring he has reached the 270-electoral college vote threshold to return to office by winning Wisconsin. It’s a stunning political resurrection that sent shockwaves through America and around the world, my colleague David Smith writes from Washington DC. Trump becomes the first convicted criminal to win the White House. At 78 he is also the oldest person ever elected to the office.
The result will sound alarm bells in foreign capitals given Trump’s chaotic leadership style and overtures to authoritarians such as Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jong-un of North Korea. He was branded a threat to democracy and even a fascist by his opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris, and some of his own former White House officials.