Donald Trump declares victory; promises to bring 'golden age' for America

Former President Donald Trump is projected to win the US presidency on Wednesday for a second term in one of the greatest political comebacks in American history cruising past his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in a bitterly fought election reported news agency PTIWith results continuing to come in from various states giving a clear indication of a Trump victory the 78yearold Republican leader addressed his supporters at West Palm Beach in Florida declaring victory and promising a golden age of America reported PTIAccording to races called by the Associated Press up to 2 pm IST 267 electoral votes had gone to Republican candidate Trump and 224 to Democratic Partys Harris Trump was just three votes short of a victoryThis will be the golden age of America America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate Trump declared with his family by his side amid cheers of his jubilant supporters reported PTIThis is a magnificent victory for the American people This was a movement like nobodys ever seen before and frankly this was I believe the greatest political movement of all time Theres never been anything like this in this country and maybe beyond Trump said reported PTIAnd now its going to reach a new level of importance because were going to help our country heal Well help our countrywe have a country that needs help and it needs help very badly he said reported PTIWe are going to fix our borders We are going to fix everything about our country And we made history for a reason tonight and the reason is going to be just that we overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible and it is now clear that weve achieved the most incredible political thingTrump also promised to usher in a golden period in the USI want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honour of being elected your 47th president and your 45th president he said I will fight for you for your family and your futureEvery 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 he added reported PTIAccording to projections Trump is all set to get 270 electoral college votes or more blocking Harris chance to become the first woman president of the USThe victory by Trump is largely being seen as a remarkable comeback after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden which appeared to be the end of his political careerTrump challenged the election results and even indirectly urged his supporters to march on the US Capitol that reportedly triggered the violent attacks and clashes inside the seat of American democracy sending shockwaves across the globeIn the following months Trump unsuccessfully challenged the results in courtIn effect he became the first former president to get the nomination for the top office on the planet after being convicted of a felonyTrump is winning the battleground states of Pennsylvania Georgia and North Carolina the three crucial battleground statesCounting of votes is still underway in some other battleground states of Arizona Michigan Wisconsin and NevadaAs a clear trend in the counting of votes emerged Harris cancelled an election watch party in her alma mater Howard UniversityThe results are a big disappointment for Harris She joined the race after President Biden dropped out from his reelection campaign in July weeks after he came under severe scrutiny following his incoherent performance at a televised debate with Republican nominee Donald TrumpThe nomination itself was historic as she became the first woman of colour in the US to be fielded by a major party in the presidential raceIn her address after formally accepting the nomination Harris vowed to chart a new way forward far devoid of bitterness cynicism and divisive politicsThe US has 50 states and most of them vote for the same party in every election except the swing statesGenerally there is not much surprise over the candidates picking up victories in states other than the pivotal battleground ones Overall a total of 538 electoral college votes are up for grabsIf both candidates register victory in all the states that historically support the same party then it will leave Harris 44 electoral college votes short of victory and Trump 51 votes shortThe swing states of Pennsylvania Michigan and Wisconsin known as part of the Rust Belt have been traditionally the strongholds of the Democratic PartyEarlier exit polls showed the state of democracy the shape of the economy and abortion are the most important issues for American voters in the electionAlmost six in 10 people ranked the state of democracy as their number one issue according to exit polls released by CBS NewsIt was followed by abortion as five per cent of the voters felt it was an important issue for them Over one in 10 chose the economy as a priority issueAn exit poll by CNN said roughly threequarters of the electorate holds a negative view of the way things are going in the US todayOnly about onequarter call themselves enthusiastic or satisfied with the state of the nation with more than four in 10 dissatisfied and roughly three in 10 saying they are angry according to the pollVoters remain generally optimistic with more than 6 in 10 saying that Americas best days are in the future and only about onethird that theyre already in the past the CNN poll foundWith inputs from PTI