Donald Trump closes in on historic win, set to sweep swing states

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is all set to return to the White House for a second term, edging out his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in closely fought US polls. The icing on the cake for Trump was a likely clean sweep of all the swing states, including Pennsylvania, according to projections by US networks.
As per latest projections, Trump has secured 267 electoral votes out of the 270 needed to win. Harris clinched California, the largest prize in the Electoral College, taking her tally to 224 electoral votes, as per Associated Press (AP) projections. But as hopes of victory dimmed, her campaign announced that she would not be making a speech at her alma mater, Howard University, where supporters were seen leaving in droves.
While it’s early to decode what went right for Trump, analysts said the Republican dominated rural areas in Indiana, Kentucky, Georgia, and North Carolina. States with large Latino populations also tilted towards Trump, despite a row over a comedian’s “garbage” remark about Puerto Ricans at a Republican rally.
Addressing jubilant supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump vowed to fix the borders and promised to bring a “golden age” for America. “We are going to help our country heal… This will truly be a golden age for America. This is a magnificent victory that will also help us to make America great again,” Trump said.
Trump also thanked his wife Melania, calling her the First Lady. He also reserved praise for tech titan Elon Musk, one of his most vocal supporters. “A star is born,” Trump said.
Vice President-elect JD Vance and his Indian-American wife Usha were also present on the podium. Trump praised both his running mate and Usha for their support throughout the election campaign.
In a blow to Harris, Donald Trump flipped the crucial battleground state of Georgia, which Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020. He also won North Carolina, retaining his grip on the red state and also cementing his path to the White House.
In Pennsylvania, after leading Trump in early trends, Harris fell behind, eventually ceding the state’s 19 electoral votes to her rival. It is only the second time that Trump has breached the stronghold of the Democrats.
It was in Pennsylvania where Trump narrowly avoided serious injury after being shot at by an assassin. The image of Trump standing with his fist raised, lines of blood streaked across his face, with an American flag billowing in the breeze behind him was one of the lasting images of his campaign.
The real estate mogul is leading in the other swing states of Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin. In the 2020 US presidential elections, Joe Biden swept the swing states except North Carolina.