Trump sweeps to White

Donald Trump has won the US presidential election, media said Wednesday, defeating Kamala Harris in a stunning political comeback that will send shock waves around the world.

-  PIA LEE-BRAGO

• 'Hey, look what happened'

The polarizing Republican's victory, following one of the most hostile campaigns in modern US history, was all the more remarkable given an unprecedented criminal conviction, a near-miss assassination attempt and warnings from a former chief of staff that he is a "fascist."

Addressing his supporters early on Wednesday as his victory became certain, Trump said, "Hey, look what happened. Isn't it amazing?"

"It's a political victory that our country has never seen before," Trump told a victory party in Florida.

Vice President Harris, who only entered the race in July after President Joe Biden dropped out, ran a centrist campaign that highlighted Trump's inflammatory messaging and use of openly racist and sexist tropes.

But his apocalyptic warnings about immigration and championing of isolationism found their mark with voters battered by the post-COVID economy and eager for a change from the Biden years.

The campaign pointed to a nailbitingly close contest, but the results came surprisingly fast, delivering a crushing victory that included wins in the swing states of Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Trump is the first president in more than a century to win a nonconsecutive second term.

He is also the only person to be elected as a convicted felon - he will face sentencing in a New York court for fraud on Nov. 26.