US election LIVE | Xi congratulates Trump, calls for stronger US-China dialogue
Harris calls Trump, discusses importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans
Four years ago, Donald J Trump was a sullen man after he lost the presidential race to Joe Biden. And when a violent mob, mostly his supporters, stormed the US Capitol weeks later, it appeared an end to the Republican leader's political career. Four years later, 78-year-old Trump made an unprecedented and forceful political comeback in American history by cruising towards a second term in the White House.
With Wisconsin win, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes. And that too, after being convicted of a felony and surviving two assassination attempts.
In March, Trump received his party's nomination and it was formalised at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in July after remaining in the political wilderness for months following several court cases. In effect, he became the first former president to get the nomination for the top office after being convicted of a felony.
Trump still faces four criminal indictments and it is not immediately clear what will happen to the cases. The former president also survived an impeachment trial in 2021 that concluded with his acquittal.
Trump was shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania in July, just days ahead of the Republican National Convention.
As his victory appeared imminent, Trump addressed his supporters in Florida with a message: "We are going to help our country heal." As he eyed the White House, Trump carefully crafted his campaign messages promising to rebuild the economy and rid the US of illegal immigrants.
From the time he left office after his loss in the 2020 presidential election to his nomination as the Republican candidate in the 2024 race, Trump continued to dominate the American news cycle and the country's psyche.
He is now the oldest person in US history to be elected president.
Also read | On Kamala Harris, Usha Vance and 'childless cat ladies'
Read/watch The Federal's extensive coverage of the US polls here.
Read the updates here.
Live Updates
- 7 Nov 2024 1:32 AM GMT
Trump says 'whole world loves Modi' after PM's call
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his “spectacular” victory, and said he looked forward to working together with him again to further strengthen India-US relations across technology, defence, energy, space and other sectors.
Official sources said Modi also congratulated Trump on the performance of his Republican Party in the Congressional elections, as both leaders affirmed to working together for world peace.
The warm personal camaraderie between the two leaders came through in the telephonic conversation as Trump said the “whole world loves Modi” and described India as a magnificent country and the prime minister as a magnificent man, they added.
Trump also said that he considered Modi and India as a true friend, noting that the Indian leader was one of the first world leaders he spoke to after his victory, the sources added.
In a post on X, Modi said, “Had a great conversation with my friend, President Donald Trump, congratulating him on his spectacular victory. Looking forward to working closely together once again to further strengthen India-US relations across technology, defence, energy, space and several other sectors.”
As Trump cruised to victory, Modi earlier in the day congratulated him on his “historic” presidential poll victory, and said he looks forward to renewing their collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership.
“Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity,” he said.
- 7 Nov 2024 1:28 AM GMT
Two wars likely big factor behind Trump's win: Former diplomat
With Donald Trump elected president of the US, riding a historic political comeback, a former Indian diplomat on Wednesday said the election outcome is also a verdict on incumbent President Joe Biden. India’s former ambassador to Italy, KP Fabian, suggested that Trump would like the “Ukraine war to be over”.
“Though Kamala Harris was the candidate, it was also a verdict on (Joe) Biden. Because, she was the Vice-President and Biden nominated her. So, partly, she was carrying the Biden burden in respect of the economy.” And, with prices going up, especially of fuel, and for Americans who roam all round in their cars, this is very important, Fabian said.
Many US voters counted immigration, border security, gun control laws, reproductive rights and foreign policy as factors weighing on their minds in this election.
Fabian said the Russia-Ukraine war and the West Asia conflict may have been a factor that might have influenced voters’ decisions. “Ukraine war, you may say majority of Americans support Ukraine, but it doesn’t follow that Americans want a big war. And, that America should be sending so much money by way of military aid and economic aid,” he said.
Military aid doesn’t matter because the money remains in America, selling weapons. But in economic aid, the money goes, the former diplomat said. “And... the war in West Asia, Biden made a mistake...,” Fabian argued.
Venu Rajamony, who served as India’s envoy to the Netherlands from 2017 to 2020, said Trump has a number of foreign policy issues on his table, even more important is the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and similarly what is happening in Gaza. When asked, if the Ukraine war will be high on Trump’s agenda, he said, “absolutely”.
“In fact, he himself had said that it is high on his agenda, and knowing the kind of person he is, he may not even wait till the formal inauguration, so he may make statements, make moves which indicates or reflects his thinking on how the problem should be solved. So, let us wait and watch,” he added.
On Trump’s win and the West Asia conflict, Rajamony said, people who support him have been big backers of Israel, so whether it emboldens Israel to continue and increase the intensity of the war, whether Israel pulls back and offers a ceasefire in return from American support to sort of restructure the architecture of the Middle East in Israel’s favour, “all this has to be seen, we have to wait and see what approaches President Trump adopts”.
- 6 Nov 2024 2:54 PM GMT
Trump highly unpredictable, New Delhi will have to wait and watch: Ex-Indian diplomats
As Donald Trump registered a historic comeback in the US presidential election, many former Indian diplomats on Wednesday concurred that the India-US ties will "continue to grow" from strength to strength, even as some of them cautioned that Trump is "highly unpredictable" and New Delhi will have to "wait and watch" to see what position he adopts going forward.
The former ambassadors of India, also said the Russia-Ukraine war will be "high on his agenda" and that Trump may even make a statement on this conflict before the formal inauguration in January next year.
Scripting history, the 78-year-old Republican leader won the US presidency 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.
Venu Rajamony, who served as India's envoy to the Netherlands from 2017 to 2020, said India must "carefully and consciously" move forward, even as "we do everything possible" to strengthen the relationship.
"I think India-US relations is based on a strong foundation. India has worked with the previous Trump government. President Trump and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi enjoy a good personal relationship and the Indian community in the US is a strong bulwark of this relationship. So, we can presume that India-US relationship will continue to grow from strength to strength," he told PTI.
"However, we in India should not take this relationship for granted," he said.
Reminding that for Trump it is "always 'America First'", the former envoy cautioned that he will sort of go ahead and do what he thinks is best for the American interest and New Delhi must be "prepared for the ups and downs in the relationship" whether on trade or other issues where India disagrees with the US.
"So, it is in our interest to protect and preserve our strategic autonomy. We may find more pressure of some... from the US, to try and dilute that autonomy and make us more of, sort of an ally of their's which may not be in our interest. So, we must carefully and consciously move forward even as we do everything possible to strengthen the relationship," Rajamony added.
Trump, who has been a real estate baron, was elected as the 45th President of the US, riding on his 'Make America Great Again' campaign and returns to the White House as the 47th President of that country, clearing the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency.
His win also made him the only US president after Grover Cleveland to serve non-consecutive terms. Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th president, serving from 1885 to 1889 and then again from 1893 to 1897.
Rajamony, currently working as a professor of diplomatic practice at O P Jindal Global University, also said that Trump has a number of foreign policy issues on his table, even more important is the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and similarly what is happening in Gaza.
Only then the question of China and what kind of relationship the US develops under Trump, with China, whether it is one of cooperation or competition or whether it is something that combines both, "all that needs to be seen", he said.
"He is highly unpredictable. So, we will have to wait and watch to see what position he adopts, he has to formulate his foreign policy team and there is still time for him till January to assume office," the former diplomat said.
The run-up to what has been described as one of the closest US elections in recent times saw Trump and his 60-year-old Democratic rival Harris holding packed rallies and firing fierce verbal volleys against each other.
Many US voters counted immigration, border security, gun control laws, reproductive rights and foreign policy as factors weighing on their minds in this election.
India's former ambassador to Italy, K P Fabian, said, "Coming to strategic relations, Trump will be supportive of closer relationship with India." Fabian said the Russia-Ukraine war and the West Asia conflict may have been a factor that might have influenced the voters' decisions.
He felt that Trump would like the war in Ukraine to be over and that it would be weighing on his mind even before the inauguration ceremony.
Rajamony, when asked if the Ukraine war will be high on Trump's agenda, said, "absolutely".
"In fact, he himself had said that it is high on his agenda and knowing the kind of person he is, he may not even wait till the formal inauguration, so he may make statements, make moves which indicates or reflects his thinking on how the problem should be solved. So, let us wait and watch," he added.
On the issues during the campaigns, Rajamony said Trump had "immigration and border control" as number one issues on his agenda.
"And clearly that is something which has affected the minds of a large number of people. And, he has also promised that it is one of the first issues he will tackle, he and his US vice presidential candidate had threatened that US is going to witness the biggest evacuation it has ever seen," he recalled.
So, a lot tensions this campaign has built up and will "probably grow" in the days to come and one will have to wait and watch to see how the minority immigrants are treated in coming time.
"Anti-immigrant and anti-minority sentiments could also spiral against India. We need to be wary and careful of that," he cautioned. PTI
- 6 Nov 2024 1:18 PM GMT
US election result: Elon Musk leads meme brigade on social media
X owner Elon Musk led the meme brigade on social media in reacting to the US election results and Donald Trump's historic victory on Wednesday with a series of posts ranging from acerbic to straight-up mockery.
As initial results started coming in, Musk was among the first who went on a posting spree. He reused his picture from 2022 when he had walked into X's headquarters with a sink. This time too, he gave the same caption "Let that sink in" but the background setting was inside the White House.
An hour later, he uploaded an image of SpaceX rocket starship with a caption "The future is gonna be fantastic." Among the other meme doing the rounds was a morphed video of Trump dancing to Ranveer Singh's "Malhari" from the film "Bajirao Mastani".
X user Peter Hague, who identifies himself as a solutionist with an astrophysics PhD on his page, posted a picture of Instagram-famous squirrel Peanut, who was euthanised by US officials, with a heading "Tell Kamala. I want her to know it was me." The Joe Biden administration had come under fire from Trump supporters over the issue.
A user named Rothmus made a reference to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif who won an Olympic gold medal at Paris to post, "I haven't seen a man beat a woman this bad since the Olympics." Khelif faced intense scrutiny over misconceptions about her womanhood.
There were many memes that used edited images of Trump celebrating and dancing. One of these was with Musk to the background tune of Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive".
In another post, Trump is seen carrying two garbage bags with images of Biden and Harris.
During a campaign event, Biden had referred to Trump's supporters as "garbage". However, Trump sought to use this to his advantage when he entered a rally site in a garbage truck and asked his supporters, "How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honour of Kamala and Joe Biden." A photo taken during Trump's stop at a McDonald outlet in Pennsylvania serving fries at the drive-thru was also used with a caption "Bye bye, Kamala" in another post. PTI
- 6 Nov 2024 12:56 PM GMT
Trump as US president will deepen climate crisis: Policy experts
Donald Trump's election as the president of the United States is a profound blow to global climate justice, and his disregard for international agreements and refusal to provide climate finance will deepen the crisis, international policy experts said on Wednesday.
Sunita Narain, the director general of Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment, said Trump winning the White House race is a "big setback" for global climate efforts, especially if he rolls back critical domestic policies like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
She said the US has historically fallen short in global climate efforts, particularly on financing support for vulnerable countries, decarbonisation and financial commitments to the developing world, and Trump's presidency will make matters even worse.
"While President Joe Biden's administration showed stronger climate action domestically than internationally, our primary concern now is that Trump may roll back these critical domestic efforts, including the Inflation Reduction Act," she said.
"The IRA is crucial because the United States remains the single-largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases and the second-largest emitter annually. It is also the world's top producer and exporter of oil and gas, generating around 13 million barrels daily. The IRA (and its role in achieving 50-per cent emissions reduction by 2030, below 2005 levels) served as a significant signal to the world that the US could lead on climate action," Narain said.
In his campaign, Trump emphasised his support for increasing oil and gas production, with "Drill, baby, drill" as a key slogan. He dismissed climate change concerns entirely. Rolling back the IRA and expanding oil production would be extremely harmful for international climate efforts, the climate policy expert said.
India's former environment minister Jairam Ramesh said Trump's comeback has made the future of the 2015 Paris Agreement "extremely shaky" and added that if the US were to withdraw from the treaty again, the consequences would be disastrous.
Trump, who has publicly called climate change a "hoax", withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement when he was the president.
He has said he would pull out of the Paris Agreement again. There are concerns that Trump would also consider withdrawing the US from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Harjeet Singh, climate activist and Global Engagement Director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said Trump's victory is a profound blow to global climate justice and an alarming escalation of climate risk for the world's most vulnerable communities.
Trump's push to ramp up fossil-fuel production, disregard for international agreements and refusal to provide climate finance will deepen the crisis, endangering lives and livelihoods -- especially in regions least responsible for, yet most impacted by, climate change, he said.
"With COP29 talks starting in Baku next week and aiming to secure an ambitious new climate finance goal, this news makes the already challenging path to consensus even steeper and more uncertain. The world cannot afford for its largest historical carbon emitter and top fossil-fuel producer to shirk its responsibility. By stepping back from climate commitments, Trump's actions threaten to erode trust in a global system already strained by the indifference and inaction of wealthy nations," Singh said.
However, French economist Laurence Tubiana, a key architect of the Paris Agreement, said the treaty is resilient and stronger than any single country's policies.
Europe now has the responsibility and opportunity to step up and lead. By pushing forward with a fair and balanced transition, in close partnership with others, it can show that ambitious climate action protects people, strengthens economies and builds resilience, Tubiana, who is also the CEO of European Climate Foundation, said.
Sébastien Treyer, the executive director of French think tank Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, said the Paris Agreement is holding in particular because the European Union and China are committed to it, and many American economic players, even among Trump's supporters, are already developing technologies for a decarbonised world.
However, he said commercial competition could further harden the trade conflict between China and the US, and the poorest countries will be even bigger victims than Europe.
Bill Hare, former Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) author and the CEO of Climate Analytics, said the election of a "climate denier" to the US presidency is extremely dangerous for the world.
"President Trump will not be above the laws of physics and nor will the country that he leads. If Trump follows through with his threat to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, the biggest loser will be the US. We have been there before -- the US' withdrawal in the first Trump presidency did not cause the agreement to collapse, as some pundits predicted," he said.
Hare said unwinding domestic action under a Trump administration will damage efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The prospects of keeping the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal open will ultimately hinge on the level of action taken by all other countries in the next few years and also on what the US does following the Trump presidency's conclusion. PTI
- 6 Nov 2024 12:47 PM GMT
Russia reacts to Trump's victory; calls US 'unfriendly' country
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "Let us not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country, which is both directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state" (in Ukraine)."
"We have repeatedly said that the US is able to contribute to the end of this conflict. This cannot be done overnight, but... the US is capable of changing the trajectory of its foreign policy. Will this happen, and if so, how ... we will see after (the US president's inauguration in) January," he added.
Peskov said he was not aware of any plans by President Vladimir Putin to congratulate Trump on his victory, according to a Reuters report.
- 6 Nov 2024 12:27 PM GMT
At 78, Trump is the oldest person to be elected US President
Donald Trump went from being a businessman, real estate tycoon and a reality TV star to becoming the country's first former US President to be declared a convicted felon.
And after surviving two assassination bids during his 2024 campaign, the 78-year old remains unstoppable with American voters giving him a second term. In the process, he shattered the dream of the Democratic Party, as well as that of millions of Kamala Harris supporters, to finally have the first woman President in the White House.
He is now the oldest person in US history to be elected president.
From the time he left office after his loss in the 2020 presidential election to his nomination as the Republican candidate in the 2024 race, Trump continued to dominate the American news cycle and the country's psyche.
