America election results: Trump eyes White House return after historic win over Kamala Harris| Top developments

Donald Trump (L) and Kamala Harris are locked in a tight race that is expected to go down to the wire (AP Photo)

Donald Trump is set to return as the president of United States for a second term with media outlets calling the elections in the Republican candidate's favour after victories in all big battleground states. The election verdict comes mere hours after millions of Americans lined up to vote to choose between the former US President and his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.

The final results from various states are expected over the next few hours, or even days. However, AP and other outlets have called swing states such as Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania for Trump, which all but seals the election for the Republicans.

US Election Results: Live Updates

A candidate needs to secure at least 270 electoral college votes to win the US election. Read more on how the Electoral College system works in US here.

Here are the latest results of US presidential elections 2024:

* AP calls Donald Trump for Wisconsin

Trump won the key swing state of Wisconsin, defeating his Democratic rival and Vice President Kamala Harris in a critical battleground. The win delivered 10 electoral college votes to Trump. With this victory, Donald Trump comfortable crossed the 270-majority mark.

* AP has called Pennsylvania for Trump

Donald Trump gets the big battleground state, dealing a setback to Kamala Harris' campaign. He will get 19 electoral votes. Trump has won Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes four years after Democrat Joe Biden carried the state, flipping it from Trump’s column in 2016 on his way to capturing the “blue wall.” .

* AP calls New Hampshire for Harris

In line with the two-decade trend, New Hampshire has again voted for the Democratic Party, giving Kamala Harris four more electoral votes. Harris' win comes nine months after the Democratic National Committee bypassed New Hampshire as the leadoff presidential primary. .

* Trump gets another swing state

The Republican candidate has won the battleground state of Georgia, cementing his lead over Harris. He will get 16 votes from the key state. Joe Biden narrowly carried Georgia in 2020, but Republicans have won every other Georgia presidential vote since 1996.

* Hawaii goes to Harris

The Vice President has won the island state and its four electoral votes. It’s the 10th straight presidential election in which Hawaii has picked the Democratic Party candidate. She has also won the 2nd Congressional District in Nebraska and one electoral vote.

* Kamala Harris secures New Mexico, Virginia

AP has called New Mexico for Kamala Harris. The state adds 5 electoral votes to Democrats’ tally. She has also won Virginia, which gives 13 votes.

* AP calls Oregon for Harris

8 more electoral votes for Kamala Harris in Oregon. The state has been voting blue since 1988.

* And the swing state of North Carolina goes to Trump 

AP has called North Carolina for Trump. The former President has secured the state's 16 electoral votes, defeating Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the battleground state. Despite Democratic efforts, including heavy campaign spending from the Harris campaign, Trump maintained his hold on the state, which he also won in 2016 and 2020.

* Kamala Harris bags California, Washington

As expected, Kamala Harris has won California, giving her the largest number of electoral votes in the presidential election at 54. The Vice President has also won Washington’s 12 electoral votes, besting former President Donald Trump in a state where he is not popular. Washington has not gone for a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

* Trump wins Idaho, Iowa and Kansas

By securing victories in these states, he has added a combined 16 electoral votes to his tally. Idaho, a deeply Republican state, has consistently given more than 60% of its vote to GOP candidates since Lyndon Johnson’s narrow win in 1964. Iowa, once a swing state, has now backed Trump for three consecutive elections. Similarly, Kansas, a Republican stronghold since 1964, continued its support for Trump despite shifting political dynamics in suburban areas.

* More wins for Harris

Kamala Harris wins the 1st Congressional District in Maine. She has also won the District of Columbia, the seat of power. The win in DC is no surprise since it's a Democratic stronghold. Harris has also picked up Colorado, adding 10 more votes to her tally.

* Donald Trump gets Montana, Utah

The former President won Montana for the third straight election on Tuesday, adding four electoral votes to his tally. He also scooped 6 more electoral votes from Utah, the mountain state.

* Missouri goes to Trump

The Republican nominee has won the deeply conservative state by an overwhelming margin, AP has projected.

* AP calls Texas for Trump

With 40 electoral college votes, Texas is the second most politically crucial state in US after California. Trump has won the election here for the third consecutive time, in line with expectations. The state is deeply red and has not voted for Democrats since 1976.

* Trump notches up several more wins, Harris takes New York

The former President has secured victories in several reliably Republican states, such as North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Louisiana, Wyoming, and the statewide popular vote in Nebraska, as per AP. Trump also wib the 3rd Congressional District in Nebraska and one electoral vote.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris won New York and New Jersey, solidifying Democratic strongholds in states that have consistently voted blue since the 1980s.

* Kamala Harris has notched up a victory in Illinois: AP

The solidly blue state has 19 electoral votes and has voted consistently for the Democratic Party in every election since 1992.

* AP calls New Jersey and Delaware for Harris, Arkansas for Trump

Trump won Arkansas' six electoral votes on Tuesday, marking his third consecutive victory in the solidly Republican state. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris secured New Jersey's 14 electoral votes, continuing the Democratic stronghold in the state, which has consistently voted for the party’s presidential candidate since 1988. Her victory in Delaware is also along expected lines since the state has also voted for the Blue Party since 1988.

* Trump, Harris notch more wins

AP has called several states for both Trump and Harris.  Trump has won Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida, according to AP projections. Kamala Harris has won Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Other US networks have also called New Jersey and Illinois for Harris.

* Trump leads Harris as first states are called

Donald Trump has won West Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky while Harris has won Vermont, according to AP. The race call is along expected lines.

* Swing states

According to early AP projections, Trump is leading in the key swing state of Georgia while Harris is ahead in Pennsylvania and Michigan. The results in the swing states, also known as battleground states, are likely to determine the winner of the presidential polls.

* Exit poll shows democracy, abortion, economy are top priorities for US voters

The first wave of exit polls reveal that democracy, the economy, and abortion are the key concerns for voters in the US presidential election. According to CBS News polls, nearly six in 10 people ranked the state of democracy as their top concern. It 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 issue.

According to a CNN exit poll, about three-quarters of the electorate have a negative outlook on the current state of affairs in the US. Only about one-quarter 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 poll.

* Most important day in US history: Trump

Earlier, Republican candidate and former US President Donald Trump cast his vote in Florida and said that he is confident about returning to the White House.

“I ran a great campaign. I think it was maybe the best of the three. We did great in the first one. We did much better in the second one but something happened. I would say this is the best campaign we’ve run,” he said. He was accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump.

He also said that he will not challenge the results even if he loses, "if a it's a fair election".

Earlier, in a post on X, Trump said that today would be the "most important day in American history". “It is now officially ELECTION DAY! This will be the most important day in American History, Voter enthusiasm is THROUGH THE ROOF because people want to Make America Great Again. That means lines are going to be long! Need you to deliver your vote no matter how long it takes. STAY IN LINE!”

* Fake bomb threats made to US polling stations

Earlier in the day, the FBI said that fake bomb threats have been made to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains.

"None of the threats have been determined to be credible thus far," it said in a statement. It did not identify the states.

In another incident, US Capitol Police arrested a man at the visitors center who smelled like fuel and was carrying a torch and a flare gun, police said in a statement. The Capitol Visitor Center was closed while they investigated, US Capitol Police said.

* Harris, Trump tie in first Election Day vote

The Election Day officially kicked off with a tie between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris as both the candidates split the six votes cast in a tiny New Hampshire town of Dixville Notch.

The Republican ex-president and the Democratic vice president secured three votes each in the hamlet of Dixville Notch, which has been carrying on the midnight voting custom since 1960.

The result was a big shift from 2020 when US President Joe Biden had swept the town by winning all 5 votes. In 2024, four of the registered voters are Republicans whike the other two are independents.