Presidential election highlights: November 6, 2024

AP estimated late Wednesday evening that there are more than 200,000 ballots left to count in Nevada – including more than 130,000 in Clark County. Given the narrow margins in the races for president and U.S. Senate, both are too early to call.

The AP will further review results released by Nevada election officials on Thursday.

Officials in Arizona’s Maricopa County said late Wednesday they’ve got more than 700,000 ballots left to count, which means races for president and U.S. Senate in the state will remain too early to call for another day.

In all, AP estimates there are at least a million ballots to be added to the results in Arizona. County election officials are expected to firm up those numbers on Thursday.

The FBI is warning of additional fabricated videos that misuse its name and insignia to undermine confidence in the electoral system.

One of the videos falsely claims that the FBI was made aware that at least 301 electors reported attempted bribery and blackmail by a political party.

Another video falsely claims that the FBI is investigating voter pressure at US military bases overseas, a third claims that a U.S. social media company has seen an increase in the number of separatist groups to include a total audience of more than 40 million people and the fourth falsely claims that the FBI has ordered media to restrict the spread of information about the bribery of electors.

The FBI says each of the videos contains false information.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has congratulated Trump on his “huge win” and discussed strengthening security and economic cooperation between the allies, according to a Seoul presidential official.

Kim Tae-hyo, Yoon’s deputy national security director, said Thursday that Yoon and Trump also discussed the growing threats posed by nuclear-armed North Korea, including its intercontinental ballistic missiles targeting the U.S. mainland, and its reported provision of troops to Russia in support of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.

Kim said Trump called for expanding the countries’ cooperation in the shipbuilding industries, highlighting South Korea’s strengths in building warships and vessels, and called for more detailed discussions on improving U.S. competitiveness in ship exports as well as maintenance and repair.

Kim said Yoon and Trump agreed to arrange an in-person meeting soon.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office said Trudeau congratulated Trump in a phone call. “The two leaders discussed the enduring and successful partnership between Canada and the United States,” the statement said.

The statement noted that they discussed trade, supply chains, global trading practices and North American security.

CLAIM: President Joe Biden won approximately 20 million more votes in the 2020 election than Vice President Kamala Harris earned in the 2024 race, proving either that Trump has cheated his way to a second term or that there was widespread fraud four years ago.

THE FACTS: The claims are unfounded. Votes from Tuesday’s presidential election are still being counted, so any comparison with previous races would not be accurate. In addition, election officials and agencies monitoring the vote have reported no significant issues with Tuesday’s election. Claims of widespread fraud in 2020 have been debunked countless times.

▶ Read more about the false claim

President Biden will address the nation Thursday at 11 a.m. EST. The remarks to the nation will be Biden’s first appearance on camera in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s decisive victory over Kamala Harris.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke about the election ahead of a game against the Boston Celtics. In August, he coached the U.S. Olympics men’s team to a gold medal in Paris.

“Well, I believe in democracy, and I think the American people have spoken and voted for Trump, and I want him to do well the next four years. I want our country to do well.”

“It’s a complex world. We’ve got a lot of interesting stuff between wars abroad, a global economy that has shifted everything in terms of what it means for our citizens and their day-to-day lives,” he said. “I want what’s best for us. I hope Trump can deliver.”

Donald Trump ran a campaign centered on hypermasculinity, actively courting young men in particular with interviews on popular male-centric podcasts.

In the closing weeks of the campaign, the former president and many of his surrogates leaned into sexist remarks and jokes about Vice President Kamala Harris.

Some of his supporters, including former presidential rival Nikki Haley, warned that the former president risked exacerbating his persistent gender gap with Harris. Prominent surrogates from billionaire Elon Musk to Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point, called on men to vote in large numbers to counter Harris’ expected strength among women.

In the end, the gender voting gap was unremarkable by recent historical standards.

▶ Read more takeaways from AP VoteCast

Trump has already appointed three Supreme Court justices. In his second term, he could well have a chance to name two more, creating a high court with a Trump-appointed majority that could serve for decades.

The decisive outcome spares the court from having to wade into election disputes. It also seems likely to change the tenor of cases that come before the justices, including on abortion and immigration.

The two eldest justices — Clarence Thomas, 76, and Samuel Alito, 74 — could consider stepping down knowing that Trump, a Republican, would nominate replacements who might be three decades younger and ensure conservative domination of the court through the middle of the century, or beyond.

Read more about how Trump could further shape the Supreme Court

Former President Bill Clinton and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wished Trump and running mate JD Vance well on Wednesday, writing that they “hope they will govern for all of us.”

The Clintons had been some of the most outspoken Democratic critics of Trump. The former Democratic president stumped across the country for Harris and running mate Tim Walz, while the former secretary of state, Trump’s opponent in 2016, had criticized her one-time rival throughout the entire election. The two commended Harris and Walz for running “a positive, forward-looking campaign to be proud of.”

“We must remember that America is bigger than the results of any one election, and what we as citizens do now will make the difference between a nation that moves forward and one that falls back,” they wrote. “We need to solve our problems and see our opportunities together. The future of our country depends on it.”

Trump’s campaign says he has accepted President Biden’s invitation to meet at the White House to discuss the presidential transition. No date has been announced yet but Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, said it would “take place shortly.” Cheung said Trump “very much appreciated” Biden’s congratulatory call on Wednesday.

Biden, in a White House-issued statement, praised Harris as “a tremendous partner and public servant full of integrity, courage, and character.” It was Biden’s first public comment in the aftermath of Trump’s victory.

The president also noted that Harris entered the campaign under “extraordinary circumstances,” a nod to his dropping out of the race 108 days before Election Day amid growing pressure from within his party after his cataclysmic debate performance against Trump.

Biden added that Harris “stepped up and led a historic campaign that embodied what’s possible when guided by a strong moral compass and a clear vision for a nation that is more free, more just, and full of more opportunities for all Americans.”

A disaffected electorate wanted former President Donald Trump to return to the White House, a blatant rejection of Vice President Kamala Harris and her nearly four years with President Joe Biden.

The Republican’s victory came from a public so put off by America’s trajectory that they welcomed his brash and disruptive approach. About 3 in 10 voters said they wanted total upheaval in how the country is run, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. Even if they weren’t looking for something that dramatic, more than half of voters overall said they wanted to see substantial change.

Both nationwide and in key battleground states, the Republicans won over voters who were alarmed about the economy and prioritized more aggressive enforcement of immigration laws. Those issues largely overshadowed many voters’ focus on the future of democracy and abortion protections — key priorities for Harris’ voters, but not enough to turn the election in her favor.

▶ Learn how this key issue shaped the election

As Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was leaving after his running mate’s concession speech, a reporter asked him: “What’s next?”

“Minnesota,” he answered.

Melania Trump marked her husband’s win in the 2025 election by saying a “majority of Americans have entrusted us with this important responsibility.”

The former — and future — first lady was an infrequent figure on the campaign trail with the Republican candidate. Melania Trump attended but did not speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. She did appear at Donald Trump’s election party early on Wednesday morning.

“We will safeguard the heart of our republic – freedom,” Melania Trump wrote. “I anticipate the citizens of our nation rejoining in commitment to each other and rising above ideology for the sake of individual liberty, economic prosperity, and security.”

For all the concerns about a tumultuous process that could leave Americans waiting for days to learn who its next president would be, news outlets instead experienced an election night that hewed close to tradition.

Fox News Channel declared Trump had reclaimed the presidency at 1:47 a.m. on Wednesday. Broadcast networks and The Associated Press had Trump on the precipice of returning to the presidency when he took the stage in Florida at 2:25 a.m. to declare victory.

Many journalists warned viewers that determining the winner could be a protracted process that could take several days like it had in 2020.

Yet from the first hints provided by exit poll results shortly after 5 p.m. EST, the election night story moved methodically in Trump’s direction.

▶ Read more about how the media covered election night

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement late Wednesday, saying that “we all pray for America’s success under the next administration,” but did not make mention of Trump by name.

Pelosi was seen as the architect of the Democratic party’s strategic shift from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris as top of their ticket over the summer. The California Democrat has been Trump’s biggest critic, saying previously that her goal is to ensure Trump never enters the White House again.

“The peaceful transfer of power is the cornerstone of our democracy,” Pelosi said. “After every election, we all have a responsibility to come together and find common ground.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence congratulated Trump for winning a second term in office, writing yet another awkward chapter in the relationship between the president-elect and his former running mate.

“The American people have spoken and Karen and I send our sincere congratulations to President-Elect Donald Trump and his family on his election as 47th President of the United States,” Pence wrote on behalf of him and his wife. The former vice president also congratulated Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who ran in place of Pence as Trump’s running mate.

“We will continue to pray for all those in authority and urge every American to join us in praying for our incoming President, Vice President and elected officials at every level,” Pence concluded.

Pence’s relationship with Trump fractured after the former vice president declined to follow the Republican president’s wishes and went ahead with certifying the 2020 election. Trump did not hold back in his contempt for Pence, questioning his judgment and calling him “delusional” on the campaign trail. Pence, in turn, declined to endorse his one-time running mate.

American presidential elections are a moment when the nation holds up a mirror to look at itself. They are a reflection of values and dreams, of grievances and scores to be settled.

The results say much about a country’s character, future and core beliefs. On Tuesday, America looked into that mirror and more voters saw former president Donald Trump, delivering him a far-reaching victory in the most contested states.

He won for many reasons. One of them was that a formidable number of Americans, from different angles, said the state of democracy was a prime concern.

Even as Trump prevailed, most voters said they were very or somewhat concerned that electing Trump would bring the U.S. closer to being an authoritarian country, where a single leader has unchecked power, according to the AP VoteCast survey. Still, 1 in 10 of those voters backed him anyway. Nearly 4 in 10 Trump voters said they wanted complete upheaval in how the country is run.

▶ Read more about Trump’s plans for American democracy

They’re called swing states for a reason.

On Tuesday, Trump led the Republican ticket to a sweeping national victory. He was on track to improve upon his 2020 vote performance in 48 states. This included bringing back into the fold the five states that had abandoned him for Democratic Joe Biden four years ago.

Six of the seven 2024 presidential battlegrounds that helped decide Tuesday’s election had all moved sharply away from Trump in 2020. They included Georgia and Arizona, which hadn’t supported a Democrat for president in more than 20 years, as well as North Carolina, which shifted sharply to the left but barely remained in Trump’s column in 2020.

Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin all supported Trump in 2016 after supporting Democratic presidential candidates for at least six consecutive elections but swung back toward Democrats in 2020.

This year, Trump significantly outperformed his 2020 showing in all battlegrounds and had either won or was leading in the vote in the count as of Wednesday afternoon.

Nevada maintained a 2.4 percentage-point advantage for the Democratic candidate in both 2016 and 2020. But Trump led by almost 5 percentage points on Wednesday, although the AP had not yet called the race.

The election of Donald Trump as president for a second time and the Republican takeback of the U.S. Senate could undo many of the national climate policies that are most reducing planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, according to climate solutions experts.

When they list measures that are making the most difference, it lines up with policies Trump has said he’ll target.

These rollbacks will come as more lives are being lost in heat waves, record amounts of climate pollution are accumulating in the atmosphere, the United States has been hit with what may be two of its most expensive hurricanes, and nations, which will meet in Baku, Azerbaijan next week for climate negotiations, have failed to take strong action to change these realities.

▶ Read about some of the measures

In a statement issued Wednesday, former President Barack Obama, along with former first lady Michelle Obama, said the election’s result “is obviously not the outcome we had hoped for” but noted that “living in a democracy is about recognizing that our point of view won’t always win out, and being willing to accept the peaceful transfer of power.”

Congratulating Trump and Vance, the Obamas expressed pride for Harris and Walz, for both of whom they campaigned, calling them “two extraordinary public servants who ran a remarkable campaign.”

The Obamas cast forward with hope for a divided America, saying that the nation’s problems are solvable “only if we listen to each other, and only if we abide by the core constitutional principles and democratic norms that made this country great.”

The White House is encouraging Trump to enter into the required agreements necessary to begin an orderly presidential transition.

Trump’s transition team still has not signed the agreements with the White House and the General Services Administration that allow them access to federal facilities, documents and personnel. The delay is holding up the federal government’s ability to begin processing security clearances for potential Trump administration national security appointees, potentially limiting the number of his staff who could work on sensitive information by Inauguration Day.

White House chief of staff Jeff Zients reached out to co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon to reiterate the role the agreements play in beginning a presidential transition, according to a White House official. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive transition planning.

Shortly after Harris’ concession speech, a series of Democratic lawmakers issued their first statements in response to the election results and promised to ensure a “peaceful” transition for the incoming Republican administration.

“As deeply, deeply disappointed as I am by the results of the election, make no mistake: my Democratic colleagues and I — unlike many Republicans after the 2020 election — will uphold the will of the American people, fulfill our constitutional duty and do our part to ensure a peaceful transfer of power,” Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois said in a statement.

Transition talks have not yet begun in earnest, according to a person with knowledge of the Trump campaign. Instead, the president-elect was busy taking calls from leaders, domestic and international, donors and key supporters. Transition discussions are expected to ramp up later in the week, as attention turns to naming an inaugural committee and formal transition team. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Nevada resumed counting votes on Wednesday afternoon, adding almost 21,000 votes including 9,000 from Clark County. Trump’s lead in the state is about 560,000 votes, and the race is too early to call. Clark, home to Las Vegas, has the greatest number of ballots left to be counted. Election officials in Clark plan for another update late Wednesday and to update daily at 11 p.m. EST through Saturday.

Democrats spent billions of dollars warning American voters that Donald Trump posed an imminent threat to democracy, that his economic policies would benefit only his wealthy friends, that he was literally a fascist.

In the end, voters didn’t care — or if they did, it didn’t matter.

And now, after Kamala Harris’ decisive loss, Democrats enter a second Trump presidency with no clear leader, no clear plan and no agreement on what caused them to be so wrong about the 2024 election.

“I think there needs to be a cleaning of the house, there needs to be a new generation of leaders that emerge,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., among the few Democrats with presidential ambitions to address the party’s future on Wednesday. “There needs to be new thinking, new ideas and a new direction. And, you know, the establishment produced a disaster.”

▶ Read more about the Democrats’ future

Former President Donald Trump won Alaska and its three electoral votes on Wednesday, adding to his lead in the Electoral College. Trump continues a decadeslong trend of Republicans carrying the state in the presidential race. When discussing Alaska, he has often cited his role while president in the passage of a 2017 tax law that called for oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Trump endorsed in Alaska’s other high-profile race this election cycle, backing Republican Nick Begich for U.S. House. The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 4:59 p.m. EST.

More than 70 national, state and local LGBTQ+ rights and advocacy organizations released a “solidarity statement” Wednesday reacting to the results of this week’s elections.

“Election outcomes at national, state, and local levels will impact our health, our safety, and our rights as LGBTQIA2S+ people and families,” the statement read. “Despite anti-LGBTQIA2S+ efforts to divide our communities, and particularly severe attacks against transgender people and LGBTQIA2S+ youth, we have succeeded in moving a few steps closer toward equity and justice for our community.”

The letter highlighted the reelection of lesbian U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and the election of the first transgender member of Congress, Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, of Delaware.

The statement did not mention Trump by name. But he and other Republican candidates frequently employed anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in campaign ads, remarks and platforms, particularly against transgender and nonbinary people.

The statement was signed by groups including the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, GLAAD, many PFLAG and Equality chapters, the Transgender Law Center, Advocates for Trans Equality, and the Trevor Project, a youth suicide prevention organization.

Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project, said separately in an email that volume on its crisis line from LGBTQ+ youths seeking help increased about 125% on Election Day through midday Wednesday.

The president watched Harris’ concession speech from the West Wing, the White House said.

The vice president used what she called “a law of history,” recalling an adage that “only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”

“I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case,” she said. “America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, billion stars. The light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service.”

“This is not a time to throw up our hands,” said Harris. “This is a time to roll up our sleeves.”

“Only when it is dark enough,” she said, “can you see the stars.”

Just as she walked in, Harris made her exit to the strains of Beyoncé's “Freedom,” filing off the stage with her family.

Harris may have been ending her campaign against Trump, but her concession outlined the contours of future fights against the president-elect.

“We will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public square,” Harris said, a nod to the work Democrats are poised to do in the next four years.

Harris specifically called out the young people she sought to organize, acknowledging the loss may hurt but that the work is not over.

“Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is don’t ever give up,” she said. “Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place.”

Harris attempted to focus on the future work Democrats need to do in her concession speech.

“While I concede this election,” she said, “I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”

“I will never give up a fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams ambitions and aspirations,” she said. America, she added, “will never give up the fight for our democracy.”

Harris urged her supporters to accept her loss in the 2024 presidential election and touted how she would help Trump with his transition.

“Folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now, I get it. But we must accept the results of this election,” she said.

“Earlier today I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory,” Harris said to a smattering of boos from the audience. “I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.”

Harris told supporters gathered at Howard University that she had lost her race against Trump, conceding to the Republican president who is now empowered by a sweeping mandate.

“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” Harris said. “But hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright, as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”

Harris had planned to address an audience like this at Howard on election night and had hoped she would have a more upbeat message to deliver. Instead, when Harris took the stage at her alma mater, she looked out at a sea of America flags and notably forlorn faces. She was flanked by 30 American flags.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, drew cheers from Democrats when he arrived at the vice president’s concession speech.

He was joined by his wife, Gwen.

The hype music ahead of Harris’ remarks has been an eclectic mix of rap and R&B, including a nod toward what Harris would have been — America’s second Black president.

Ahead of her walk on to Beyoncé's “Freedom,” a mix included Jeezy’s “My President,” which includes the lyric, “My president is Black.”

Arizona’s biggest county, Maricopa, says it will update its vote count this evening, sometime around 8 p.m. EST. Trump leads Harris by more than 4 points with about 60% of the expected vote counted. The newest votes will be mailed ballots that arrived or were dropped off on Election Day or shortly before. It’s not clear which candidate those will favor.

Democrat Kamala Harris earned a statewide win in Maine, collecting a pair of electoral votes on Wednesday. Maine is one of two states that divide their electoral votes with two votes going to the statewide winner and one vote apiece to the winner of each congressional district. The last time a Republican won the statewide vote in Maine was in 1988, when Republican George W. Bush defeated Democrat Michael Dukakis. The Associated Press declared Harris the statewide winner at 4:23 p.m. EST.

Harris’ campaign chair acknowledged the Democrat’s “unfathomably painful” loss in a memo to staff, but told the operatives who worked for the vice president that “the work of protecting America from the impacts of a Trump Presidency starts now.”

Jen O’Malley Dillon’s memo to staff acknowledged the pain of the moment for Democrats but took a hopeful tone about the work these staffers have done.

“Losing is unfathomably painful. It is hard. This will take a long time to process,” she wrote. “But the work of protecting America from the impacts of a Trump Presidency starts now.”

O’Malley Dillon said Harris “isn’t finished in this fight” and said the staffers who worked for the vice president are “going to be leaders in this collective mission.”

“View this as the beginning, not the end” she concluded. “It will be hard work. But as the boss says: hard work is good work.”

Beyoncé's “Freedom” became a mainstay of Harris’ presidential campaign, and some of the artist’s other music is providing the soundtrack of the event expected to include her concession speech.

“Run the World (Girls)” played through speakers at Howard University as supporters, members of Congress and other Democratic notables awaited the Democratic nominee.

Harris’ presidential campaign took on Beyoncé's 2016 track “Freedom” as its anthem, with Harris walking out to it at dozens of events, including her acceptance speech at this summer’s Democratic National Convention.

The singer appeared with Harris last month during a campaign rally in her hometown of Houston, bringing a high level of star power to what had become a key theme of the Democratic nominee’s bid: freedom.

House Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi, White House adviser Tom Perez and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser are among the crowd waiting for Harris to speak at Howard.

Voters in Missouri cleared the way to undo one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans in one of seven victories for abortion rights advocates, while Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota defeated similar constitutional amendments, leaving bans in place.

Abortion rights amendments also passed in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland and Montana. Nevada voters also approved an amendment, but they’ll need to pass it again it 2026 for it to take effect. Another that bans discrimination on the basis of “pregnancy outcomes” prevailed in New York.

The results came in the same election where Trump won the presidency. Among his inconsistent positions on abortion has been an insistence that it’s an issue best left to the states. Still, the president can have a major impact on abortion policy through executive action.

▶ Read more about the national abortion landscape

Harris has left the vice president’s residence and is traveling to Howard University, her alma mater, to publicly concede the election to President-elect Trump.

Harris has already spoken to Trump by telephone to congratulate him on winning, according to one of the VP’s aides. Trump’s team has confirmed the conversation.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will join Harris at Howard.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II is urging Trump to boost international efforts to protect regional and global stability.

The Jordanian Royal Court posted on X that the king called Trump to congratulate him on winning the presidential election.

He noted in the call that the United States plays a pivotal role in maintaining stability in the Mideast and world, the royal court said.

The former president and now president-elect often skipped over details but through more than a year of policy pronouncements and written statements outlined a wide-ranging agenda that blends traditional conservative approaches to taxes, regulation and cultural issues with a more populist bent on trade and a shift in America’s international role.

Trump’s agenda also would scale back federal government efforts on civil rights and expand presidential powers.

▶ Read more about Trump’s proposed policy plans

Belarus’ authoritarian leader President Alexander Lukashenko has congratulated Donald Trump on winning the U.S. presidential election, despite tensions between the countries.

“You did it first and foremost in the name of America and its citizens. I wish you good health, well-aimed political decisions that will make America great again,” Lukashenko said in a statement.

Since protests against alleged fraud in the 2020 elections that gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office, he has led a harsh and extensive crackdown on opposition. The Trump administration adopted two packages of sanctions against Belarus for the falsification of its own 2020 elections and violence against protesters.