US President Joe Biden is expected to address the nation this afternoon after Donald Trump was elected as his successor in an extraordinary political comeback.
Mr Biden, who was replaced by vice president Kamala Harris as the Democrats’ presidential candidate over concerns about his mental fitness, will speak at 4pm (UK time), the White House said on Thursday.
He has already issued a statement in which he said Ms 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”.
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But later today will be the first time the country will hear from the president in person.
Mr Biden called Mr Trump after his emphatic victory in the US presidential election on Wednesday.
He has also invited the man he ousted from the White House four years ago to an Oval Office meeting to prepare to return the keys.
The president and president-elect will get together in the coming weeks as the administrations begin the process of changing leader.
Ms Harris called Mr Trump to concede the election and to congratulate him last night, and told her supporters in a speech in Washington she was “proud of the race we ran” but “we must accept the result”.
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Harris fans despair as she concedes
Mr Trump, who has described his return to power as the start of a “golden age of America”, has been keeping a low profile after addressing supporters in Florida yesterday morning to declare victory.
The 78-year-old made history as the first defeated president in over a century to return to the Oval Office – and the first convicted criminal to win the presidency.
He is also facing other criminal and civil cases.
Experts say his election victory will essentially end the criminal cases brought against him, at least for the time he occupies the White House.
The former president refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the US Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
The property mogul and former reality star told his supporters at his election party in Florida: “People told me that God spared me for a reason.”
He added: “This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to ‘make America great again’.”
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‘God spared my life for a reason’
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Against the expectations of most polls and pundits, Mr Trump surpassed 270 Electoral College votes and clinched a second term in the White House with crucial wins in five battleground states: North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
He is also leading in Arizona and Nevada (which are yet to called), according to Sky’s US partner NBC News, and remains on course to claim all seven swing states.
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How Trump won
Mr Trump spent his first day as president-elect receiving congratulatory phone calls from world leaders – and will now begin the process of choosing who will be in his administration for his second stint in the White House.
He may opt to dramatically transform US foreign and domestic policy.
Mr Trump has previously said he would end Russia’s war in Ukraine if he returned to office.
He has also long criticised NATO, threatening to pull the US from the alliance.
On Thursday, NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte warned the strengthening ties between Russia and North Korea are not only a threat to European security, but also for the United States.
“I look forward to a sit down with Donald Trump to discuss how we face these threats collectively,” he said.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was looking forward to working with Mr Trump again to strengthen the transatlantic bond.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet commented on the outcome of US election.
However, contact between him and Mr Trump before the 20 January inauguration has not been ruled out, the Russian Interfax news agency cited the Kremlin as saying.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged Mr Trump’s win but said he had no information on whether Mr Putin planned to congratulate him.
He underlined that Russia still sees the US as an “unfriendly” country due to its support for Ukraine.
