After months of preparation, campaigning and voting, America has elected the 47th president of the United States.  

President Donald J. Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the early hours of Nov. 6. Trump received 295 electoral votes while Harris trailed with 226 electoral votes.  

Harris and Trump were expected to be neck and neck, and Trump ended with 50.9% votes and Harris with 47.6% votes.

Many voters anticipated the count would take longer than it did, as battleground states such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin can make or break the election for candidates. Trump won the states that led to victory for the election.  

Harris took states like California, Washington, Oregon, New York, Colorado, New Mexico, Illinois, Minnesota, Virgina, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.  

This election year, both candidates took advantage of platforms like TikTok to appeal to younger voters. Kamala Harris campaigned heavily under the username KamalaHQ, with a following of 5.6 million and over 295 million likes. She used her platform to engage in Generation Z humor, music, celebrity endorsements and more.  

Donald Trump also used the platform with a following of 6.9 million followers and 184 million likes. Trump was active on the app in the days and weeks leading up to the election.

According to National Public Radio, Harris was set to speak at her alma mater Howard University the night of the election. After the results were projected, she returned the next day and spoke to her voters and announced she plans to keep fighting. She also spoke about accepting the results of the election and said it was a fundamental principle of American democracy.  

Trump delivered his acceptance speech in West Palm Beach, Florida. According to USA Today, Trump announced he will fight for the people with every breath in his body. He spoke to the fact that it is time to unite, and that success will bring the country together.  

Donald Trump will be inaugurated into office Jan. 20, 2025.  

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