(NewsNation) — Republican candidate Donald Trump will win Pennsylvania and thus the presidency for a second time, NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ projects.
Speaking to supporters at around 1:30 a.m. CT Wednesday, Trump said, “This was a movement like nobody’s ever seen before.
“Frankly, this was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time. There’s never been anything like this in this country and maybe beyond, and now it’s going to reach a new level of importance because we’re going to help our country heal.”
Trump’s running mate and now Vice President-elect JD Vance, who also spoke, called the former president’s win the greatest political comeback “in the history of the United States of America.”
“He turned out to be a good choice,” Trump said of Vance.
Another person Trump praised during his remarks was Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who spent time in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, stumping for him. He also referenced Robert F. Kennedy Jr., saying the former independent presidential candidate is going to “help make America healthy again.”
Kennedy has previously said Trump asked him to reorganize federal health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It’s time to put the divisions of the past four years behind us,” Trump said. “It’s time to unite.”
Trump faced off against the Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris in a tight and highly contentious race.
Harris called Trump Wednesday to congratulate him and urge him to be a president for all Americans.
With Trump’s projected win, the Republicans will regain control of the White House four years after they lost to President Joe Biden in 2020.
Biden also called to congratulate Trump on his victory, emphasizing a smooth transition of power. He invited the president-elect to the White House and said he would address the nation Thursday about the election and the transition.
Trump will become the oldest president to be elected to the White House at 78 years old. President Joe Biden was previously the oldest president to be elected at 77.
He will enter the White House with a Republican-controlled Senate, NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ projects.
“We have taken back control of the Senate,” Trump said, adding that the number of victories in that chamber was “absolutely incredible.”
Trump showed an early lead as polls started closing in the East Coast with the “red mirage.” With early wins in swing states Georgia and North Carolina, Pennsylvania gave him the final electoral votes to seize the 270 needed to secure the presidency.
On his way to 270 electoral votes, the Republican candidate won Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Wyoming, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, West Virginia, Montana, Idaho and Utah.
The victory comes just months after Harris entered the race in late July after Biden suspended his campaign.
This campaign season, Trump has been the target of two assassination attempts. In July, a gunman fired and struck Trump while on stage during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Secret Service returned fire, killing the gunman, Thomas Crooks.
In September, an alleged would-be gunman was positioned outside one of Trump’s golf courses before the Secret Service fired at him. The suspect, Ryan Routh, pleaded not guilty to assassination attempt charges.
Despite the attempts on his life and numerous legal battles after being indicted four times on various charges, Trump remained defiant in his campaign for a second term in the White House.
“Four months from now, we will have an incredible victory, and we will begin the four greatest years in the history of our country,” Trump predicted in a 93-minute speech accepting the Republican nomination for president in Milwaukee, which just took place less than a week after the Pennsylvania rally. “Together, we will launch a new era of safety, prosperity and freedom for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed.”
On the campaign trail, Trump focused on border security and the economy, blaming Biden and Harris for the number of immigrants who have crossed into the U.S. illegally since 2021.
Trump targeted Harris, saying she had failed as Biden’s “border czar” while also blaming the current administration for allowing inflation to soar out of control.
Trump and Harris faced each other in only one presidential debate, where both took jabs at one another on several key policies.
Despite being pressed by Harris to participate in a second debate, Trump declined, saying he had already participated in two debates, counting the one in Atlanta against Biden. Trump said that a second debate with Harris would be too late, citing the fact early voting had already begun in several states.
Trump will take office in January after Biden finishes his term. He’s already pledged to address the ongoing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, saying that he will begin mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
NewsNation’s Damita Menezes and Libbey Dean contributed to this report.
