Donald Trump has declared victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential election, after the Associated Press and other major news outlets called the presidential race in his favor.
Addressing his supporters from his campaign’s watch party in Florida, Trump said, “Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future.” He added he was going to make people “very happy” and “very proud” of their vote.
“We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly,” Trump said. “We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country.”
At the time of his speech, Trump had 267 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House and is leading in several key races, including Michigan and Wisconsin. The count continues.
Meanwhile, the Harris campaign announced that the Vice President would not immediately deliver a speech and supporters were seen leaving her election night watch party.
While some celebrated, many in Hollywood and the music industry were stunned — including Bette Midler, who quoted journalist and essayist H.L. Mencken in one of the night’s most scathing responses.
“When a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental…The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.”
The quote continues, “On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
Cardi B kept it short but direct as Trump’s lead grew throughout the evening: “We need a Hail Mary,” she tweeted, clearly shaken by the turn of events after endorsing Kamala Harris. On Instagram, she went a step further, posting to her Story, “I hate y’all bad.”
According to AP News, Trump would be the first former president to return to power since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election. He also stands to be the first person convicted of a felony to be elected president and, at 78.
