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Election 2024 live updates: Biden vows to ensure a peaceful transition to Trump in address to nation

President-elect Donald Trump considering appointments to second administration after Kamala Harris delivers gracious consession speech, urging supporters not to lose heart

Biden praises Harris while promising peaceful transition of power to Trump

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President Joe Biden assured Americans that there will be a “peaceful and orderly” transition to the next Trump administration in a speech in the Rose Garden at the White House on Thursday.

“Yesterday, I spoke with President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory, and I assured him, I will direct my entire administration work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition,” Biden said in a short speech in front of staff and press.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is celebrating his election win by beginning the process of choosing who will join his second administration, as his conservative allies and surrogates jostle for position in the hope of securing a top role.

Trump’s defeated adversary Kamala Harris called to congratulate him on his victory on Wednesday afternoon and subsequently delivered a concession speech at Howard University, in which she said that, while she concedes the election, she will not give up the fight that fueled her campaign.

“The fight for freedom, opportunity, fairness, and dignity of all people, and ideals at the heart of this nation… that is a fight I will never give up,” the vice president said.

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Biden ends Rose Garden speech: ‘We need to keep the faith’

Biden ended his short speech in the Rose Garden, urging supporters to “Remember, defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up.”

He added: “That's the story of America for over 240 years, and counting. It’s the story for all of us, not just some of us. The American experiment endures. We're going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going. And above all, we need to keep the faith.”

Gustaf Kilander7 November 2024 16:37
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Biden calls Harris ‘a partner and a public servant'

Biden said he spoke to Harris yesterday, calling her “a partner and a public servant.”

“She ran an inspiring campaign, and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect so much. Her character, she has a backbone like a ramrod,” he added.

Gustaf Kilander7 November 2024 16:31
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Biden begins speech on Harris election loss: ‘The will of the people always prevails'

President Joe Biden began his speech from the Rose Garden on Thursday by saying, “For over 200 years, America has carried on the greatest experiment in self-government in the history of the world. That's not hyperbole. That's a fact.”

“The people vote and choose their own leaders, and they do it peacefully. And we're in a democracy. The will of the people always prevails,” he added. “Yesterday, I spoke with President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory, and I assured him, I direct my entire administration work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition.”

Gustaf Kilander7 November 2024 16:28
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Watch live: Biden addresses nation after Trump’s historic presidential win against Harris

Watch live as President Joe Biden addresses the nation on Thursday (7 November) after Donald Trump’s historic win against Kamala Harris.

Biden will address the nation from the White House Rose Garden at 11am ET (4pm GMT).

Meanwhile, Trump is celebrating his election win by beginning the process of choosing who will join his second administration, as his conservative allies and surrogates jostle for position in the hope of securing a top role.

Trump completed a shocking political comeback by winning the election four years after leaving the White House.

The former president surpassed the magic number of 270 Electoral College votes early yesterday after winning key battleground states.

He also won 51 percent of the popular vote, picking up 72.5m votes to Harris’s 68m as she fell well short of Biden’s 2020 total of 81m.

Lucy Leeson7 November 2024 16:12
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Why Trump will likely never see the inside of a prison cell — or be sentenced at all

In theory, the next President of the United States is supposed to face sentencing for his New York criminal trial conviction at the end of the month.

But following his dramatic election win this week it is looking increasingly likely that won’t happen and Donald Trump will once again evade repercussions for his actions.

More than five months ago, a New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records stemming from hush-money payments he gave to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.

Why Trump will likely never see the inside of a prison cell — or be sentenced at all

Legal experts feel confident the judge overseeing Trump’s hush money case will cancel his sentencing

Ariana Baio7 November 2024 16:00
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Watch: How late-night covered Trump’s return to the White House

US late-night hosts despondently address election result as Trump becomes president
Joe Sommerlad7 November 2024 15:50
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Election 2024 results breakdown: The electoral college, turnout, tightest races and who controls Congress

On Wednesday afternoon, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris gave a speech conceding victory to Donald Trump, who has won the 2024 presidential election.

Trump has won at least 295 electoral college votes, more than what was needed to push him over the line of 270 to become the president-elect of the United States. Though two states (Arizona and Nevada) have not yet been called, Trump has already surpassed the number of votes to secure his return trip to the White House.

Votes will continue to be counted and certified in the coming days and weeks, so these numbers may not be final. But at this stage in the race, here are the numbers you need to know from the 2024 presidential election, from turnout to Senate control.

The 2024 presidential election in numbers

The Independent’s data correspondent looks at the numbers you need to know from the 2024 election, from how many states were flipped, to control of the Senate.

Alicja Hagopian7 November 2024 15:35
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What’s next for reproductive healthcare under Trump?

The Dobbs decision in 2022 not only eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion but also left chaos and confusion in its wake, raising troubling questions about the future of reproductive healthcare in the United States.

Kelly Rissman and Alicja Hagopian report.

What’s next for reproductive healthcare during the Trump administration?

The Dobbs decision in 2022 not only eliminated the constitutional right to abortion but also left chaos and confusion in its wake, raising troubling questions about the future of reproductive healthcare. Kelly Rissman and Alicja Hagopian report

Joe Sommerlad7 November 2024 15:30
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How celebrities reacted to Trump’s election win

Here’s Jacob Stolworthy to round-up how America’s stars greeted the news of four more years of Donald Trump in the White House.

Celebrities react as Donald Trump wins 2024 US election to become president

Film, TV and music stars are sharing their responses to the election result

Joe Sommerlad7 November 2024 15:10
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What a second Trump presidency means for America

The Republican’s third campaign was defined by a promise of retribution and a sharpened nativist agenda to take America back again, Alex Woodward writes.

Emboldened and unshackled: What a second Trump presidency means for America

ANALYSIS: His third campaign was defined by a promise of retribution and a sharpened nativist agenda to take America back again, Alex Woodward reports

Joe Sommerlad7 November 2024 14:50

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