How Trump pulled off a historic comeback

Hello. Donald Trump has won more than the 270 electoral colleges needed to secure victory in the US presidential vote. As I write, Kamala Harris is due to address the public, having already conceded to her rival earlier on Wednesday. You can follow our live page for the latest updates and analysis. Sarah Smith reflects on how the former president convinced voters to give him a second chance. In Michigan, Madeline Halpert hears how the war in Gaza influenced some voters' choices, while Lily Jamali explores how Trump supporter Elon Musk might benefit from the election result.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Three reasons for Trump's victory

Four years after leaving the White House, Donald Trump is set to move back in. Credit: AP

Although final votes are still being counted, at the time of writing Trump was projected to win the popular vote with more than 71 million votes. His victory is historic in more ways than one. Not only is he the first president in more than a century to win a second, non-consecutive term, he will also become the first sitting president to have been convicted of a felony, after being found guilty of falsifying business records.

The economy was a top election issue. How did it sway voters for Trump?

So many people who voted for him told me again and again that they felt the economy was much better when he was in office and they were sick of trying to make ends meet. Although much of the cause of inflation was due to outside forces such as the Covid-19 pandemic, they blamed the outgoing administration.

What resonated about Trump's message on another top issue, immigration?

Voters were also deeply concerned about illegal immigration, which had reached record levels under Biden. They usually didn’t express racist views or believe that migrants were eating people’s pets, as Trump and his supporters had claimed. They just wanted much stronger border enforcement.

Why did voters reject Democrats' concerns about Trump's return to power?

In the end, they just couldn’t vote for Harris, who served as Biden’s vice-president for four years. They believed it would be more of the same, and they wanted change. It is perhaps one of the ironies of this election that the candidate who most represented change was himself in power just four years ago. But there are several differences between then and now.

THE BIG PICTURE

How Musk can benefit from Trump's win

The world’s richest person spent election night in Florida with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Credit: Getty Images

In his victory speech, Trump thanked billionaire Elon Musk for his support in the campaign and called him a "super genius". North America technology correspondent Lily Jamali looks into what the entrepreneur and his companies could gain from the Republican's return to power.

And finally... in Scotland

You might have heard of Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippo born in a zoo in Thailand that has become an internet sensation. But a zoo in Edinburgh was also recently blessed with the birth of a fellow calf of the endangered species - meet Haggis.