US President Joe Biden delivered remarks to the nation on Thursday after a stinging election defeat for his Democratic Party at the hands of Republican Donald Trump, whose stunning political comeback has reverberated around the world. "Setbacks are unavoidable but giving up is unforgivable," Biden said in his address, adding that he would ensure a "peaceful and orderly" transition to Trump on January 20. Read our live blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This live blog is no longer being updated. For more coverage on the 2024 US presidential elections, click here.
Democrats hold onto Nevada's 3 US House seats
Three U.S. House seats in Nevada will remain under Democratic control after a sweeping win Thursday for the incumbents, while the state's tight Senate race was still too early to call.
The Associated Press has declared Democratic Reps. Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford winners in their respective races. The state's lone Republican Congressman, Mark Amodei, cruised to victory Tuesday night in his reliably red district in northern Nevada.
Lee won over conservative policy analyst Drew Johnson in what is widely considered the state's most competitive district, which covers a large swath of the culturally diverse Spring Valley neighborhood in Las Vegas and more rural areas of southern Nevada.
Horsford, a four-term congressman who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, defeated former North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee in a district that stretches north from Las Vegas, toward rural Nye County in the west and along the Utah border in the eastern portion of the district.
Trump campaign chief Susie Wiles named White House chief of staff by President-Elect
President-elect Donald Trump has named Susie Wiles, the manager of his victorious campaign, as his White House chief of staff, the first woman to ever hold the influential role.
Wiles is widely credited within and outside Trump’s inner circle for running what was, by far, his most disciplined and well-executed campaign, and was seen as the leading contender for the position. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the mic to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning.
She was able to do what few others have been able to: help control Trump’s worst impulses — not by chiding him or lecturing, but by earning his respect and showing him that he was better off when he followed her advice than flouted it.
“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again," Trump said in a statement. "It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”
Trump considering Robinhood attorney, Republican regulators for financial agency short list
Trump transition team officials are considering retail brokerage Robinhood's top lawyer, as well as bank regulators and corporate attorneys, for a short list of key financial agency heads they expect to present to the president-elect soon, according to multiple people with knowledge of the matter.
Among those being considered for chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission is Dan Gallagher, a Republican SEC commissioner from 2011 to 2015 who is currently chief legal and compliance officer at Robinhood, the people said. Gallagher, who is a popular pick among cryptocurrency executives who donated millions of dollars to Donald Trump's Republican campaign, is the front-runner at this point, although the discussions are fluid, two of the people said.
Also in the mix for SEC chair is Paul Atkins, another former Republican SEC commissioner and CEO of consultancy Patomak Global Partners. Atkins served on Trump's transition team in 2016, when he was also a contender for the SEC chair role, Reuters reported at the time.
Edison projects Democrat Vindman elected to US House
Democrat Eugene Vindman, whose twin brother Alexander Vindman played a role in the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, Edison Research projected.
Eugene Vindman, who served as a legal advisor to the White House National Security Council during Trump's presidency, defeated Republican Derrick Anderson to represent Virginia's 7th district, a seat currently held by Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who is not seeking reelection and instead running for governor of Virginia next year.
His brother Alexander Vindman, a former Ukraine expert for the NSC, testified to Congress in 2019 on Trump's controversial telephone phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that led to the first of two Trump impeachments.
Republican Dave McCormick flips Pennsylvania, widening Senate majority
Republican David McCormick has won Pennsylvania’s pivotal U.S. Senate seat, as the former CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund beat three-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in Tuesday’s election after accusing the incumbent of supporting policies that led to inflation, domestic turmoil and war.
Several media outlets projected that Republican Dave McCormick would defeat Democratic Senator Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, giving Trump's party at least 53 seats in the 100-seat chamber next year. That margin could climb as high as 55 seats if Republicans win close races in Arizona and Nevada, which remain uncalled.
In the battle for the House, Republicans were edging closer to victory. Republicans had secured 209 seats, putting them just nine short of a majority in the 435-seat chamber. Democrats would have to win 23 of the 31 remaining uncalled races to take a House majority and maintain a toehold on power in Washington.
Arab-Americans flock to Trump in US presidential election
Incoming US president Donald Trump made inroads with almost every demographic, but none more surprising perhaps than his gains with Muslim voters, after a characteristically bold promise to end bloodshed in the Middle East, late in the campaign.
Trump's courting of the US's largest Arab-American population in Michigan, which voted overwhelmingly for Biden in 2020, could help explain how he flipped the battleground state.
FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell reports:
Trump suggests he will speak to Putin, NBC News reports
US President-elect Donald Trump suggested Thursday that he would likely speak with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, NBC News reported, after the Republican was swept to victory in the US presidential election.
Trump was discussing his transition in an interview with the network when he mentioned he had spoken to "probably" 70 world leaders since Wednesday morning and revealed that he had not talked to Putin – but added, "I think we'll speak."
Biden will keep pressing diplomatic efforts in Gaza, Lebanon, White House says
President Joe Biden will continue to advance diplomatic efforts to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of hostages, as well as continue to seek a resolution in Lebanon before he leaves office next January, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday.
US election will have no near-term effect on Fed policy, Jerome Powell says
The US presidential election outcome will have "no effects" on central bank policy decisions in the near-term, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told reporters Thursday, after Republican Donald Trump's victory at the polls.
"We don't know what the timing and substance of any policy changes will be. We therefore don't know what the effects on the economy would be," he added after the Fed unveiled its rate decision. "We don't guess, we don't speculate, and we don't assume."
Democrat Kim Schrier wins reelection to US House in Washington
Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier won a fourth term Thursday in Washington, beating Republican Carmen Goers in a district made up of a mix of wealthy Seattle exurbs and central Washington farmland.
The 8th District seat had always been held by the GOP before Schrier, a pediatrician, took office in 2019. She survived a series of somewhat close races since then before facing Goers this year.
Schrier has combined progressive stances, such as protecting abortion rights, with an emphasis on securing highway money or funding for specialty crop research facilities. The Washington Farm Bureau endorsed her this year.
US intends to get all appropriated aid to Ukraine before end of Biden's term
The United States intends to do everything in its power to get all appropriated aid to Ukraine before the end of President Joe Biden's administration, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Thursday.
President-elect Donald Trump, who won the US election this week, has been critical of Biden's assistance for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, fueling concern about the future of support for President Volodomyr Zelenskiy's government.
Putin congratulates Trump on US election victory, says he is ready to talk
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on winning this week's US presidential election and said on Thursday he was ready to speak to Trump, as any ideas on facilitating an end to the Ukraine crisis merited attention.
Putin said he was impressed with how Trump, who decisively defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to secure his return to the White House, handled himself in the moments after an assassination attempt in July, describing Trump as a brave man.
Blinken to continue working on peace in Middle East until term ends
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to keep working to end the Gaza and Lebanon wars in his time remaining before handing over to President-elect Donald Trump, the State Department said Thursday.
"We will continue to pursue an end to the war in Gaza, an end to the war in Lebanon, a surge of humanitarian assistance (to Gaza), and that is our duty to pursue those policies right up until noon on January 20 when the president-elect takes office," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
Blinken names ambassador to run State Department's transition to Trump
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has appointed Ambassador Stephen Mull to coordinate the transition to Donald Trump's administration on behalf of the State Department, spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Thursday, after Republican Trump's election victory earlier this week.
The State Department has not yet made contact with the Trump transition team, Miller said. He added that Blinken intends to use his remaining time in office to make tangible progress on a number of critical issues, including on competition with China, ensuring Ukraine is in the best possible position for success and bringing an end to the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza.
Trump likely to allow Jerome Powell to finish term, CNN says
US President-elect Donald Trump is likely to allow Jerome Powell to serve the remainder of his term as the Federal Reserve chair, CNN reported on Thursday, citing a senior adviser to Trump.
While Trump could change his mind, he and his economic team's present view is that Powell should remain atop the central bank until Powell's term expires in May 2026, CNN reported, citing the unidentified senior adviser.
The Fed has long guarded its status as an independent institution able to make difficult decisions about borrowing rates, free from political interference. Yet during his previous term in the White House, Trump publicly attacked Chair Jerome Powell after the Fed raised rates to fight inflation, and he may do so again.
Trump readies to appoint top jobs for his new cabinet
Trump’s impending return to the White House means he’ll want to stand up an entirely new administration from the one that served under President Joe Biden. His team is also pledging that the second won’t look much like the first one Trump established after his 2016 victory.
The president-elect now has a 75-day transition period to build out his team before Inauguration Day arrives on January 20.
FRANCE 24 correspondent Kethevane Gorjestani tells us more about the top contenders:
'Setbacks are unavoidable but giving up is unforgiveable,' Biden says
"Setbacks are unavoidable," Joe Biden said in his Thursday address to the nation. "But giving up is unforgiveable," he added.
While Biden acknowledged that the US is facing a "difficult time", he said "you can’t love your country only when you win" and "you can’t love your neighbour only when you agree".
Alluding to the legacy of his term, Biden appeared keen to underline what his administration "accomplished".
"Much of the work we’ve done is already being felt by the American people," he said.
"We are leaving behind the strongest economy in the world."
Joe Biden ensures a 'peaceful' transfer of power on January 20
President Joe Biden on Thursday opened his first remarks to the nation since Donald Trump's decisive victory by saying he would ensure a "peaceful and orderly" transition to Trump.
"The will of the people always prevails," Biden added in a short speech broadcast from the White House.
"Something I hope we can do, no matter who you voted for, is see each other, not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans. Bring down the temperature," he added.
Ukraine 'not looking into' scenarios of US cutting military aid
Ukraine is not considering scenarios of the United States cutting its military aid and welcomes the Biden administration's efforts to use all allocated aid as fast as possible, Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman said.
"We are not looking into scenarios of the US cutting its military aid because ... we don't think it is in the best interest of the United States to take such a step in the first place," Heorhiy Tykhyi told journalists on Thursday.
"There are voices around the world who suppose that if you cut military supplies to Ukraine, Ukraine will be forced to negotiate ... This is not true, this is simply not what is going to happen even if such a scenario is taken," he added, saying such a move would lead to the war's expansion instead.
Russia remembers Trump's words on peace in Ukraine, Kremlin says
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Russia's leadership remembered Donald Trump's words about trying to resolve the Ukraine crisis even if he exaggerated the speed at which he could do it.
"If the new administration is going to look for peace, not for the continuation of the war, it will be better in comparison with the previous one," Peskov told reporters.
Asked about Kamala Harris's warning that Putin would eat Trump for lunch, Peskov said with a chuckle: "Putin does not eat people."
Yesterday's key developments:
Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election after picking up the key battleground states of North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
The current AP tally gives Trump 295 votes in the electoral college, surpassing the threshold of 270 to secure the White House – and well ahead of the 226 votes so far won by Kamala Harris.
Vice President Kamala Harris urged unity on Wednesday in a concession speech at Howard University after a whirlwind campaign that failed to stop Republican Donald Trump's return to the White House.
