Donald Trump, at the gates of the White House after winning several decisive states, claimed on Wednesday a “political victory never seen before in our country”, without waiting for the final count.
Only the Fox News channel has already declared him the winner of the presidential election, while his Democratic rival Kamala Harris refused to speak during her election night in Washington, which ended short.
The former president has, however, already received a shower of congratulations from foreign leaders, from Emmanuel Macron to Benjamin Netanyahu, from Volodymyr Zelensky to NATO chief Mark Rutte, from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
They did not wait for the formalization of what would be one of the most extraordinary political comebacks in American political history.
The count is still in progress but a defeat for the 60-year-old vice-president seems almost certain, given the decisive states that have fallen into the hands of the 78-year-old tribune.
– Pennsylvania –
The Republican candidate was given the victory in Georgia, North Carolina and especially in Pennsylvania, the most crucial of the seven decisive states, according to American media projections.
For the moment, Donald Trump has 266 electors, compared to 219 for Kamala Harris. He needs 270 to win.
Another unknown: will he, as he already assures, win the majority of votes nationally, something a Republican candidate has not done for twenty years?
If confirmed, Donald Trump's victory would mark a comeback that is all the more extraordinary given that his third campaign was marked by two assassination attempts, four indictments and a criminal conviction.
The eagerness of foreign leaders to congratulate him betrays the excitement of many capitals, where the memory of the repeated crises of his first mandate remains vivid.
The reaction of the Ukrainian head of state is emblematic: while Donald Trump assures that he will end the war against Russia very quickly, without explaining how, Volodymyr Zelensky said he hopes that he will help him obtain a “peace just”.
The Republican wants to initiate a protectionist shift, with heavy taxes on imported products.
– Reactions –
At the Palm Beach County Convention Center, near their champion's luxurious Mar-a-Lago residence, hundreds of red “Make America Great Again” caps, men in suits, women in evening gowns, Americans of all ages have already celebrated.
“It’s over. And I feel that the world is going to be a much better place,” exults Moses Abraham, 22 years old.
For Jo Ann Poly Calvo, in her fifties, “it's like in 2016, we are on the same path to victory”, in reference to the surprise success against Hillary Clinton which sent Donald Trump to the White House and upended American politics .
Kamala Harris hoped to become the first woman elected president, facing an opponent who never admitted defeat in 2020.
In his speech on Wednesday, Donald Trump said he wanted to “heal” America and called for overcoming the “divisions” in the country, after a campaign of rare verbal violence, directed especially against his political opponents and migrants.
– Two Americas –
This unprecedented campaign was marked by the resounding entry into the running of Kamala Harris in July, after the withdrawal of President Joe Biden.
Behind these two candidates were two apparently irreconcilable Americas, each convinced that the other camp would lead the country to disaster.
The 60-year-old vice-president painted her rival as a potential “fascist” dictator and a danger to women's rights.
Donald Trump described his opponent as a weak and “stupid” leader, lax on illegal immigration and crime.
If he enters the White House, it will be by controlling the US Senate, which the Republicans took from the Democrats, and which plays a crucial role in judicial appointments in particular.
The fate of the House of Representatives is not yet known.
