WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—Former President Donald Trump declared his projected election win a “victory for the American people” while addressing hundreds of jubilant guests and campaign volunteers at the Palm Beach County Convention Center at about 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 6.
Surrounded by his family, campaign staff, and allies, Trump said: “I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president, and your 45th president.”
Trump said he believed he would win Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and Alaska, in addition to projected victories in the battleground states of North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. If that happens, he would secure 315 Electoral College votes, far exceeding the minimum 270 such votes needed.
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), told the crowd: “I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America.”
The former president sought reelection by opposing two separate Democratic Party candidates—first President Joe Biden, then Vice President Kamala Harris—and faced significant obstacles, including criminal charges and assassination attempts.
He called the election results “an unprecedented and powerful mandate” because Republicans could be poised to secure control of both chambers of Congress in addition to the presidency.
Trump said the “Make America Great Again” movement would ascend to “a new level of importance because we’re going to help our country heal.”
“I want to thank the millions of hardworking Americans across the nation who have always been the heart and soul of this really great movement,” he said.
Their reward will be “we’re going to do the best job.”
He promised every citizen: “I will fight for you, for your family, and your future. Every single day I will be fighting for you and with every breath in my body. I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe, and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve.”
Trump repeated a phrase he has used on the campaign trail, saying he would usher in “the golden age of America.”
He said he hopes his supporters will look back on the 2024 election and see that casting their vote was one of the “truly important moments” of their lifetimes.
“This will forever be remembered as the day the American people regained control of their country,” Trump said.
He said many people told him that his life was spared from would-be assassins so he could “restore America to greatness.” He said he would fulfill that mission with the help of the American people.
“I will bring every ounce of energy, spirit, and fighting that I have in my soul to the job that you’ve entrusted to me,” Trump said.
He asked people to set aside political differences following a contentious campaign.
“It’s time to put the divisions of the past four years behind us. It’s time to unite, and we’re going to try,” he said, adding, “Success is going to bring us together.”
As supporters exited the venue, they sang in unison, “How Great Thou Art.”
Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Harris-Walz campaign, said earlier in the evening at the campaign’s watch party at Howard University in Washington, D.C., that Harris would not be addressing those gathered until tomorrow, but thanked all of her supporters for being present on Tuesday evening.
“We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called yet. We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken,” Richmond said.
