US election live: Trump to choose personnel in ‘days and weeks ahead’; Harris says ‘do not despair’ in concession speech

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Key events

Libby Brooks

The sun is pressing through the low grey clouds above Turnberry beach in Ayrshire where Alan Ringrose is walking his dog. He shakes his head at the emerging news from across the Atlantic.

“I think America’s gone mad,” he says. “How can you elect a criminal as president?”

Disbelief is his overriding emotion as the reality of a second Trump presidency sinks in. “I don’t get it. Perhaps people were afraid to elect a black woman?”

Ringrose, who cares for the local bowling green in his retirement, gestures across the dunes to the terraced lawns of the five-star Trump Turnberry hotel. It is one of two luxury golfing resorts owned by the president-elect in Scotland; the other is in Aberdeenshire. “He has done a lot for the area, but as a politician …” Ringrose trails off.

Further down the windswept beach, Elizabeth Cogan is taking her jack russell Molly for a stroll. She is also quick to acknowledge the investment Trump has made in the local economy. But as a world leader? “It’s a total disaster: he’s a fascist, he’s against women, he’s homophobic, he’s racist. It is a shock because I thought people would have come to their senses and realised what kind of man he is.

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Japanese prime minister hopes to meet with Trump this month

Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba hopes to meet US president-elect Donald Trump in the United States this month, four sources said, in an attempt to emulate then-prime minister Shinzo Abe’s close ties during Trump’s first term.

The US is Japan’s most important economic and security partner, while Tokyo is a key Washington ally in Asia, providing bases that allow it to keep a large military presence on China’s doorstep.

Ishiba told reporters he had held a five-minute phone call with Trump on Thursday morning Japan time and that they agreed to meet as soon as possible.

“I felt that he was very friendly. So from now on, I have the impression that we can talk frankly,” he said.

Three of the people familiar with the planning, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Japan was aiming to arrange a meeting between Ishiba and Trump just after a 18-19 November summit of the Group of 20 large economies in Brazil. The fourth source said Japan was aiming to arrange the stopover “around” the G20 meeting.

Trump’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Summary

It is approaching 1am US Eastern Time. Here is where things stand on Thursday:

  • Trump has won every key swing state that has been called – Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Nevada and Arizona haven’t been called yet but appeared to be leaning Republican.

  • Republicans now have a Senate majority, which will give Trump far more leverage to enact his legislative agenda and, crucially, confirm judicial and executive nominees.

  • Control of the US House of Representatives remains unclear, with many of the most competitive races still uncalled.

  • Joe Biden, who ended his campaign for a second term in July and endorsed Kamala Harris, only to see her lose to Donald Trump yesterday, paid tribute to his vice-president in a just-released statement.

  • Donald Trump’s campaign said the president-elect had spoken to Joe Biden, and accepted his invitation for a meeting to discuss transitioning between administrations at the White House.

  • Initial analysis suggests that Black women remain the most reliable Democratic voters while Harris suffered significant losses among both Latino women and men.

  • Special counsel prosecutors will shut down their criminal cases against Donald Trump before he takes office, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

  • Abortion rights supporters celebrated a handful of victories on Tuesday night, as several states voted to enshrine protections for the procedure into their constitutions.

  • Trump has received calls and congratulations from across the globe, including from Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Benjamin Netanyahu.

  • The Obamas, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and other high-profile Democrats and progressives have released statements addressing the stunning loss.

  • The former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, who is now ambassador to the US, has deleted social media posts critical of president-elect Donald Trump to avoid the comments “being misconstrued”, officials confirmed.

  • The House speaker, Mike Johnson, is running for re-election, he announced in a letter late on Wednesday, and the House majority leader, Steve Scalise, is running for his position again. In his own letter, Scalise outlined the Republicans’ plans for their first 100 days in government. The priorities include, “lock in the Trump tax cuts”, “unleash American energy” and “surge resources to the southern border”, among other measures, Scalise writes.

  • Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday said Beijing and Washington must find a way to “get along” in a message to Trump, state media said.

  • Taiwan will help companies relocate production from China given the likely large impact on them from tariffs Trump has promised to impose on the country, Economy Minister Kuo Jyh-huei said on Thursday.

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Pippa Crerar

Pippa Crerar

Back to how the UK government has prepared for Trump’s win: in opposition, several senior Labour MPs had vociferously criticised Trump, including David Lammy, now the foreign secretary, who labelled him a “neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath” and “a racist KKK and Nazi sympathizer”. Many of them also opposed the then president addressing parliament while in the UK on a state visit.

But when it became clear that Trump was going to run again, Starmer instructed his aides to start repairing relations. “We all knew this election was coming and there was only one of two outcomes. The courting of both sides has been going on for a long time,” one insider said.

The civil service had also maintained relationships. Karen Pierce, the British ambassador in Washington, was in post last time Trump was in the White House and she and her team had stayed in close contact with Mar-a-Lago.

Whitehall also had four years of experience and contacts from that time, all there for Starmer to draw on when he arrived at No 10. “We feel far better prepared this time than last time round,” one official said.

It was Pierce who set up the call between the prime minister and Trump after the first assassination attempt on the Republican candidate during the election campaign. Officials had suggested writing a note, but Starmer wanted to speak to Trump in person.

She was also instrumental in arranging the dinner between the two men at Trump Tower in New York when the prime minister was at the UN in September. Trump was particularly interested in Labour’s election success in the “red wall”, perhaps seeing parallels with the US rust belt states.

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Rudy Giuliani will appear in a New York City courtroom on Thursday to explain to a federal judge why he hasn’t surrendered his valuables as part of a $148m defamation judgment, the Associated Press reports.

US District Judge Lewis Liman ordered the former New York City mayor to report to court after lawyers for the two former Georgia election workers who were awarded the massive judgment visited Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment last week only to discover it had been cleared out weeks earlier.

The judge had set an 29 October deadline for the longtime ally of once-and-future President Donald Trump to surrender many of his possessions to lawyers for Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss.

Representatives for Giuliani did not respond to an email from Reuters on Wednesday seeking comment.

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Updated at 

No 10 believes it has done its homework for a Trump presidency

Pippa Crerar

Pippa Crerar

While Kemi Badenoch was the first politician since the US presidential election result to publicly challenge Keir Starmer over Labour’s previously tense relationship with Donald Trump, she is unlikely to be the last.

Yet the UK prime minister, according to government sources, is less anxious about the return of the divisive populist to the White House than the new Tory leader, and many in his own party, might have assumed.

It is true that Starmer may have found a more natural ally in Kamala Harris had she made it to the Oval Office, but his team has spent years preparing for the possibility of a Republican victory – building relationships and, crucially, bridges.

“We’re more relaxed [with the result] than people might think,” one senior official said. “Keir has already had a couple of conversations with Trump and they went very well. Trump likes winners and he sees Keir as someone who ‘won big’.”

As the election approached, the government became increasingly convinced Trump would win. “It wasn’t a huge surprise, even if it wasn’t the outcome we hoped for,” a source said. “We had been worried the Dems did not have enough of an economic offer to get Kamala over the line.”

Downing Street had gameplanned a series of outcomes for the election, depending on whether broadcasters called the race and the numbers available at any stage. They were even ready for a scenario in which Trump declared himself the victor even though the race was too close to call.

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Kuo was also asked by lawmakers about concerns Trump might cancel subsidies for TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, which is investing $65bn in the US state of Arizona for new factories.

Kuo said there was a contingency plan, including helping more companies in the supply chain to move to the United States.

“It is a trend for TSMC to keep expanding its investment in the United States,” he said.

TSMC has not yet commented on concerns it may have about the subsidies. Its Taipei-listed shares rose about 1% on Thursday morning. Taiwan’s GlobalWafers, investing $4bn in the United States, told Reuters it expects the Chips and Science Act award aimed at encouraging investment by chipmakers in the United States would continue under the new US administration.

“Multi-year and decadal programs like the CHIPS Act and the agreements we have signed are regularly continued from one administration to the next,” it said in a statement on Thursday.

“We expect the CHIPS programme to be no different and run smoothly in the Trump administration.”

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Taiwan will help companies relocate production from China

Taiwan will help companies relocate production from China given the likely large impact on them from tariffs incoming US President Donald Trump has promised to impose on the country, Economy Minister Kuo Jyh-huei said on Thursday.

A threat by Trump, who will take office in January, to impose 60% tariffs on US imports of Chinese goods poses major growth risks for the world’s second-largest economy.

Taiwanese companies have invested billions of dollars in China over the past four decades, taking advantage of historically lower costs, but Taiwan’s government, wary of stepped up pressure from Beijing to accept Chinese sovereignty claims, has been encouraging its firms to move investment elsewhere.

Speaking in parliament, Kuo said the impact of any Trump tariffs on China for Taiwanese firms manufacturing there would be “quite large”, Reuters reports.

“We will as soon as possible come up with help for Taiwan companies to move their production bases,” he added, without giving details.

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Harris voters mourn loss after sobering concession speech: ‘There’s nothing left’

Melissa Hellmann

Melissa Hellmann

The mood was calm and sober on the Howard University campus as people waited to hear vice-president Kamala Harris’s concession speech on Wednesday afternoon. An area that is usually the central hub of campus life, the Yard, was mostly filled with Harris campaign staff, media and members of the public.

Harris appeared about 25 minutes after her scheduled time and opened with a message on unity, building community and coalitions. “My heart is full today,” Harris said. “Full of heart for my country, and full of resolve.

“Hear me when I say that the light of America’s promise will always burn bright. As long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”

Harris encouraged young people to acknowledge their power and to believe in the impossible. “At this time, it’s necessary that people not become complacent,” she added, “but to commit to organizing and mobilizing.” Harris encouraged her supporters to embrace “the light of optimism” and of service.

“Hear me when I say that the light of America’s promise will always burn bright. As long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”

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Indonesia’s new leader has hailed the “immense potential” of relations with US-president-elect Donald Trump, whose first administration dropped a visa ban imposed on the former general over alleged rights abuses.

Prabowo Subianto was inaugurated last month and committed himself to a longstanding neutral foreign policy that has allowed Indonesia to maintain ties with the United States while reaping large investments from China.

“Indonesia and the United States are strategic partners who share a robust and multifaceted relationship,” he wrote on social media platform X late Wednesday.

“Our strategic partnership holds immense potential for mutual benefit, and I look forward to collaborating closely with you and your administration to further enhance this partnership and for global peace and stability.”

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto. Photograph: Bay Ismoyo/AFP/Getty Images

The 73-year-old was once barred from the US over rights abuses he allegedly committed under dictator Suharto in the late 1990s.

But the Trump administration dropped him from a visa blacklist and invited him to Washington when he was serving as defence minister in 2020, Agence France-Presse reports.

Prabowo is accused of ordering the abduction of democracy activists, some of whom were never found, but has denied any wrongdoing.

The fiery nationalist said Wednesday that he had an invitation for “an official visit to the United States” as he prepares to embark on his first foreign tour, beginning Friday in China, where he will hold talks with President Xi Jinping.

He did not confirm the dates of the US visit, or if he would meet with President Joe Biden or Trump.

The presidential palace and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

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Back to China: both Republican Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris had pledged to get tougher on Beijing.

But Trump upped the ante, vowing to slap 60% tariffs on all Chinese goods entering the United States.

That proposal could hit $500bn worth of Chinese exports, asset managers PineBridge Investments have suggested.

In his first message to Trump since the former president secured a second term in office, Chinese leader Xi said he hoped “that both sides will uphold the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation”.

Chinese vice-president Han Zheng also sent a message to vice president-elect JD Vance, CCTV said.

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Democrat Raul Ruiz re-elected to House

Democratic Representative Raul Ruiz won reelection to a US House seat representing California on Wednesday. Ruiz was first elected to the House in 2012 when he defeated Republican incumbent Mary Bono.

His district encompasses all of Imperial County and parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including the cities of Indio, Coachella, Calexico, Hemet and Needles. A physician, Ruiz worked in the emergency department at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. He defeated Republican Ian Weeks.

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US, China must ‘get along’, Xi tells Trump

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday said Beijing and Washington must find a way to “get along” in a message to US president-elect Donald Trump, state media said.

Trump’s victory heralds a possible shift in US-China relations, frayed in recent years by tensions over everything from trade to the status of the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

In a congratulatory message to Trump, Xi “pointed out that history has shown that China and the United States benefit from cooperation and suffer from confrontation”, state broadcaster CCTV said.

“A stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relationship is in the common interest of both countries and is in line with the expectations of the international community,” Xi said.

He called for Washington and Beijing to “strengthen dialogue and communication” and “properly manage differences”.

The two countries must “find a correct way … to get along in this new era, to benefit both countries and the world”, Xi said.

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Opening summary

Hello and welcome back to our live coverage of the US election.

After decisively winning the presidential election, US president-elect Donald Trump will select personnel to serve under his leadership and enact policies that “make the life of Americans affordable, safe, and secure” in the days and weeks ahead, his campaign said on Wednesday.

Earlier, Kamala Harris conceded the election to Trump, delivering a speech at her alma mater, Howard University, telling supporters not to despair, and saying, “While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign.”

Here are the other key recent developments:

  • Trump has won every key swing state that has been called – Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Nevada and Arizona haven’t been called yet but appeared to be leaning Republican.

  • Republicans now have a Senate majority, which will give Trump far more leverage to enact his legislative agenda and, crucially, confirm judicial and executive nominees.

  • Control of the US House of Representatives remains unclear, with many of the most competitive races still uncalled.

  • Joe Biden, who ended his campaign for a second term in July and endorsed Kamala Harris, only to see her lose to Donald Trump yesterday, paid tribute to his vice-president in a just-released statement.

  • Donald Trump’s campaign said the president-elect had spoken to Joe Biden, and accepted his invitation for a meeting to discuss transitioning between administrations at the White House.

  • Initial analysis suggests that Black women remain the most reliable Democratic voters while Harris suffered significant losses among both Latino women and men.

  • Special counsel prosecutors will shut down their criminal cases against Donald Trump before he takes office, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

  • Abortion rights supporters celebrated a handful of victories on Tuesday night, as several states voted to enshrine protections for the procedure into their constitutions.

  • Trump has received calls and congratulations from across the globe, including from Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Benjamin Netanyahu.

  • The Obamas, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and other high-profile Democrats and progressives have released statements addressing the stunning loss.

  • The former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, who is now ambassador to the US, has deleted social media posts critical of president-elect Donald Trump to avoid the comments “being misconstrued”, officials confirmed.

  • The House speaker, Mike Johnson, is running for re-election, he announced in a letter late on Wednesday, and the House majority leader, Steve Scalise, is running for his position again. In his own letter, Scalise outlined the Republicans’ plans for their first 100 days in government. The priorities include, “lock in the Trump tax cuts”, “unleash American energy” and “surge resources to the southern border”, among other measures, Scalise writes.

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