Donald Trump has officially clinched Arizona, the final state to be called in the 2024 election, handing the Republican a clean sweep of all seven swing states.
The result brings Trump’s final electoral vote total to 312, compared to Kamala Harris’s 226.
Trump earlier announced that two of his former cabinet members – former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – would not be invited to serve in his administration this time around.
Trump announced the decision on Truth Social on Saturday evening, days after announcing that Susie Wiles, his campaign manager, would serve as chief of staff.
With results still coming in from the election, control of the House is still up for grabs, but Republicans already reclaimed control of the Senate.
Three Senate Republicans are vying to replace Mitch McConnell as the chamber’s leader: John Cornyn, John Thune, and Rick Scott. The election will be held November 13.
Earlier Saturday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced President Joe Biden and Trump would meet at the White House this week, setting in motion transition plans between the administrations of the two longstanding political enemies.
Key Points
Trump wins Arizona to complete clean sweep of seven swing states
07:39 , Kelly Rissman
The battleground state of Arizona was called for Donald Trump just before 9.30pm on Saturday, making it the last to be called in the 2024 election and completing a clean sweep of seven swing states for the Republican.
The projected victory is a feather in Trump’s cap as it means he won all seven swing states over Vice President Kamala Harris and flipped the state red after narrowly losing Arizona to Biden in 2020.
Read more here:
Trump wins Arizona to complete a clean sweep of the seven swing states
The 9/11 trial could force the CIA to disclose its Guantánamo Bay secrets
06:00 , Josh Marcus
Nearly two decades after those prisoners arrived at Guantánamo, a new lawsuit could reveal more about what went on inside, and whether it was under the full “operational control” of the CIA.
Josh Marcus reports:
The 9/11 trial could force the CIA to disclose its Guantánamo Bay secrets
Texas campus in uproar after protesters hold signs declaring ‘women are property’ on quad after Trump victory
04:00 , Michelle Del Rey
Hours before Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her concession speech, two Christian protestors disrupted a Texas university campus with signs that branded women “property” and used homophobic slurs.
The incident at Texas State University at San Marcos united students on both sides of the political aisle in anger as the men paraded around for an hour before being escorted off the property.
Eva De Arment, a 19-year-old sophomore, was in the university’s English building waiting for class to start when she saw Snapchat images of the signs, including one that listed “women” and “slaves” alongside cars as “property.”
Scholars say sexism, racism and misogyny helped Trump score a historic second term. The Independent has emailed the Trump campaign for comment. De Arment is now worried she’ll be exposed to more of the sexist rhetoric she heard on campus this week.
“I do believe that there is a nuance that the election made them comfortable enough to come onto a campus with signs like that,” she said. “I am afraid.”
Trump wins Arizona
03:33 , Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump clinched Arizona, the final state to be called in the 2024 race, on Saturday evening, according to AP Decision Desk.
Votes are still being counted in the swing state, but 87 per cent have been tallied already, enough to make the call.
Trump won racked up 1,574,244 votes — 52.6 per cent — compared to Harris’ 1,389,309 votes — 46.4 per cent of the vote.
The president-elect’s victory in the state comes four years after he narrowly lost Arizona to Biden — and means he swept all seven swing states.
Arizona’s 11 electoral votes brings Trump to a final total to 312 electoral votes compared to Harris’ 226.
Trump announces inaugural committee co-chairs
03:00 , Kelly Rissman
The president-elect announced on Saturday that his inaugural committee will be chaired by Florida real estate investor Steven Witkoff and former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler.
He described the pair as “longtime friends and supporters.”
“On Election Night, we made history and I have the extraordinary honor of having been elected the 47th President of the United States thanks to tens millions of hardworking Americans across the nation who supported our America First agenda. The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee will honor this magnificent victory in a celebration of the American People and our nation,” Trump said in a statement.
“This will be the kick-off to my administration, which will deliver on bold promises to Make America Great Again. Together, we will celebrate this moment, steeped on history and tradition, and then get to work to achieve the most incredible future for our people, restoring strength, success, and common sense to the Oval Office.”
Voices: The best way to help women? End the male loneliness epidemic
02:00 , Helen Coffey
For a 2,300-year-old theory, it’s aged remarkably well. Pretty much all modern psychotherapy is predicated on the premise that what happens in infancy and the relationship we have with our primary caregiver/s is fundamental to what we’re like (and the issues we’ll struggle with) later in life. And, arguably, his words could be just as relevant when it comes to what has been dubbed the “male loneliness epidemic”. The way we bring up boys seems to create lonely men; the negative consequences of this are being felt throughout society.
Helen Coffey writes:
The best way to help women? End the male loneliness epidemic
Trump reveals two former senior members of his administration will not be returning for his second term
01:30 , Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump has announced just one Cabinet member as his transition to the White House is underway.
He tapped Susie Wiles, his campaign manager, to serve as chief of staff, making her the first woman with the title.
But now, he has named two former Cabinet members who will not be returning to his administration.
Read the full story.
Trump reveals two former members of his administration will not be returning
Kamala Harris’ niece posts photo of the vice president with her great nieces after election defeat
01:15 , Kelly Rissman
“Back to where it all began only a few months ago. My eternal gratitude to everyone who showed up. We love her so much,” Meena Harris wrote.
The vice president is pictured laughing, with her hair pulled back into a bun wearing a Howard University-emblazoned sweatshirt, as she plays Connect Four game with her two great-nieces.
Tucker Carlson accuses Senate Republicans of staging ‘coup’ ahead of internal leadership vote
00:53 , Kelly Rissman
Former Fox News host and Trump ally Tucker Carlson claimed Senate Republicans are staging “a coup” against Donald Trump as three Senators vie to replace Mitch McConnell.
Republicans reclaimed control of the Senate on Tuesday night, leaving the door open for someone to replace McConnell, the chamber’s longest-serving party leader, who plans to step down at year’s end.
At least three Republicans are vying for the top spot — John Cornyn of Texas, Rick Scott of Florida, and John Thune of South Dakota who serves as the Senate minority whip — NBC News reported, and Carlson took issue with two of them.
Read the full story.
Tucker Carlson angrily accuses Senate Republicans of plotting ‘coup’ against Trump
The Trump transition has begun — and it’s off to an unorthodox start
00:00 , Andrew Feinberg
One Trumpworld veteran who spoke to The Independent on condition of anonymity said the pick is an indicator of the president-elect’s respect for and trust in Wiles, who took over his political operation when he was in the veritable wilderness, reeling from the backlash to January 6th. The source described Wiles as a rare person who has the ability to say “no” to Donald Trump.
Andrew Feinberg reports:
The Trump transition has begun — and it’s unorthodox
Who could be in Trump’s attorney general?
Saturday 9 November 2024 23:00 , Ariana Baio
Several people have been named as potential attorney generals for Donald Trump’s administration – a critical position that will spearhead Trump’s campaign of revenge against his political enemies.
Here are some contenders:
Ken Paxton
Former senator Paxton has been Texas attorney general since 2015.
Perhaps one of the more well-known state attorney generals, Paxon has made a name for himself fighting for Texas’s strict abortion ban, aggressive anti-immigration policies and defeating his own set of impeachment charges.
Earlier this year, Trump called Paxton “talented” and told reporters he was considering him for attorney general.
Mike Lee
Utah senator Lee is a Trump critic turned ally. He refused to endorse Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries but changed his tune in 2020 and 2024. He led the effort to acquit his impeachment charges and supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Having become a close confidant of Trump in recent years – even launching an X account dedicated to sharing MAGA views – Lee could also be a top contender for AG.
Mike Davis
Davis is a conservative and former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch who has made a splash within Trumpworld. He recently wrote on X that he wants to “drag their dead political bodies through the streets, burn them, and throw them off the wall” – seemingly referring to Democrats.
Trump described Davis as “tough as hell” and said he wanted him “in a very high capacity” in his administration during a rally.
Tucker Carlson back Rick Scott in Senate leadership election
Saturday 9 November 2024 22:00 , Ariana Baio
Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host and deeply loyal Trump ally, angrily ranted about upcoming Senate majority leadership elections being unfair to the president-elect and endorsed Florida Senator Rick Scott.
Carlson accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of engineering a “coup” by calling for the election to be held on Wednesday, November 13 – a quick turnaround from Election Day.
“What the hell is going on in the US Senate?” Carlson wrote on X. “Hours after Donald Trump wins the most conclusive mandate in 40 years, Mitch McConnell engineers a coup against his agenda by calling early leadership elections in the senate.”
Carlson claimed that two of the three candidates “hate Trump”. That includes Senator John Cornyn of Texas and Senator John Thune of South Dakota.
“[Cornyn] is an angry liberal whose politics are indistinguishable from Liz Cheney’s,” Carlson said.
He advocated for Scott to become the next leader and told followers to call their senators to “demand a public endorsement”.
What the hell is going on in the US Senate? Hours after Donald Trump wins the most conclusive mandate in 40 years, Mitch McConnell engineers a coup against his agenda by calling early leadership elections in the senate. Two of the three candidates hate Trump and what he ran on.…
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) November 9, 2024
Gavin Newsom prepares fight against Trump measures
Saturday 9 November 2024 21:30 , Josh Marcus
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday called a special legislative session so the state could prepare for potential conflicts with the Trump administration.
“The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle,” he said in a statement. “California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are prepared to fight in the courts, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive.”
The state, which frequently sued to protect various policies challenged by the Trump administration, reportedly began preparing for a potential Trump win over the summer, with the attorney general’s office pre-writing briefs and planning potential legal strategies.
Trump announces inaugural committee
Saturday 9 November 2024 21:00 , Ariana Baio
Trump has tapped his longtime friend, Steve Witkoff, and Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler to co-chair his inaugural committee, a press release from the Trump–Vance campaign said.
Witkoff is a real estate investor. He spoke at the Republican National Convention before Trump.
Loeffler is a Senator from Georgia and Trump ally. She repeated Trump’s false claims of voter fraud during the 2020 election. She has repeatedly defended the former president even when confronted about the Hollywood Access tape recording.
Trump transition plan faces road block with ethics code
Saturday 9 November 2024 20:30 , Ariana Baio
President-elect Donald Trump reportedly has not submitted a mandatory ethics pledge stating he will avoid conflicts of interest and other ethical concerns while in office – something that could hold up the presidential transition process.
Trump’s transition team has privately created its own ethics code but it does not contain the language necessary to address how the former president will address conflicts of interest during his term, according to The New York Times.
That code was supposed to be due October 1.
Trump’s team has also reportedly delayed signing and handing in other required documents which prevents the transition team from participating in national security briefings or gaining access to other federal resources.
Pelosi slams Bernie Sanders for comments about Democrats abandoning working class
Saturday 9 November 2024 19:50 , Mike Bedigan
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she does “not respect” Bernie Sanders’ remarks that Democrats have “abandoned working-class families”.
The newly re-elected Vermont senator said in a statement after Donald Trump sailed to victory that “it should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party, which has abandoned working-class people, would find that the working-class has abandoned them.”
“While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change,” he said.
In an interview with The New York Times, Pelosi said she “completely disagreed”.
“Kamala Harris ran ahead of Bernie Sanders in Vermont,” she said, before reiterating that the purpose of the Democratic party was to go to bat for “America’s working families.”
Watch: Bill Maher tells Democrats to ‘look in the mirror’ after Kamala Harris lost the election
Saturday 9 November 2024 19:20 , Ariana Baio
Trump suggests ‘helping’ Democrats with money after election
Saturday 9 November 2024 18:45 , Ariana Baio
In what appears to be a sarcastic post, Donald Trump suggested Republicans should help bail out Democrats who he claims have no money left over from the election to pay “vendors and others.”
“Whatever we can do to help them during this difficult period, I would strongly recommend we, as a Party and for the sake of desperately needed UNITY, do. We have a lot of money left over in that our biggest asset in the campaign was ‘Earned Media,’ and that doesn’t cost very much,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.
Trump and Biden will meet this week
Saturday 9 November 2024 18:15 , Mike Bedigan
Donald Trump will meet with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office this week, according to the White House.
The meeting, in which the two men are expected to discuss the transition of power in January, will be the president-elect’s first return to the White House since 2021 when he left office days after the January 6 Capitol riots and refused to attend Biden’s inauguration.
Trump was invited to the meeting, which is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, by Biden, according to press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. More details will be made available in due course, the White House said.
Despite the acrimony of the 2024 presidential race, Biden has promised a “peaceful transfer of power” on January 20 2025 – the date of Trump’s second inauguration.
Full story: Trump to meet with Biden at the White House this week
Saturday 9 November 2024 17:40 , Rachel Sharp
Donald Trump will meet with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office this week, according to the White House.
The meeting, in which the two men are expected to discuss the transition of power in January, will be the president-elect’s first return to the White House since 2021 when he left office days after the January 6 Capitol riots and refused to attend Biden’s inauguration.
Trump was invited to the meeting, which is scheduled to take place at 11am on Wednesday, by Biden, according to press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. More details will be made available in due course, the White House said.
Read the full story:
Trump to meet with Biden at the White House this week
Bill Maher has brutal message for Democrats after Harris’s election loss: ‘Losers look in the mirror’
Saturday 9 November 2024 17:20 , Rachel Sharp
Comedian Bill Maher had some harsh words for Democrats shocked that Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
“My message to the losers: losers look in the mirror,” Maher said during Friday’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher.
Maher’s typically laughing audience went completely silent as he said the quiet part out loud and advised Democrats to reflect on themselves.
“For months, Democrats have been saying ‘How is this even close?’ And they’re right. It wasn’t,” Maher said.
Read the full story:
Bill Maher has brutal message for Democrats after election loss: ‘Look in the mirror’
Usha Vance: Who is the new Second Lady?
Saturday 9 November 2024 17:00 , Rachel Sharp
‘Ice maiden’ Susie Wiles’s demands for accepting top Trump White House role revealed
Saturday 9 November 2024 16:40 , Rachel Sharp
Susie Wiles, the newly appointed chief of staff to the second Trump White House, reportedly made a series of demands before she would accept the high-profile role in the president-elect’s upcoming administration.
Wiles, 66, described by Trump himself as the “ice maiden” and considered to be one of the most significant influences on his third campaign, was appointed to the top job on Thursday.
The chief of staff is, historically, the first appointee named by the president-elect and is charged with overseeing all policy and day-to-day White House affairs.
But, according to a source close to both Wiles and Trump told CNN, the former campaign manager had sought assurances from the president-elect prior to taking the role.
Mike Bedigan has the story:
‘Ice maiden’ Susie Wiles’s demands for accepting top Trump White House role revealed
Trump and Biden to meet at White House this week
Saturday 9 November 2024 16:28 , Rachel Sharp
Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are set to meet in person this week at the White House.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced on Saturday that, at Biden’s invitation, the president and president-elect will meet in the Oval Office at 11am on Wednesday.
This comes as Biden has vowed a peaceful transition between the two administrations.
Walz sends message to Trump supporters in first speech since election loss
Saturday 9 November 2024 16:20 , Rachel Sharp
Tim Walz offered an olive branch to Donald Trump supporters in his first comments since the Republican’s 2024 presidential election victory.
Speaking in his home state, the governor addressed the “1.5 million of our fellow Minnesotans [who] voted for the other side in this election.”
Kamala Harris’s running mate declared that he would “swallow his pride” and “look a little harder to find common ground with our neighbors who didn’t vote like we did.
“Maybe when we get a little break from this campaign that we’re in, we’ll be able to look at each other and see not enemies but neighbors.”
CNN commentator brands Elon Musk the ‘First Lady’ after Melania doesn’t appear in Trump family photo
Saturday 9 November 2024 16:00 , Rachel Sharp
CNN commentator Ana Navarro suggested that Elon Musk was taking over the title of “First Lady” from Melania Trump after he appeared in a recent Trump family photo instead of her.
Speaking on a panel on Friday, Navarro referenced a picture of the Trump family following the president-elect’s sweeping victory in the 2024 race against Harris. Most family members were present, but Melania was conspicuously absent.
Musk, however, was standing at the front right of the picture.
Read the full story:
Elon Musk branded the ‘First Lady’ after Melania doesn’t appear in Trump family photo
Trump won big on election night. Is his victory bad news for Biden’s legacy?
Saturday 9 November 2024 15:40 , Rachel Sharp
As he became the Democratic frontrunner in 2019 and favored to defeat Donald Trump in 2020, a report claimed that Joe Biden was only going to serve one term if elected.
His campaign swiftly dismissed it.
Today, some are wondering if it would have been better if he had adhered to that report.
During the 2024 campaign season, Biden announced plans to run for reelection. That came despite concerns about his age and whether he could serve another four years. Then, Biden fumbled through his debate against Trump and Democratic panic ensued.
The 81-year-old exited the race and endorsed his VP Kamala Harris to succeed him at the top of the ticket. The rest — namely Trump’s election win — is history.
Kelly Rissman reports:
Did Trump’s win on election night tarnish Biden’s legacy?
Trump bizarrely suggests he wants to ‘help’ Democrats with campaign debts ‘during this difficult period’
Saturday 9 November 2024 15:20 , Rachel Sharp
In a Truth Social post on Saturday morning, the president-elect had uncharacteristically kind words for his political rivals:
I am very surprised that the Democrats, who fought a hard and valiant fight in the 2020 Presidential Election, raising a record amount of money, didn’t have lots of $’s left over. Now they are being squeezed by vendors and others. Whatever we can do to help them during this difficult period, I would strongly recommend we, as a Party and for the sake of desperately needed UNITY, do. We have a lot of money left over in that our biggest asset in the campaign was “Earned Media,” and that doesn’t cost very much. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
‘If that dude’s mama gets deported, that’s on him’: Democrats’ reaction to Trump-voting Latinos is a problem
Saturday 9 November 2024 15:00 , Eric Garcia
On Thursday evening, I went on the Roland Martin Unfiltered show to talk about why Latinos overwhelmingly shifted to the right and voted for Donald Trump. Martin, whom I’ve long respected as an analyst on politics back since I was a teenager, had the same response a lot of other people did.
“What the hell happened? Explain it to us,” he asked me.
I noted how Trump’s appeal is largely driven by polarization via education, given that people with college degrees and advanced degrees largely broke for Kamala Harris whereas those without a bachelor’s degree voted for Trump. Latinos are one of the groups least likely to have a college degree.
Democrats’ reaction to Trump-voting Latinos is a problem. A big one
How shifts among key demographic voting groups sealed Trump’s 2024 election victory
Saturday 9 November 2024 14:40 , Rachel Sharp
The final votes are still being counted in the presidential election, but it’s official that Republican Donald Trump cinched a victory against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Exit polls have given us some insight into how different groups voted — and there have been some drastic shifts since 2020.
At first glance, the expected gender divide between men and women was less drastic, but strong splits emerged among Black and Latino voters. Latino men leaned Republican overall for the first time, and 1 in 5 Black men voted for Trump.
How shifts among key demographic voting groups sealed Trump’s 2024 election victory
WATCH: Possible Trump attorney general threatens Letitia James
Saturday 9 November 2024 14:20 , Rachel Sharp
If Republicans hold the House, Trump wins. If Democrats take the House, Trump still wins
Saturday 9 November 2024 14:00 , Eric Garcia
When Donald Trump first came to the White House, he did so under rocky circumstances. Yes, he had beaten Democrats in the Blue Wall of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. But he also lost the popular vote — and Democrats had picked up Senate seats in Illinois and New Hampshire, as well as flipping a few seats in the House.
Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House at the time, would regularly say, “I haven’t seen the tweet,” when asked about Trump’s worst Twitter rants. Mitch McConnell would blow off anything Trump said as he turned the Senate into a judicial confirmation factory. John McCain famously voted down Trump’s planned repeal of Obamacare. Senate Republicans balked at his desire to get rid of the filibuster. After the January 6 riot, ten House Republicans voted to impeach Trump and seven Republican senators voted to convict him.
That won’t be the case this time. This time, Trump comes to Washington with an overwhelming mandate, having swept all seven battleground states. John McCain is dead. Mitt Romney will leave the Senate at the end of this year. Paul Ryan is out of politics and Liz Cheney is deemed a heretic. McConnell will leave his post as Republican leader at the end of this year, too.
Why it’s a win for Trump if Democrats take the House
Democrat Jacky Rosen wins reelection to US Senate from Nevada
Saturday 9 November 2024 13:40 , Rachel Sharp
Democrat Jacky Rosen has held onto her US Senate seat in Nevada, beating Republican challenger Sam Brown in a tight race in the swing state.
The Associated Press called the race for Rosen moments after declaring that Donald Trump had won the presidential race in the state.
Staten Island: Trump’s New York City stronghold reacts to Republican win
Saturday 9 November 2024 13:20 , Tiara Chiaramonte
Despite New York City traditionally voting Democratic, Staten Island remains a reliably red borough.
In Tuesday’s election, where the Republican party won a second term in the White House, 65% of Staten Island voters supported Trump — the largest margin he’s seen in the area.
The Independent spoke to locals to understand their support, from economic policies to foreign affairs.
In Staten Island, a city that has received some 200,000 new migrants in the last two years, Trump’s campaign promising mass deportations appears to have resonated.
Elon Musk is now king of the MAGA media universe
Saturday 9 November 2024 13:00 , Io Dodds
Elon Musk is now unquestionably the king of MAGA media.
Tech journalist Charlie Warzel once named it “the new media Upside Down”, riffing on Stranger Things. Sean Illing at Vox referred to it as “the fantasy-industrial complex”. Wikipedia simply calls it the “right-wing alternative media”.
To Musk, a born-again MAGA crusader who has spent the last two years reshaping one of the world’s major social networks in his image, this parallel universe of algorithm-aided disinformation is simply “citizen journalism” — even if his description does sound a lot like traditional journalism.
Elon Musk is now king of the MAGA media universe
‘Your body, my choice’: Women report rise in online misogyny following Donald Trump’s victory
Saturday 9 November 2024 12:40 , Lydia Spencer-Elliott
Women are facing a barrage of deeply misogynistic comments online following Donald Trump’s US presidential election victory.
The Republican candidate defeated Kamala Harris following a chaotic campaign dogged by anger, insults and division, winning 51 percent of the popular vote on Wednesday, 6 November.
In the wake of the former president’s shocking political comeback, women have reported men are writing “your body, my choice” on their social media posts, among other troubling reproductive rights remarks.
The slogan “my body, my choice” was originally popularised by feminists defending reproductive choices as rights in the Sixties. However, the phrase has now been co-opted for the adverse effect.
‘Your body, my choice’: Women report rise in online misogyny following Trump victory
Mapped: Here’s how the presidential election results look now
Saturday 9 November 2024 12:21 , Rachel Sharp
Donald Trump wins swing state Nevada
Saturday 9 November 2024 11:55 , Rachel Sharp
Donald Trump has now won the swing state of Nevada.
The GOP president-elect had 50.7 percent of votes to Kamala Harris’s 47.4 percent in the state when the race was called by the Associated Press early on Saturday morning.
In total, 96 percent of votes have been counted in the state.
With Nevada’s six electoral college votes, Trump now has a total of 301 electoral college votes.
He has now won six battleground states, with only Arizona left to be called.
Trump promised voters their incomes and net worth will soar. Economists are not convinced
Saturday 9 November 2024 11:00 , Rhian Lubin
Inside a Pennsylvania arena, President-elect Donald Trump promised voters their incomes and net worth “would soar.”
The economy was among the top concerns for voters in the 2024 presidential election and the Trump campaign’s messaging cut through. As of this morning, more than 73 million Americans have voted for him to return to the White House.
They turned to him for a solution after finding themselves unable to afford the necessities for their families in a cost-of-living crisis, but concerns have already been raised the Republican billionaire won’t deliver.
Trump promised voters incomes and net worth will soar. Economists are not convinced
What Donald Trump’s presidency could mean for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle amid US visa row
Saturday 9 November 2024 10:00 , Athena Stavrou
As Donald Trump secured his second term as US president, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have had cause for concern about their new life in Montecito.
Trump took to the stage in Florida in the early hours of Wednesday morning to address the nation, celebrating his “unprecedented and powerful mandate” after sweeping through key swing states, including North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
His victory coincides with a precarious visa battle for the Sussexes, which may be complicated by their strained relationship with the president.
What Trump’s presidency could mean for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle amid visa row
VOICES: I was the only pollster to predict the Trump landslide – this is how I did it
Saturday 9 November 2024 09:00 , James Johnson
The Wednesday before election day I was in Detroit. After months of conducting interviews, focus groups and surveys, I asked my last question of a voter in this election.
Sheree is a Black 31-year-old single mother. She voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, sat out 2020, and was undecided in 2024. Throughout our 90-minute interview, we discussed her concerns about Donald Trump (“He’s just so aggressive”), Kamala Harris (“Fake”), the border (“A real disgrace”), education (“I don’t want my daughter to be worrying about sharing a bathroom with a boy”), and the economy (“I just feel stuck”).
But despite never having voted Republican before, when pushed for a preference, Sheree told me she was leaning towards Donald Trump. The primary reason? The economy: she simply felt better off under the Trump administration than she has under that of Joe Biden. She also felt that the former president was more authentic than Harris. “Donald Trump might be a wolf. But he’s straight about it. Kamala is a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” she said.
I was the only pollster to predict the Trump landslide – this is how I did it
Donald Trump would ‘certainly’ do trade deal with UK, says Boris Johnson
Saturday 9 November 2024 08:00 , Pa Political Staff
Boris Johnson has suggested that Donald Trump would “certainly” do a trade deal with the UK.
The former prime minister said the US president-elect is offering “economic hope” but that the Government would be “too pathetic” to try to secure a deal.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage said the UK needs to “roll out the red carpet” for the incoming president and said that America is “our most important relationship” in terms of trade.
Donald Trump would ‘certainly’ do trade deal with UK, says Boris Johnson
Abortion pill website crashes after Trump election win as Americans rush to stockpile medication
Saturday 9 November 2024 07:00 , Maya Oppenheim
Women have been told not to panic as the website of the leading mail-order abortion pill provider in the US has crashed in the hours after Donald Trump’s election victory as Americans rushed to stock up on medication.
Dr Rebecca Gomperts, founder of Aid Access, told The Independent the platform received 10,000 requests for medication for terminations in the 24 hours after Trump’s win – almost 15 times more than the 600 or so requests they tend to get per day.
The leading abortion rights activist said soaring demand caused their website to crash for two hours last night, but it is now back up and running again.
Abortion pill site crashes after Trump win as Americans rush to stockpile medication
Feds bring charges in Iranian murder-for-hire plot to assassinate Trump
Saturday 9 November 2024 06:00 , Justin Rohrlich
A fugitive Iranian government operative is accused of hiring a pair of New Yorkers he met in prison to carry out an assassination plot against a critic of the regime and allegedly admitted to FBI agents that he’d also been tasked with finding a hit squad to kill President-elect Donald Trump.
Farhad Shakeri, 51, claimed he was asked in September by regime officials to “put aside his other efforts… and focus on surveilling, and, ultimately, assassinating, former President of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday in Manhattan federal court.
Shakeri countered that this would cost a “huge” amount of money, to which his regime contact replied, “[W]e have already spent a lot of money .. . [s]o the money’s not an issue.” Shakeri said he was given a deadline of mid-October.
Three charged in thwarted Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump
Olivia Rodrigo removes song from TikTok after Trump campaign uses it in victory video
Saturday 9 November 2024 05:00 , Kevin E G Perry
Olivia Rodrigo moved quickly to remove one of her songs from social media after it was used in a Donald Trump victory video.
The pop star, 21, is a longtime reproductive rights activist who endorsed Trump’s rival Kamala Harris for president in the recent US election.
As results came in earlier this week, the Team Trump TikTok account posted a video with the caption, “And suddenly the words ‘I’m the President-Elect’ came out of my mouth…”
Olivia Rodrigo removes song from TikTok after Trump campaign uses it in victory video
UK must ‘roll out the red carpet’ for Trump, Nigel Farage says
Saturday 9 November 2024 04:15 , George Thompson
The UK needs to “roll out the red carpet” for Donald Trump following the US election, Nigel Farage has said.
The leader of Reform UK has said the British government needs to do everything it can to welcome Mr Trump and negotiate a trade deal, at the party’s conference in Newport, Wales on Friday.
Mr Farage was speaking after returning from a trip from the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he celebrated Mr Trump’s election win.
UK must ‘roll out the red carpet’ for Trump, Nigel Farage says
Trump plans to rehire Tom Homan to tackle immigration
Saturday 9 November 2024 03:45 , Josh Marcus
With Donald Trump headed back to the White House, the Republican is likely to turn to a familiar, highly controversial face to oversee his signature issue of immigration.
Tom Homan, who served as the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement between 2017 and 2018, is considered one of the key architects of the first Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” family separation policy.
Under the initiative, immigration officials broke with the longstanding practice of keeping migrant families together and out of detention, instead sending parents to immigration court for removal proceedings and children to the care of a separate agency.
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Trump plans to rehire Tom Homan, father of family separation policy
‘I know how men talk behind closed doors’: Howard Stern admits America isn’t ready for a female president
Saturday 9 November 2024 03:30 , Kevin E G Perry
Howard Stern has revealed he had concerns going into the recent US presidential election that the country would not vote for Kamala Harris to become the first female president because of “how men talk behind closed doors.”
The influential radio host, 70, was speaking on his SiriusXM show on Wednesday (November 6), the day after the election.
“I think Kamala was a fine candidate,” said Stern. “She’s a fine woman. The problem I had is that I thought [President] Biden was doing a really good job, actually. But I understand why people said they had to switch.”
Howard Stern says America isn’t ready for a female president
UK needs to be ‘critical friend’ to Trump, says Davey
Saturday 9 November 2024 02:45 , Helen Corbett
The UK needs to be a “critical friend” to Donald Trump, Sir Ed Davey has said after describing him as a “destructive demagogue” when the US election results came in.
The Lib Dem leader also called for a London summit on Ukraine for European leaders to co-ordinate before Mr Trump takes office and for the Government to deepen trade ties with the EU as potential US tariffs loom.
Sir Ed called Mr Trump a “dangerous, destructive demagogue” this week after US voters returned him to the White House.
UK needs to be ‘critical friend’ to Trump, says Davey
WATCH: Powell Vs Trump Heats Up: FED Chair Signals Readiness To Defy Trump
Saturday 9 November 2024 02:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Ditch Brexit trade barriers, Starmer told amid fears over impact of Trump tariffs
Saturday 9 November 2024 01:30 , David Maddox
Keir Starmer has been warned that he must prioritise attempts to reset Britain’s relationship with the EU and unpick the trade barriers created by leaving if he wants to offset the impact of the tariffs Donald Trump has threatened to impose.
With Mr Trump re-elected to the White House and intending to impose protectionist tariffs to protect sectors of the US economy, there are fears that not only will the policy wipeout the UK’s hopes for economic growth but could see the economy shrinking.
Foreign secretary David Lammy, who has attempted to dismiss any ill feeling he may have created between the Labour government and Trump White House with his historic tweets calling the president-elect a “neo Nazi”, has also warned against US trade tariffs.
Ditch Brexit trade barriers, Starmer told amid fears over impact of Trump tariffs
WATCH: Trump’s win: European leaders consider consequences
Saturday 9 November 2024 01:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Heir to Levi Strauss fortune accused of ‘buying race’ as he becomes new mayor of San Francisco
Saturday 9 November 2024 00:30 , Josh Marcus
San Francisco mayor London Breed struck a civic tone when conceding the race to winner Daniel Lurie, writing on X, “I know we are both committed to improving this City we love.” A few days earlier, however, she made a considerably different point, accusing Lurie, an heir to the Levi Strauss denim fortune, of buying the election.
“It has been really one of the most sad and horrible things I’ve seen in politics in San Francisco, that someone would take their wealth and just basically buy this office,” Breed reportedly told supporters on election night. “It’s really unfortunate and pretty disgusting.”
Lurie, who ran as a relatively pro-business moderate calling for increased police staffing, more affordable housing, and expanded homeless shelter capacity, comes from substantial wealth.
Heir to Levi Strauss fortune accused of ‘buying race’ to be mayor of San Francisco
ACLU receives letter ‘filled with racist slurs and threats of death and sexual violence’
Saturday 9 November 2024 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander
ACLU Louisiana Executive Director Alanah Odoms has said in a statement that the organization received a racist letter in the mail after Election Day.
This comes amid a litany of reports of racist texts messages being sent to people across the country.
We have been made aware of several Black Louisianans who have received racist and frightening text messages in the time after Election Day.
In the strongest of terms, we condemn these messages and the emboldening of white supremacists in the wake of electing a president who has spread racist lies.
We ourselves received a letter after Election Day filled with racist slurs and threats of death and sexual violence. These messages are meant to intimidate us.
Instead, they prove the importance of our continued fight for racial justice. We will not back down in our fight to end white supremacy.
We will not back down against laws meant to keep us disenfranchised and discouraged. We carry a legacy bigger and bolder than any white nationalist can ever dream of.
Most of all, we are united in this fight. We will not back down.
ACLU Louisiana Executive Director Alanah Odoms
Texas campus in uproar after protesters hold signs declaring ‘women are property’ on quad after Trump victory
Friday 8 November 2024 23:40 , Michelle Del Rey
Hours before Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her concession speech, two Christian protestors caused disruption on a Texas university campus with signs that branded women “property” and used homophobic slurs.
The incident at Texas State University at San Marcos united students on both sides of the political aisle in anger as the men paraded around for an hour before being escorted off the property.
Eva De Arment, a 19-year-old sophomore, was in the university’s English building waiting for class to start when she saw Snapchat images of the signs, including one that listed “women” and “slaves” alongside cars as “property.”
Campus in uproar as signs saying ‘women are property’ appear at Texas university
If Republicans hold the House, Trump wins. If Democrats take the House, Trump still wins
Friday 8 November 2024 23:20 , Eric Garcia
When Donald Trump first came to the White House, he did so under rocky circumstances. Yes, he had beaten Democrats in the Blue Wall of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. But he also lost the popular vote — and Democrats had picked up Senate seats in Illinois and New Hampshire, as well as flipping a few seats in the House.
Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House at the time, would regularly say, “I haven’t seen the tweet,” when asked about Trump’s worst Twitter rants. Mitch McConnell would blow off anything Trump said as he turned the Senate into a judicial confirmation factory. John McCain famously voted down Trump’s planned repeal of Obamacare. Senate Republicans balked at his desire to get rid of the filibuster. After the January 6 riot, ten House Republicans voted to impeach Trump and seven Republican senators voted to convict him.
Why it’s a win for Trump if Democrats take the House
Michelle Obama already facing calls to run in 2028 – here’s why she never tried before
Friday 8 November 2024 23:00 , Josh Marcus
It hasn’t even been a week since Donald Trump won the election, but politicos are already dreaming about who should run in 2028, and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s name keeps cropping up.
When the Obamas issued their statement on the election results, social media users deluged them with comments calling for the former first lady to run.
Oddsmakers already have her as the number two choice next cycle, behind Vice President-elect JD Vance. Even Joe Rogan, the Trump-supporting apostle of male opinion this election, said this week Obama would win “in a landslide“ if she ran.
Michelle Obama already facing calls to run in 2028 – here’s why she never tried
Inside the war between Ron DeSantis and Trump’s formidable new chief of staff Susie Wiles
Friday 8 November 2024 22:40 , Rhian Lubin
Ron DeSantis once hailed Susie Wiles as “the best in the business.”
Donald Trump’s incoming White House Chief of Staff is credited with saving DeSantis’s floundering 2018 campaign for governor in Florida.
“Smartest thing you’ve ever done,” Trump told DeSantis, Politico reported in 2019, referring to his hiring of Wiles, according to a source who witnessed the exchange.
Inside the war between DeSantis and Trump’s formidable new chief of staff
The Trump transition has begun — and it’s even stranger than the first time around
Friday 8 November 2024 22:20 , Andrew Feinberg
Nearly four years ago as Donald Trump was refusing to acknowledge his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was asked if his department was preparing to engage with the incoming Biden team.
In what appeared to be a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the tensions around the then-president’s lack of commitment to the peaceful transfer of power, he replied: “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.”
On Wednesday, just hours after media outlets had declared Trump the winner in his bid to be the first president in over a century to serve non-consecutive terms, Pompeo took to X (formerly Twitter) to resurface the clip with an accompanying quip.
The Trump transition has begun — and it’s even stranger than the first time around
VOICES: Could Trump’s China policy trigger a fall-out with his ‘friend’, president Xi?
Friday 8 November 2024 22:00 , Michael Sheridan
Donald Trump used to call Xi Jinping “my friend”. But the Chinese leader doesn’t do “friends”. His formal congratulations to America’s president-elect were notably lacking in warmth.
Xi’s brutal realism when Covid-19 broke out told its own story. Then he sat and watched as wars tested American resolve. Now these two men in their seventies are fated to run the most important relationship in the world.
Both are the sons of privilege. Trump was born into wealth, Xi into power. But if Trump was spoiled by life, Xi was hardened by it. While a young Trump was hitting the party scene in Manhattan, Xi toiled in the mountains and lived in a cave for years after his father was purged from the Communist Party. As a teenager, he was beaten, imprisoned and threatened with death.
Could Trump’s China policy trigger a fall-out with president Xi?
