WASHINGTON — Donald Trump clinched the United States election after a tumultuous campaign as Canadian officials espoused the important relationship between neighbours in congratulations to the former president on his extraordinary comeback.
"I will govern by a simple motto: promises made, promises kept," Trump said to cheering party faithful at a Florida watch party.
Trump was elected the 47th president of the U.S. amidst a deeply divided America by prevailing among voters in the key battleground states.
The campaign season came to its end with Trump ultimately colouring the Democrat's critical "blue wall" states red.
Trump posted early wins by taking North Carolina and Georgia. His path to victory became clear when he won the campaign's most sought after 19 electoral college votes in Pennsylvania.
Vice-President Kamala Harris did not appear at her election night party at her alma mater Howard University in Washington.
Top aides told the audience that Democrats would continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted.
However, with a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency early Wednesday morning.
"You've got an electorate where there's as many Republicans as Democrats, or a few more Republicans than Democrats these days," said Matthew Lebo, a specialist in U.S. politics at Western University in London, Ont.
"An unhappy electorate that went through COVID and rising prices and international crisis and all sorts of things."
The Republicans also looked to take control of the U.S. Senate after flipping several Democrat seats. Results for control of the House of Representatives remained undecided.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Trump on seizing a second term in office. He said Canada and the U.S. have the world’s most successful partnership.
"The friendship between Canada and the U.S. is the envy of the world," he said on X. "I know President Trump and I will work together to create more opportunity, prosperity, and security for both of our nations."
In a statement, Trudeau said the two countries are "neighbours and friends, united by a shared history, common values, and steadfast ties between our peoples."
"We are also each other’s largest trade partners and our economies are deeply intertwined."
Canada will not be able to escape the geopolitical pull from the change in administration of its closest neighbour.
Trump has proposed 10 per cent across-the-board tariffs, making the duties the centrepiece of his platform. A Canadian Chamber of Commerce report suggests those tariffs would shrink the Canadian economy, resulting in around $30 billion per year in economic costs.
"I would say it's code red in Canada-U.S. relations," said Fen Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa and co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations.
Hampson said Canada should not panic but must be prepared to double-down on efforts to build relationships with U.S. lawmakers at all levels and move away from strategies of quiet diplomacy.
Canadian officials have been reaching out to members of the Republican leader's team for months ahead of the election, making clear the importance of the bilateral relationship.
Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the U.S., also sent her congratulations to Trump and his running mate JD Vance.
"We have the great fortune of being neighbours, and the U.S. has no closer partner and ally than Canada," Hillman posted on social media. "Looking forward to working together towards a more prosperous and secure future."
The first Trump administration demonstrated how vulnerable Canada can be when the former president scrapped the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Negotiating its successor, the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, was a key test for Ottawa after Trump's 2016 victory. The trilateral agreement will come under review in 2026.
Trump is the first former president to return to power since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election. He is the first person convicted of a felony to be elected president and, at 78, is the oldest person elected to the office. Vance will become the highest-ranking member of the millennial generation in the U.S. government.
But right up to the moments Americans cast their ballots, polls showed the race was razor-thin.
The tumultuous campaign season saw Biden remove himself from the top of the Democrats' ticket following a disastrous debate performance against Trump. The party quickly rallied support around Harris a little more than three months before election day.
The vice-president's campaign kicked off with the idea of joy and charting a new path forward, but Harris was never able to fully shake off the criticism from many Americans about immigration, inflation and the economy directed at Biden's administration.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
— With files from The Associated Press
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
