Donald Trump will take the 30 Electoral College votes in his home state of Florida – but winning one county will be particularly satisfying for the former president.
The Associated Press called the race just an hour after polls closed with Trump ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris by more than 11 percent with 86 percent of the vote reported.
Florida was previously a swing state but in recent elections has moved further and further to the right.
In this election almost every region in the state shifted Republican, including historically blue counties.
Miami-Dade saw the biggest increase towards the right, with an 18 percentage point shift as Trump become the first Republican presidential candidate to win the county since George H.W. Bush in 1988.
In 2016 Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton won Miami-Dade County by 30 points.
Donald Trump chats with UFC CEO Dana White and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk at Mar-a-Lago on election night
Trump won the Sunshine state in 2016 by just 1.2 percent to Clinton. He widened the gap in 2020 with a 3.3 percent gap between him and Joe Biden.
If the results remain on track, Trump is set for a much larger margin of victory against Harris this election cycle.
By 10 p.m., Trump was leading by a commanding 13.3 percent.
Trump moved his residency to Florida in 2019 with then-First Lady Melania Trump and their son Barron. He made his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida his primary residence after living in the liberal enclave of New York City his entire life.
Results continue to be tabulated in Florida, but with more than 5.5 million votes for Trump as of 8:15 p.m., there was no way for Harris to catch up to her Republican rival.
Trump and wife Melania cast their votes in the 2024 presidential election at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center polling place in Palm Beach on Tuesday.
Trump’s former attorney Alina Habba was one of the attendees at his election night celebration
Donald and Melania Trump speak to reporters after casting their ballots in the 2024 election in Palm Beach, Florida on Tuesday, November 5
A ballroom full of Trump fanatics, surrogates and allies is filled at the Palm Beach Convention Center for a watch party on Election Night
Trump and former first lady Melania visited campaign headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida on Tuesday, November 5 to thank the workers on Election Day
In for the long haul: Results take hours to come in – and the final outcome may not be known on Election Night. But Trump’s supporters are prepared to stick around through the evening at his party in West Palm Beach
Trump took questions from reporters while Melania stood by his side and kept her sunglasses on inside the gymnasium.
The former president said he felt ‘confident’ after he cast his vote, even as final polls were showing the race virtually tied.
Melania answered one short question about how she was feeling. She said: ‘Very good. Thank you.’
Trump is holding his election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center.
Surrogates, allies and supporters gathered in a ballroom for what they hoped would be a victory party with the former president.
Former New York City Mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani was around speaking to people at the convention center ahead of Trump’s arrival. And Trump’s former attorney, now a campaign adviser, Alina Habba was also around.
Supporters in West Palm Beach watch as results filter in for the 2024 presidential election and they await Donald Trump’s arrival for what they hope to be a victory party at the Palm Beach Convention Center
Meanwhile, at a more intimate gathering before the convention center gathering, Trump was surrounded by family and close allies – including billionaire Elon Musk.
Trump was spotted at Mar-a-Lago with his family in tow.
Seen with the former president at his club were sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as well as his wife and co-chair of the Republican National Committee Lara Trump.
Also surrounding the former president on the consequential night were his pregnant daughter Tiffany Trump and her husband Michael Boulos as well as Trump’s youngest son Barron.
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