Donald Trump becomes NBC and AP’s 47th president-elect after winning Wisconsin

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump won the key state of Wisconsin on Wednesday, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in a critical battleground. The victory gives Trump 10 Electoral College votes.

He narrowly won Wisconsin in 2016, becoming the first Republican since Ronald Reagan to carry the state. He lost it to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Both Harris and Trump made Wisconsin a focal point of their campaigns. In 2020, Trump tried to overturn his loss in the state through lawsuits and recounts but failed.

NBC News and the Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 5:34 a.m. EST.

Trump’s victory marked an extraordinary comeback for the former president, who refused to concede defeat four years ago, incited a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of a felony and survived two assassination attempts.

With his victory in Wisconsin, Trump gained the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

The victory confirms his tough approach to politics. He attacked his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in deeply personal — often misogynistic and racist — terms, promoting an apocalyptic vision of a country overrun by violent migrants.

The crude rhetoric, combined with an image of hyper-masculinity, resonated with angry voters, especially men, in a deeply polarized country. Once president, he vowed to pursue a program aimed at radically changing the federal government and retaliating against his perceived enemies.