Donald Trump trounces Kamala Harris in US election, pulling off greatest of political comebacks

This was meant to have been a US election that rested on a razor’s edge, a contest that was simply too close to predict.

Kamala Harris has suffered a crushing defeat in the US presidential election, losing key swing states and performing worse than Joe Biden's 2020 results in all but two states.

The result is a remarkable turnaround for Donald Trump, who was given little chance of pulling off the greatest of political comebacks when he announced his bid to become president again in November 2022.

Only one man in history has been re-elected after losing the presidency, and Trump had at one time seemed more likely to spend his late 70s in prison than in the Oval Office.

But Ms Harris had a golden opportunity to capitalise on Trump's weaknesses, having failed to secure the Democratic nomination in 2020 and facing questions about her ability to inspire voters.

Yet swathes of black voters, Latin Americans, women, blue collar workers and the young all turned their backs on her, preferring instead the man who had been portrayed by so many as their enemy.

As an extraordinary election night unfolded, it became obvious that Trump's opponents had once again woefully underestimated his ability to connect with a coalition of voters drawn from all parts of society.

Good news for Ms Harris - or so it seemed at first

The night had started so differently for Ms Harris and her supporters.

Early exit polls from the first states to close their polling stations prompted talk of a Harris landslide, thanks to some wishful thinking about the motivation of voters.