Donald Trump has sealed a historic victory in the US presidential election and completed his stunning political comeback.

The Republican comfortably defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in what polls had suggested would be a very tight election, after he swept several key battleground states and won a commanding lead in the national popular vote.

He becomes the first former president to return to the White House in more than 130 years and, at 78, the oldest man elected to America's highest office.

Claiming victory at a rally in Florida on Wednesday morning, Trump told supporters that he would usher in “a new golden age” and "restore America to greatness".

Accompanied by his family and his pick for vice-president, JD Vance, Trump told supporters in West Palm Beach on Wednesday morning: "This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again."

"The task before us will not be easy, but I will bring every ounce of energy, spirit and fight that I have with my soul to the job that you've entrusted to me."

Latest updates from the election results
Elon Musk, the world's richest man and Trump mega-donor, was with the Republican candidate as the results came in. The billionaire posted increasingly positive message on X - which he owns - throughout the night.

Trump swept several of the key battleground states, with CBS projecting that he has won in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia and North Carolina - and appears to be on track for a clean sweep of all seven swing states that were crucial for a win.

Projections suggest he is likely to win the overall popular vote nationally - a feat he fell short of when first elected in 2016.

Trump also has a solid lead in Nevada, while the race remains tight in the other Sun Belt battleground of Arizona.

As expected, Trump has dominated conservative strongholds from Florida to Idaho, while Harris won liberal states from New York to California, CBS projects.

The Democrat had been expected to address a crowd on election night at Howard University in Washington DC, where she was an undergraduate, but it emerged after midnight that she would not appear. Harris has made no statement so far