President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other world leaders started congratulating the United States (U.S.) President-elect Donald Trump yesterday even before Democratic candidate Kamala Harris conceded defeat.
As soon as he gained an unassailable lead with 266 Electoral College votes – four short of the 270 threshold – Trump mounted the victory podium to address his supporters at Palm Beach, Florida from around 8:00 am Nigerian time.
His victory speech was streamed live by all major television networks to homes and offices around the world. Hours after Trump’s speech, Harris made a phone call to him to concede defeat, thereby ending the bitterly fought battle.
An unnamed aide of Harris explained that Harris, who in her capacity as vice-president serves also as Senate President, emphasised the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans.
She will in her capacity as Senate President preside over the ratification of the December vote by the Electoral College which will seal Trump’s victory. The President-elect will be sworn-in on January 20.
Trump secured the White House with a decisive 292 electoral votes. Harris garnered 226 electoral votes.
Apart from President Tinubu, other world leaders such as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu, French President Emmanuel Macron; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi; German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; Turkish President Recep Erdogan, Ukranian President Velodymyr Zelensky, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Polish President Andrzei Duda greeted Trump.
While Iran was indifferent about Trump’s second return to the White House as the 47th US President, China and Russia simply pledged cooperation with the President-elect.
