Although Trump has declared victory, there is still almost a quarter of a year until the next president is sworn in.
These are the key dates you need to know about now that Election Day is over and the dust has cleared.
Please note that all dates are local US time, approximately half a day behind AEDT.
November 6 to December 11: States confirm election results
Now that the voters have cast their ballots, the states must certify them. This happens both at the local or county level, as well as at the national level.
Because election law varies from state to state, the exact time each jurisdiction completes certification varies across the US, but the process must be completed by December 11th.
December 17: The electoral college votes
On December 17, those electors meet in their states to officially record their votes for president and vice president.
Those voting certificates must be received by the president of the US Senate no later than the fourth Wednesday in December – which falls on Christmas this year.
January 3: Congressional representatives and senators are sworn in
Congressmen, women and senators who won the election on November 5 were sworn in.
Voting certificates must also be transmitted to Congress by this date.
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January 6: Congress counts the votes of the electoral college
A special joint session of the Congress is held to count the votes of the Electoral College.
Whichever candidate gets 270 votes or more – in this case Donald Trump – then it is declared that he has been elected president, and the same applies to the vice president.
January 6 is, of course, an infamous date in American history. It was during this joint session four years ago that Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to prevent Joe Biden from being named president.
There will be a bit of a conundrum this year in that Kamala Harris, after running for office and losing, will preside over the joint session as the nation’s current vice president and have to announce Trump as the next president.
A similar thing happened after the 2000 election when Al Gore declared that George W. Bush had been elected president after an extremely close and controversial election between the two.
January 20: Inauguration Day
After winning the most Electoral College votes, Donald Trump will be sworn in as president at noon, Washington time, taking the oath of office and beginning his second four-year term.
JD Vance will also be sworn in as Vice President.