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After a night in which he dramatically exceeded expectations, Donald Trump was projected to win the state of Pennsylvania – making it impossible for Kamala Harris to win the White House.

Pennsylvania was one of the closest states won in both 2016 and 2020 and was widely considered a must-win state for Harris.

While Harris acknowledged throughout the campaign that he expected a narrow victory, Harris' campaign boasted of his massive canvassing and mobilization efforts, and the vice president delivered the highlight speech of her campaign at a major rally in the state's largest city, Philadelphia – the City That should ensure her victory.

Meanwhile, Trump was widely expected to lose ground among the state's Puerto Rican voters because a comedian made racist remarks at a rally a week before the election.

However, exit poll data showed that the former president has actually improved his performance among the state's overall Latino population since the last election – a pattern that appears to be a national trend so far.

Trump will be the first president to serve two non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in 1892, the only other US president to do so.

Trump was first elected president in 2016, defeating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In 2020, he lost re-election to President Biden amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

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