By Steve Holland, Nandita Bose and Joseph Ax
PALM BEACH, Florida/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Donald Trump recaptured the White House with a sweeping victory on Wednesday as tens of millions of Americans looked past his criminal charges and divisive rhetoric to embrace a leader who, if he carries out his campaign promises, will test the limits of presidential power.
Trump, 78, clinched Tuesday's election after a polarizing and dizzying campaign marked by two attempts on his life and Kamala Harris' late entry into the race following President Joe Biden's surprise withdrawal.
In a concession speech at her alma mater Howard University on Wednesday afternoon, Harris sought to console the voters who had hoped she would become the first woman to win the White House.
"To everyone who is watching, do not despair," she said. "This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves."
Harris said she had called Trump to congratulate him and promised to aid his transition. But she was not prepared to embrace his vision for the country.
"While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign," she said, as some supporters in the crowd shed tears. "The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people."
At least 200 people gathered outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago to protest his election. One banner at the front read "Trump out!" as demonstrators also called for and end to Israel's Gaza incursion, pictures on social media showed.
Biden planned to address the nation at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) on Thursday. The White House said Biden was committed to a smooth transition between now and Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.
Trump's campaign said Biden called Trump to congratulate him and invite him to a meeting at the White House at an unspecified time.
Trump's resounding victory underscored how disenchanted Americans had become with the economy, border security and the direction of the country and its culture. Voters demanded a change, even if the agent of change was a convicted felon twice impeached and no longer the Washington outsider he was in his 2016 campaign.
Trump has said he wants the authority to fire civil servants he views as disloyal and has vowed to use federal law enforcement agencies to investigate or prosecute perceived enemies, including political rivals.
Trump promised roles in his administration to Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, the world's richest man and a prominent Trump donor, and former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Musk contributed at least $119 million to a pro-Trump spending group, giving him extraordinary influence to help his companies secure favorable government treatment.
The outcome defied polls that showed a razor-close race ahead of Tuesday's Election Day. Trump prevailed in at least five of the seven battleground states to push him over the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency and was leading in the remaining two, Arizona and Nevada, where votes were still being tallied.
Trump was also on track to become the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote since George W. Bush two decades ago.
His fellow Republicans wrested control of the U.S. Senate from Democrats and had added to their narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, though the outcome there may not be known for several days with dozens of races still uncalled.
"It was a hell of a good day," said Mitch McConnell, the longtime Senate Republican leader.
Unified Republican control on Capitol Hill would clear the way for major portions of Trump's legislative agenda, as it did in the first two years of his 2017-2021 presidency when Republicans whipped a major tax-cut bill through Congress that mainly benefited the wealthy.
"America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate," Trump said early on Wednesday to a roaring crowd at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in Florida.
Major stock markets around the world rallied following Trump's victory, while the dollar and bitcoin surged.
OVERCOMING ODDS
Trump was elected despite persistently low approval ratings, four criminal indictments and a civil judgment against him for sexual abuse and defamation. In May, Trump became the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime when a New York jury found him guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money paid to a porn star.
Trump's political career appeared over after his false claims of election fraud led a mob of supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a failed bid to overturn his 2020 defeat. His efforts to reverse his defeat led to two separate indictments, though all the criminal cases against him are expected to end after his victory.
Trump swept away challengers inside his party and then beat Harris by capitalizing on voter concerns about high prices and what Trump claimed falsely was a rise in crime due to illegal immigration.
Trump's win will have major implications for U.S. trade and climate change policies, Americans' taxes and immigration, and U.S. foreign policy, including in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump, and they discussed "the Iranian threat" and the need to work together for Israel's security, Netanyahu's office said.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, called for an end to the "blind support" for Israel from the United States.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed Trump's commitment to "peace through strength," while the Kremlin said it would wait and see if his victory could help end the war in Ukraine more quickly. Trump had said he could end the war in 24 hours but has not offered a detailed plan.
Trump's tariff proposals could spark a fiercer trade war with China and U.S. allies, while his pledges to reduce corporate taxes and implement a spate of new cuts could balloon U.S. debt, economists say.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent Trump a congratulatory message and said he hopes the two powers will coexist peacefully and achieve win-win cooperation, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke with Trump and congratulated him, as officials at the trade ministry in Seoul swiftly convened meetings to weigh the potential impact of Trump's proposed tariffs.
A second Trump presidency could drive a bigger wedge between Democrats and Republicans on issues such as immigration, race, gender and reproductive rights.
Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation campaign targeting immigrants in the country illegally.
Hispanics, traditionally Democratic voters, and lower-income households hit hardest by inflation helped fuel the victory.
Trump's support among women, whose backing Democrats had counted on, improved from four years ago. And his loyal base of rural, white and non-college educated voters again showed up in force, according to Edison Research exit polls.