Trump news – live: Trump issues ominous 2024 threat to DeSantis and pushes baseless voter fraud claims

Donald Trump is pushing baseless claims of voter fraud and calling for his followers to protest before the midterm polls have even closed.

The former president made his claims undermining the election results via Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon after turning out to vote in Palm Beach, Florida.

Mr Trump spoke to reporters after casting his ballot, revealing that he voted to re-elect Governor Ron DeSantis - days after attacking him on the campaign trail.

At his last rally before the midterms on Monday night in Ohio, Trump promised he will make a “big announcement” on 15 November, setting the stage for another presidential campaign.

But according to reports, he was originally planning to make the announcement last night – and was only talked out of it by Republican leaders panicked that he could turn Election Day into a referendum on him.

Speaking at the rally, Mr Trump described Joe Biden as cognitively impaired and called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi an “animal” for impeaching him twice “for nothing”.

Key points

• Trump delays 2024 announcement until after midterms despite election eve tease

• Crowd cheers as Trump attacks Nancy Pelosi after assault on House speaker’s husband

• Will Trump’s scandal-plagued Senate endorsements come back to bite the GOP?

• Trump’s rumoured announcement gets people talking...

Trump leaves DeSantis out of election night congratulations speech

13:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis won reelection by a 20-point margin, 15 points above Mr Trump’s win in the 2020 presidential race in the Sunshine State.

At his victory party, supporters chanted “two more years” as they pushed the governor to run for president in 2024 before the end of his gubernatorial term.

Mr Trump’s election night event was subdued by a tropical storm moving towards Mar-a-Lago. On Wednesday morning, the private club was in a mandatory evacuation zone, according to The Washington Post.

The former president made a brief speech on Tuesday night, thanked the press for attending, bragged about candidates he endorsed winning their races, and congratulated some Republicans who had won and some who were in the lead as ballots were being counted.

But he didn’t mention Mr DeSantis.

Trump goes to bed celebrating a “great evening”

12:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Having “truthed” steadily as last night’s results came in, Donald Trump rounded off the evening by celebrating a “great night” – specifically, for the candidates he endorsed – and accusing the media of spinning the result against him. Given what’s transpired in the intervening six hours, it is not clear if he will feel the same way when he wakes up.

Lara Trump tees up father-in-law’s comeback

12:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump’s famously upbeat daughter-in-law Lara, married to his son Eric, has come out swinging for the former president despite the blow last night will have dealt to his reputation as a sure winner:

Another reason for Trump to worry

11:30 , Andrew Naughtie

A resentful and humiliated Republican Party is far from Donald Trump’s only problem after last night’s suprising results. As Politico’s Kyle Cheney reports, there are now two full years in which his myriad legal troubles can engulf him:

Among the figures most intimidating to the former president is New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is suing him and his company for allegedly engaging in multi-million dollar tax fraud in their real estate business. She was handily re-elected last night, as expected. Maroosha Muffazar reports:

Trump taunted as arch-enemy Letitia James re-elected

JD Vance drops Trump from victory speech

10:58 , Andrew Naughtie

Ohio Senate candidate and now senator-elect JD Vance was one of Donald Trump’s success stories in this year’s primaries, shooting to the top of the field after the ex-president’s endorsement – but how he’s won his race, he has forgone the most obvious opportunity to express his gratitude:

Unlike many right-wing candidates running in vulnerable seats, Mr Vance at no point pivoted away from Trump-style rhetoric in the general election, instead doubling down on numerous relatively extreme positions.

ICYMI: Trump reveals he voted for Ron DeSantis

09:00 , Megan Sheets

Trump turned out to cast his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.

The former president, joined by his wife Melania, briefly spoke to reporters as he emerged from the polling place, revealing that he had voted to re-elect his rival Ron DeSantis.

“I think we’re going to have a great night, it’s going to be great for the country,” he said of the elections at hand.

“No matter who you vote for, you have to vote. It’s so important. This is going to be a very important election.

“Hopefully the right thing will happen.”

Mr Trump also coyly replied to a query about his own election ambitions in 2024, dropping another hint at when he will announce his presidential run.

“I think Tuesday [15 November] will be a very exciting day for a lot of people, and I look forward to seeing you at Mar-a-Lago,” he said.

The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander has more:

Trump votes for DeSantis as his team tells governor to ‘stay in Florida’

Trump allies win bigly

07:54 , Io Dodds

Whatever the overall results, many of Mr Trump’s personal allies have prospered in today’s voting.

Marco Rubio, Matt Gaetz, JD Vance, and former Trump PR aide Sarah Huckabee Sanders all enjoyed strong showings, writes my colleague John Bowden in Washington DC.

Read John’s full story here.

ICYMI: Trump unleashes on Truth Social after voting

07:00 , Megan Sheets

After casting his vote in Florida, Donald Trump unleashed a flurry of election-related posts on Truth Social.

In one, he outlined all of the candidates he’s endorsed this election cycle, touting those endorsements as “TRUMP’S UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS”.

He then wrote: “Reports are coming in from Arizona that the Voting Machines are not properly working in predominantly Republican/Conservative areas. Can this possibly be true when a vast majority of Republicans waited for today to Vote? Here we go again? The people will not stand for it!!!”

In another post, the former president added: “EVERYBODY, GET OUT AND VOTE. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Then came: “Pennsylvania just announced that it could take days to determine the winner. This is outrageous!”

Subsequent posts read:

“Another big voter tabulation problem in Arizona. Sound familiar???”

“The Absentee Ballot situation in Detroit is REALLY BAD. People are showing up to Vote only to be told, ‘sorry, you have already voted.’ This is happening in large numbers, elsewhere as well. Protest, Protest, Protest!”

“Maricopa County in Arizona looks like a complete Voter Integrity DISASTER. Likewise Detroit (of course!), Pennsylvania, and other places. Not being covered by the Fake News Media!”

Who will emerge as the true Maga king?

06:09 , Io Dodds

Who will be the true Maga king after tonight's dust has settled? My colleague Andrew Buncombe explores the growing rivalry between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.

"Two clear indications of how Trump may feel threatened by the younger, Yale-educated DeSantis emerged this week," writes Andrew.

"On Saturday he tested a mean-spirted nickname for the Florida governor – 'Ron DeSanctimonious' – the kind of thing he did when he felt threatened by “'Crooked Hillary' Clinton, 'Little Marco”' Rubio and 'Lying Ted' Cruz...

"Todd Belt a professor of political science at George Washington University, says that when DeSantis refused in his debate with Crist to commit to serve a full second term if elected, it underscored the widely held belief he plans to run for the presidency."

Read the full feature here.

ICYMI: Trump settles tomato lawsuit

05:30 , Megan Sheets

Former president Donald Trump has quietly settled a lawsuit against him by protesters who were allegedly beaten by his private security staff in the days after he announced his first presidential campaign in 2016.

Attorneys for both Mr Trump and the protesters told NBC News that the case had been settled just as a jury was being selected for trial in a Brooklyn courtroom.

The lawyer who represented the protesters, Benjamin Dictor, said the settlement represented “an incredible day” for his clients, who he described as “lifelong activists in the community … who stood up to defend the right to speech on the public sidewalk and have litigated for seven years”.

“Today, the matter was resolved on terms that they are very, very happy with,” he added.

Andrew Feinberg has more.

Trump settles case that revealed his fear of killer tomatoes

'These results are farcical'

05:06 , Io Dodds

The mood has turned sour in pro-Trump online communities, where users are already blaming election fraud for the GOP's weaker than expected results.

"These results are farcical," wrote one poster on The Donald, which models itself as a successor to Reddit’s banned TheDonald board. "There’s no rhyme or reason. You don’t get a blowout from counties in Florida and then magically cross state lines into 'highly competitive' territory in Georgia."

Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, and New York state were singled out as centres of supposed shenanigans (to be clear, there is no evidence of widespread election fraud in today's vote).

"They keep finding votes for Fetterf*** in rigged Pennsylvania," said one user, referring to Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman. "They are 100% about to steal Georgia for [Raphael] Warnock," said another.

One user was surprised by New York state governor Kathy Hochul's apparent victory, saying: "There is absolutely no fucking way in God's green earth [Kathy] Hochul has won.... the entire f***king map is red except like three counties." (Most of New York's counties do indeed lean Republican, but nearly 43 per cent of the state's population live in deep blue New York City.)

Many users blamed establishment Republicans for squandering the radical energy unleashed by Mr Trump.

"RNC/GOP, McConnell, McCarthy got the results they wanted," said one. "Tonight was all about splitting the party and strangling populism out of the party. And they accomplished it. Trump will run, but perhaps he should not after tonight."

Another said: "Trump gave the GOP a winning message since 2015. Instead of working with him, they have worked against him every step of the way. This election just further proved that with how they did more to stop the America First candidates than they did the radical Dems."

Don vs Don

04:44 , Io Dodds

Donald Trump has blamed the apparent defeat of New Hampshire US Senate candidate Don Bolduc on his insufficient zeal for the so-called Big Lie.

"Don Balduc was a very nice guy, but he lost tonight when he disavowed, after his big primary win, his longstanding stance on election fraud in the 2020 presidential primary," said Mr Trump on Truth Social just now. ("Primary" seems to be a typo for "election").

"Had he stayed strong and true, he would have won, easily. Lessons learned!"

Mr Bolduc, a former US Army brigadier general was tipped by some as a potential winner, but now looks likely to lose to Democratic incumbent Maggie Hassan.

During the Republican primary, Mr Bolduc had falsely claimed that Mr Trump won the 2020 presidential election, but reversed his stance after winning the nomination.

For anyone wondering, Mr Trump has still said nothing about Ron DeSantis's victory in Florida.

Lindsey Graham says Trump will have head start in 2024

04:12 , Io Dodds

South Carolina senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham has said the former president will have the 2024 race to himself, whatever Ron DeSantis decides to do.

Asked about the blossoming Don-Ron rivalry on NBC News just now, Mr Graham said: "Here's what I think. President Trump, if he announces next week, which I think he's likely to do, will have about six months to himself.

"He has the chance to get a wall of money, a [lot] of support, and close this thing out. And if he fails to do that, I think a lot of people will run.

"But he'll have his shot for four or five months, where he'll have this to himself, and we'll see how he does."

Commenting on the wider results for Republicans, which were not as strong as some polls had suggested, Mr Graham said: "It's not a wave for sure, but I think it'll be a very good night."

Trump delays 2024 announcement until after midterms despite election eve tease

04:00 , Megan Sheets

Former president Donald Trump on Monday ended an hours-long rehashing of old grievances at a rally for Ohio Senate candidate JD Vance without announcing his intention to run for president in 2024.

The twice-impeached ex-president failed to declare his candidacy for a presidential election that won’t happen for another two years despite allies and confidantes spending most of the day before the 2022 midterm elections stoking rumours and hyping a possible 2024 announcement from Mr Trump.

One staunch ally of the ex-president, Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, even took to Twitter to encourage Mr Trump to pull the trigger on a third presidential run, writing: “Trump should announce tonight.”

Read Andrew Feinberg‘s full report:

Trump delays 2024 announcement until after midterms despite election eve tease

Praise for Rubio, but not DeSantis

03:30 , Io Dodds

Mr Trump appears not to have mentioned Ron DeSantis at all in his speech at Mar-a-Lago, instead praising various other Republican candidates that he had endorsed.

"You know, JD Vance is now leading 52-47. We had an incredible rally last night in Ohio," he said.

"And in Florida, Marco Rubio – we had an unbelievable rally for Marco, the night before, with the heaviest rain I've ever been involved with."

(He spent a little while describing the "massive pails of water" and other inclement weather that he endured during the Florida really.)

"But Marco had a fantastic evening," Mr Trump continued. "That's really tremendous.

He praised Katie Britt, who has just won Alabama's US Senate election, and Herschel Walker, who is currently neck and neck with sitting senator Raphael Warnock in Georgia.

He also offered a little barbed praise for the media, saying: "They are not the nicest people in the world, but they are brilliant financially... thank you all for being here. Have a good time.” Cheers, Don.

Trump speaks, but only briefly

03:18 , Io Dodds

Was that all...?

Donald Trump appears to have finished his speech at Mar-a-Lago after just a few minutes, which he spent boasting that candidates he endorsed had won their elections.

The audio cut out during the beginning of his speech, but I didnt hear him mention Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis now beats Trump in Florida

03:13 , Io Dodds

Here's a fun fact for Donald Trump: Ron DeSantis appears to have far outpolled the former president's own performance in the 2020 election.

Whereas Mr Trump won Florida by 51.2 per cent, roughly four points ahead of his Democratic opponent, Mr DeSantis is predicted to win by 59.4 per cent, according to The New York Times. That is a staggering margin of 19 points over Democrat Charlie Crist.

Senator Marco Rubio, once dubbed "Little Marco" by Mr Trump, also appears to have outperformed his detractor, winning the state by 58 per cent according to the Times.

MSNBC pundit Steve Kornacki also pointed out that Miami Dade, which went heavily Democratic in 2016, voted for Mr DeSantis by an estimated 53.6 per cent. “Look at that!” Mr Kornacki exclaimed.

Trump due to speak at Mar-a-Lago

03:06 , Io Dodds

We are now awaiting a speech from Donald Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, where aides are currently moving things around the stage.

It has been more than two hour since The Associated Press called Florida’s race for governor for Ron DeSantis, and we’ve still seen no congratulations from Mr Trump.

Here’s our live stream of the Mar-a-Lago event:

ICYMI: When Trump triggered King Charles

03:00 , Megan Sheets

A new book claims that King Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry were reportedly so unhappy with former president Donald Trump’s 2012 remarks about Kate Middleton, they unleashed “torrents of profanity.”

Earlier this week, Newsweek reported on excerpts obtained from Christopher Andersen’s upcoming royal biography, The King: The Life of Charles III. The book, which is slated for release in the US next week and in the UK on December 8, explains what took place within the royal family after Mr Trump tweeted disparagingly about Kate Middleton.

Jenna Amatulli reports:

King Charles reacted with ‘profanity’ to Trump’s Kate Middleton comments, book claims

All the credit and none of the blame

02:45 , Io Dodds

How big a role does Donald Trump believe he will play in Republicans' performance tonight? Well, it depends.

"I think if they win, I should get all the credit, and if they lose, I should not be blamed at all," the former president told NewsNation earlier tonight, with only the faint hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"But it'll probably be just the opposite. When they win – I think they're going to do very well – I'll porobably be getting very little credit, even though in many c xase sI told people to run, and they ran and they turned out to be verygood candidates.

"Usually what would happen is when they do well I won't be given any credit, and if they do badly they will blame everything on me. SO I'm prepared for anyhting, but well defend ourselvecs.

Mr Trump has endorsed more than 330 candidates in this election.

No congratulations for Ron DeSantis yet

02:31 , Io Dodds

It has now been almost 90 minutes since AP called Florida’s governorship for Ron DeSantis, and so far we have seen no message of congratulations from Donald J Trump.

Mr Trump’s account on Truth Social remained silent as of 9:31pm EST, whereas AP called the race at 8:03pm. Perhaps he’s busy?

How Trump’s misleading claim about Detroit voting glitches spread

02:24 , Io Dodds

It's not just Trump who is hawking misleading claims about voting glitches in Detroit.

Kristina Karamo, a Republican who is running to be Michigan's secretary of state, picked up on reports that some Detroit voters were told they had already cast their ballots as evidence supporting her recent lawsuit alleging corruption in the city's counting process.

Ms Karamo’s tweet, based on a report from local journalist Charlie Langton, neglected to mention that these voters were not prevented from casting their ballots, and that election officials had promised to make sure such votes were counted.

Hours later, the city said it had traced the problems to a "harmless data error" in a system designed to prevent double voting.

That did not prevent Ms Karamo's claims from spreading far across the pro-Trump social media universe, thanks largely to Mr Trump and his outrider Dinesh D'Souza.

According to the Election Integrity Partnership, a coalition of disinformation researchers, the claim has spread not only in English but in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin.

Ms Karamo's lawsuit was dismissed on Monday by a Michigan judge, who said she had "failed dramatically" to support her arguments with "any shred of evidence".

Opinion: Trump rounds off the midterms with lies and self-obsession

02:00 , Megan Sheets

Writing for The Independent’s Voices section, Andrew Buncombe takes a look at the characteristically lurid way Donald Trump has closed out the midterms campaign:

If the former president was slow to get back on the election trail, he has more than made up for it since, appearing endlessly over the past 18 months, relentless with his false claims of vote rigging and victimhood.

On Monday night, he returned to Ohio for a final, eve-of-election rally that dragged on for two hours.

And just as at the event in the summer of 2021, the speech he delivered on Monday was filled with lies, insults, and an obsession with himself that appears to have no limit.

Read the full piece below:

Trump finishes as he began - with lies, insults and an obsession with himself

Read more on DeSantis

01:33 , Io Dodds

Here’s my colleague Alex Woodward with the full story on Ron DeSantis and his ascendancy in Florida.

• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wins re-election as Trump makes 2024 threat to potential GOP rival

DeSantis wins Florida despite Trump threat

01:27 , Io Dodds

The Associated Press has called the Florida governor’s race for Republican firebrand Ron DeSantis, despite an ominous threat from Donald Trump.

Mr DeSantis is estimated to have cruised to victory over Demorat Charlie Crist, securing a second term and bolstering his influence and popularity among the Republican base.

The win can only increase speculation that he could challenge Mr Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination, given his success in making himself a national figurehead for America’s culture wars over race and gender in schools.

Mr Trump had ominously claimed that Mr DeSantis “could hurt himself very badly” if he runs, while Mr Trump’s attorney Alina Habba said: “Just stay where you are. You are doing a great job in Florida.”

Mr DeSantis now has another four years in office, but of course that would not stop him from stepping down if he thinks he has a shot at the White House.

So far, Mr Trump has not congratulated Mr DeSantis on his victory.

Trump lawyer tees up dispute over midterm results

01:00 , Megan Sheets

Christina Bobb, a former OAN host who serves as one of Donald Trump’s attorneys in the Mar-a-Lago affair, appeared on the Trump-backing Right Side Broadcasting Network on Monday night as her boss prepared for his Ohio rally – and added to the chorus of right-wing voices already spinning a narrative of Democratic electoral malfeasance if the results of the midterms do not fall in Republicans’ favour by the early hours of Wednesday.

This projection for an acceptable rate of vote-counting is entirely arbitrary, and rests on a template conspiracy theory that Democrats will somehow tamper with the vote tallies after all voting is completed – in turn providing a premise to question the validity of all mail-in ballots, which tend to be added to tallies later in the counting process, tend to favour Democrats, and in some states can be added to the total count well after in-person voting closes.

‘Save big on My Pillow products right now!'

00:16 , Io Dodds

At this critical moment for American democracy, former Trump aide Sebastian Gorka is focusing on the most important issues.

“Save BIG on MY PILLOW Products RIGHT NOW!” tweeted the Hungarian-American radio host on Tuesday night, offering followers a personal discount code for MyPillow.com.

The pillow and bedding supplier has become a darling of MAGA conservatives due to its boss Mike Lindell’s outspoken support for Mr Trump’s conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being stolen.

Trump shares Melania’s reaction to ‘pee tape' rumour

00:00 , Megan Sheets

Trump told a midterms rally crowd that former First Lady Melania Trump didn’t believe the salacious allegations in the Steele dossier, the infamous and now mostly-debunked research file from former British spy Christopher Steele about the Trump campaign’s alleged contacts with Russia.

The research, funded by the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee, claimed among other things that Mr Trump paid prostitutes in Moscow to urinate on a hotel bed Barack and Michelle Obama had once used.

Mr Trump, famously germaphobic, said his wife didn’t believe the allegations.

“She said to me, ‘I know that’s not your thing,’” Mr Trump said. “You know why? Because I’m a germ freak.”

The Independent’s Josh Marcus has more:

Trump reveals Melania’s candid reaction to ‘golden shower’ claim in Steele dossier

Trump warns Ron DeSantis ‘if he runs, he could hurt himself badly’

23:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump continued his needling of his likely 2024 rival Ron DeSantis, telling Fox News that a run might hurt the Florida governor.

Mr Trump spoke with Fox on his airplane for an exclusive interview and said that he had no “tiff” with Mr DeSantis but said it would be a “mistake” to run.

“I don’t know if he is running. I think if he runs, he could hurt himself very badly. I really believe he could hurt himself badly,” Mr Trump said. “I think he would be making a mistake, I think the base would not like it — I don’t think it would be good for the party.”

Eric Garcia reports.

Trump warns Ron DeSantis ‘if he runs, he could hurt himself badly’

Watch: Trumps says he’ll support McCarthy but likely not McConnell

23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump says on Newsmax that he likely won’t back Mitch McConnell for GOP Senate leader but “absolutely” will support Kevin McCarthy in the House.

ICYMI: GOP leaders convinced Trump to delay 2024 announcement ‘by appealing to his ego’

23:00 , Megan Sheets

The eyes of the world were on Ohio last night after the Trump camp began briefing the media that he might be about to formally announce his candidacy for the 2024 election, and members of his family travelled to be by his side for the final pre-election rally of the midterms season.

In the event, however, Trump spoke for more than 90 minutes without confirming his third tilt at the presidency, stating only that a further “big announcement” on the matter would be made from Mar-a-Lago on 15 November.

So what happened? Well, according to several reports including from the Washington Post, the rumours that Trump was about to announce sparked a frenzy of calls from senior Republican party figures, all urging the former president to wait until after today’s election.

Party leaders feared an announcement would serve only to boost Democrat turnout, jeopardising GOP chances in several knife-edge midterm races.

This is not the line they reportedly used to convince Trump to hold off, however. Instead they appealed to his ego, suggesting that if he declared his candidacy on Monday night it would get buried in the election news cycle, and that waiting another week would get him the attention he craves.

Mar-a-Lago set for election night celebration

22:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump posts video telling Arizona voters to stay in line

22:11 , Oliver O'Connell

In pictures: Trump at the polls

21:00 , Megan Sheets

Trump’s turn at the Florida polls on Tuesday marked his second time voting in the Sunshine State, after he moved his registration from New York in 2019.

Here are photos of the moment:

Trump claims midterms voter fraud and calls for protests

20:20 , Megan Sheets

Donald Trump has called on his Truth Social followers to protest what he claims to be voter fraud unfolding at the polls.

In a post on Tuesday afternoon, the president wrote: “The Absentee Ballot situation in Detroit is REALLY BAD. People are showing up to Vote only to be told, ‘sorry, you have already voted.’ This is happening in large numbers, elsewhere as well. Protest, Protest, Protest!”

He wrote in a second post: “Maricopa County in Arizona looks like a complete Voter Integrity DISASTER. Likewise Detroit (of course!), Pennsylvania, and other places. Not being covered by the Fake News Media!”

The baseless claims of fraud came after ballot counting issues were reported in Maricopa County, Arizona.

The Independent’s Graig Graziosi has more:

Trump undermines election hours before voting closes

Will Trump’s scandal-plagued Senate endorsements come back to bite the GOP?

20:00 , John Bowden

In a piece analysing Donald Trump’s endorsement’s in this year’s midterms, The Independent’s John Bowden writes:

“It seems like an almost comical question to ask: Does the quality of a candidate matter anymore?

“But believe it or not that’s the question on the mind of experts on both sides of the aisle this year as a fresh crop of Republicansmake first-time bids for the US Senate buoyed by the support of Donald Trump, the man who took the presidency in 2016 amid shocking scandal and historic unpopularity.

“Republicans seem eager to test the boundaries of electability this year. Where a typical midterm election would see a crop of ambitious GOP state-level officials making their first forays into national politics supported mostly by national Republicans and special interest groups, 2022 has instead seen the launch of Donald Trump’s effort to transform state governments as well as the national GOP House and Senate caucuses to mirror his image. A swath of disloyal, impeachment-supporting Republicans met their ends in primaries earlier this year, and now Mr Trump hopes to usher in his chosen loyalists into power this November.

“But unfaltering loyalty to Mr Trump seems to have prevailed over traditional vetting procedures this time around, and as a result the GOP’s chances of breaking the Democratic Party’s Senate majority have wavered significantly while their opponents hungrily eye potential pickups in Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.”

Read more:

Will Trump’s scandal-plagued endorsements come back to bite the GOP?

Trump unleashes on Truth Social after voting

19:30 , Megan Sheets

After casting his vote in Florida, Donald Trump unleashed a flurry of election-related posts on Truth Social.

In one, he outlined all of the candidates he’s endorsed this election cycle, touting those endorsements as “TRUMP’S UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS”.

He then wrote: “Reports are coming in from Arizona that the Voting Machines are not properly working in predominantly Republican/Conservative areas. Can this possibly be true when a vast majority of Republicans waited for today to Vote? Here we go again? The people will not stand for it!!!”

In another post, the former president added: “EVERYBODY, GET OUT AND VOTE. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Then came: “Pennsylvania just announced that it could take days to determine the winner. This is outrageous!”

And finally, just before 2.30pm ET: “Another big voter tabulation problem in Arizona. Sound familiar???”

Trump defends attacks on Pelosi

19:00 , Andrew Naughtie

Former President Donald Trump called Speaker Nancy Pelosi an “animal” at a rally near Dayton, Ohio on the eve of the midterm elections.

Mr Trump, appearing at the event to boost Republican Senate candidate JD Vance, lashed out at Ms Pelosi less than two weeks after the Speaker’s husband Paul Pelosi was brutally assaulted in a politically-motivated attack in the couple’s San Francisco home.

“Nancy Pelosi said please don’t call them animals, they’re human beings,” Mr Trump said, referring to alleged members of the MS-13 gang. “I said no, they’re animals. Of course, I think she’s an animal, too, if you want to know the truth.”

Abe Asher reports:

Trump defends attacks on ‘animal’ Nancy Pelosi because ‘she impeached me twice’

WATCH: Trump speaks to reporters after casting his vote

18:30 , Megan Sheets

Trump votes for Ron DeSantis in Palm Beach

18:19 , Megan Sheets

Trump turned out to cast his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.

The former president, joined by his wife Melania, briefly spoke to reporters as he emerged from the polling place, revealing that he had voted to re-elect his rival Ron DeSantis.

“I think we’re going to have a great night, it’s going to be great for the country,” he said of the elections at hand.

“No matter who you vote for, you have to vote. It’s so important. This is going to be a very important election.

“Hopefully the right thing will happen.”

Mr Trump also coyly replied to a query about his own election ambitions in 2024, dropping another hint at when he will announce his presidential run.

“I think Tuesday [15 November] will be a very exciting day for a lot of people, and I look forward to seeing you at Mar-a-Lago,” he said.

The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander has more:

Trump votes for DeSantis as his team tells governor to ‘stay in Florida’