Donald Trump recaptured the White House in a landslide victory Wednesday as tens of millions of Americans looked past his criminal charges and divisive rhetoric to embrace a leader who, if he makes good on his campaign promises, will test the limits of presidential power .

Trump, 78, won Tuesday’s election after a polarizing and dizzying campaign marked by two assassination attempts on himself and Kamala Harris, breaking new ground for late entry into the race after President Joe Biden’s surprise withdrawal.

In a concession speech at her alma mater Howard University on Wednesday afternoon, Harris sought to comfort voters who had hoped she would become the first woman to win the White House.

“To everyone watching, don’t despair,” she said. “This is not the time to throw up our hands. This is the time to roll up our sleeves.”

Harris said he called Trump to congratulate him and promised to help with his transition. But she was not ready to embrace his vision for the country.

“While I recognize this election, I don’t recognize the struggle 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.”

Biden planned to address the nation at 11:00 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) on Thursday. The White House said Biden is committed to a smooth transition between now and Trump’s inauguration on January 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 disillusioned Americans have become with the economy, border security and the direction of the country and its culture. Voters demanded change, even though the change agent was a two-time convicted felon and no longer the outsider from Washington in his 2016 campaign.

Trump has said he wants the authority to fire public officials he deems disloyal and has vowed to use federal law enforcement agencies to investigate or prosecute perceived enemies, including political rivals.

Trump has promised roles in his administration to Tesla executive Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a major Trump donor, and former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Musk contributed at least $119 million to a pro-Trump spending group, giving him tremendous leverage to help his companies get favorable government treatment.

The result defied polls that showed a close race ahead of Tuesday’s election day. Trump won at least five of the seven battleground states to push him past the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency and led in the other two, Arizona and Nevada, where votes were still being counted .

Trump was also on pace 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 US Senate from Democrats and added to their slim majority in the US House of Representatives, although the outcome there may not be known for days, with dozens of races yet to be called.

“It’s been a damn good day,” said Mitch McConnell, the longtime Republican leader of the Senate.

Unified Republican control of Capitol Hill would pave the way for major portions of Trump’s legislative agenda, just as it did in the first two years of his 2017-2021 presidency, when Republicans pushed through Congress a major bill to cut taxes, which mainly benefited the rich.

“America has given us a strong and unprecedented mandate,” Trump told a roaring crowd at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in Florida on Wednesday morning.

Major stock markets around the world rallied following Trump’s victory, and the dollar was poised for its biggest one-day gain of 2020.

EXCEEDING CONSENCES

Trump was elected despite persistently low approval ratings, four criminal charges and a civil conviction against him for sexual abuse and defamation. In May, Trump became the first former US president to be convicted of a crime when a New York jury found him guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover payments to a porn star.

Trump’s political career ended after his false claims of voter fraud led crowds of supporters to storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a failed attempt to overturn his 2020 defeat. -and his reverse defeat led to two separate indictments, although all criminal cases against him are expected to end after his victory.

Trump swept the challengers from within his own party and then defeated Harris by capitalizing on voters’ concerns about high prices and what Trump falsely claimed was an increase in crime due to illegal immigration.

Trump’s win will have major implications for US trade and climate change policies, American taxes and immigration, and US 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, has called for an end to “blind support” for Israel from the United States.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Trump’s pledge to “peace through force”, while the Kremlin said it would wait and see if his victory could help end the war in Ukraine more quickly. Trump said he could end the war within 24 hours, but did not offer a detailed plan.

Trump’s tariff proposals could spark a fiercer trade war with China and US allies, while his pledges to cut corporate taxes and implement a raft of new cuts could increase US debt, economists say.

“We respect the choice of the American people and congratulate Mr. Trump on his election as president,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement late Wednesday.

Trump also had a call with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in which they pledged to meet soon and shared concerns about North Korea’s deployment of troops supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine and Pyongyang’s continued military provocations, an aide to Yoon said. Yoon later told reporters that his government would work with the Trump administration to build a “perfect” security partnership.

A second Trump presidency could create a greater wedge between Democrats and Republicans on issues such as immigration, race, gender and reproductive rights.

Trump has vowed 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 support Democrats have been counting on, has improved from four years ago. And his loyal base of rural, white, college-educated voters has come out strong again, according to Edison Research exit polls.