Donald Trump pushed closer to victory over Kamala Harris on Wednesday, leaving the Democrat the narrowest of remaining paths to stop him scoring a stunning political comeback in America's brutally tense presidential election.
Trump's Republican Party also seized control of the Senate, flipping two seats to overturn a narrow Democratic majority.
The Republican former president, 78, won North Carolina and then the second swing state of Georgia, confirming his growing momentum as he targets a return to power that would send shockwaves around the world.
Democratic vice president Harris appeared to be underperforming in key areas compared to Trump as partial vote counts came in.
Her campaign said she would hold off from speaking to supporters at a watch party in Washington, DC, as had been expected earlier.
Trump's early wins included the reliably Republican Florida and Texas while Harris won California, giving Trump 243 electoral votes and Harris 194. The magic number to win the presidency is 270.