FLORIDA, US, NOV 6 (DNA):Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump thanked his family, including wife Melania, during his speech after Fox News projected him as the winner of the the 2024 United States presidential election.

During his speech, the former US president referred to Melania as the “first lady”, thanking her for support during his bitter presidential campaign.

Additionally, Trump, 78, praised Melania’s namesake book terming it as the “number one best seller in the country”.

“She’s done a great job,” he said, adding that she “works very hard to help people”.

Additionally, he also expressed gratitude to his “amazing children,” naming each of them as they stood on stage with him.

Trump’s remarks came as he claimed victory in the 2024 presidential contest after Fox News projected that he had defeated Democrat Kamala Harris, which would cap a stunning political comeback four years after he left the White House.

“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” he said early on Wednesday to a roaring crowd of supporters at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, flanked by his vice presidential running mate, Senator JD Vance, Republican leaders and members of Trump’s family.

Other news outlets had yet to call the race for Trump, but he appeared on the verge of winning after capturing the battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia and holding leads in the other four, according to Edison Research.

Harris did not speak to her supporters, who had gathered at her alma mater Howard University. Her campaign co-chair, Cedric Richmond, briefly addressed the crowd after midnight, saying Harris would speak publicly on Wednesday.

“We still have votes to count,” he said.

The former president was showing strength across broad swaths of the country, improving on his 2020 performance everywhere from rural areas to urban centers.

Republicans won a US Senate majority after flipping Democratic seats in West Virginia and Ohio. Neither party appeared to have an edge in the fight for control of the House of Representatives where Republicans currently hold a narrow majority.