Supporters of former President Donald Trump celebrated as Fox News projected his victory in Florida during an election night watch party in West Palm Beach.
Inside the convention center, the crowd, initially calm and braced for a potentially long night, erupted in cheers when Trump’s win in his adopted home state was announced.
Trump, who moved his residence from New York to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida during his final days in office, has seen Florida transform from a closely contested battleground to a Republican stronghold.
Over recent years, the number of registered Republicans in Florida has surged, surpassing registered Democrats for the first time in modern history—a shift that many attribute to Trump’s influence in the state.
Despite the high stakes of the night, neither Trump nor his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, had heavily invested resources in the state, with both campaigns focused on swing states elsewhere.
However, Democrats had hoped that ballot measures on expanding abortion access and legalizing recreational marijuana might mobilize more left-leaning voters.
Trump supporters in attendance expressed optimism and solidarity, convinced that Florida’s win would propel the former president to further success in the electoral map.
As projections continued throughout the night, the jubilant atmosphere at Trump’s Florida watch party set the tone for his campaign’s ongoing battle for the White House.
