When will Trump officially become president?

Donald Trump has secured victory in the US presidential election with a remarkable political comeback that saw him defeat Kamala Harris.

There now follows a lengthy process between Trump being confirmed winner and his official inauguration as president, during which he is currently scheduled to be sentenced for falsifying business records.

Here's what happens next.

Concession speech

The first step after a candidate has been projected as the winner is a concession speech by the defeated candidate – which is seen as an important stepping stone in the democratic process, enabling their platform to publicly accept the legitimacy of the election results.

Harris made her concession speech at her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington, DC and acknowledged that "the outcome of this election is not what we wanted". She also told her supporters to "never give up" fighting for their ideals, but insisted there must be a peaceful transfer of power.

Her comments were significant as Trump refused to make a concession speech after losing to Biden in 2020, and instead made false claims about voter fraud. He did not acknowledge that Biden would take over the presidency until two months after the 2020 election, and when doing so did not mention the current president by name.

In normal circumstances, the election victor would follow their defeated opponent's speech with one of their own, in which they would acknowledge their adversary's concession. However, it remains to be seen if this is a tradition that Trump will follow.

Transition period

Trump now becomes president-elect, and there will be 75 days until his inauguration. In this period, the outgoing administration, led by president Joe Biden, typically briefs its successor on matters of national security and foreign affairs, a process that helps the president-elect make decisions about top-level officials.

An incoming president must fill about 7,000 branch positions, with the 1,200 most crucial roles - including secretaries of state and defence - requiring Senate confirmation.

Given the acrimonious campaign, and the fact he has already served as president, it is unclear how much advice Trump will seek from Biden, who pulled out of the election race in the summer after a disastrous performance in their TV debate, and was replaced by Harris.

Biden continues to be US president until Trump's inauguration day, even though he exited the race for the White House in July.

Trump's sentencing

Trump is scheduled to appear in court in New York on 26 November to be sentenced after his conviction in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

However, that sentencing may not go ahead now that Trump is president-elect.

The judge in the case, Juan Merchan, has given himself until 12 November to decide whether to quash the conviction, following a ruling by the Supreme Court in the summer that former presidents are entitled to some degree of immunity from criminal prosecution.

Should Merchan decide to retain the conviction, Trump's lawyers are expected to ask for a delay in sentencing so they can appeal.

Certifying the votes

Although Trump has been projected as the winner by news agencies such as the Associated Press, the results are not completely official.

All states have until 11 December to certify their official results, although some states have earlier deadlines.

Georgia must certify its final votes by 22 November, and Pennsylvania and Michigan have until 25 November.

Six days later, on 17 December, 538 electors – the members of the electoral college whose system decides the outcome of the US election – meet in their state capitals to formally send their votes for president and vice-president to Congress.

Those electoral votes must be received by the president of the Senate, current vice-president Kamala Harris, by Christmas Day.

Votes formally counted

On 6 January 2025, Congress will meet in Washington DC to count the electoral votes and officially announce the winner of the election.

This was the date in 2021 when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building in the same city two months after his defeat in the 2020 election.

Inauguration

Trump's inauguration – his second – will take place on Monday, 20 January 2025. The event will be held on the West Front of the Capitol building in Washington DC, and will be the 60th presidential inauguration.

Trump will take the presidential oath of office and his running mate, JD Vance, will take the vice presidential oath of office.

Biden is expected to carry out his duties and attend the ceremony, although Trump did not attend Biden's inauguration in 2021 when he succeeded him - the first outgoing president to fail to do so since 1869.