Donald Trump easily won the nationwide Electoral College vote on Monday, surpassing the minimum 270 votes needed to officially become the president-elect of the United States.
The billionaire businessman became America's 45th president after electors in Texas put him over the 270-vote threshold, despite anti-Trump protests and multiple campaigns to try to flip electors to support other candidates.
Some states have yet to finish voting, so it is unclear what Trump's final tally will be. He won 306 electoral votes in last month's presidential election, while Hillary Clinton garnered 232 votes.
Despite efforts by some Democrats and a small number of Republicans to push electors to vote against Trump–hoping to push the presidential vote to the House of Representatives–more so-called "faithless electors," those who do not vote for the candidate who won their state, refused to support Clinton than Trump.
In Washington, four of its 12 electors ended up voting against Clinton, despite her winning the state on Nov. 8. Three electors voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and one supported Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American elder who has been opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline project in North Dakota.
An elector in Maine tried to vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.). However, this move was deemed out of order because of the state rule that requires electors to vote as pledged, so he had to vote for Clinton. In Minnesota, a Democratic elector also tried to vote for Sanders but was replaced by an alternate, as state law requires, who supported Clinton.
Last week, a group of celebrities tried to flip 37 electors to vote against Trump in states where the Republican had won.
"Thirty-seven electors can be American heroes by voting their conscience for a real leader," the celebrities said in the video.
They clarified they were not asking electors to vote for Clinton, just not for Trump.
Thirty states in the U.S. require electors to vote as pledged–meaning for the candidate who won their state in the election.
Trump will be sworn into the White House on Jan. 20 as the next president.