Celebrity businessman Donald Trump pledges to be president "for all Americans"

Washington: Donald Trump claimed his place Wednesday as America's 45th president, an astonishing victory for the celebrity businessman and political novice who capitalized on voters' economic anxieties, took advantage of racial tensions and overcame a string of sexual assault allegations on his way to the White House. Trump's triumph over Hillary Clinton, not declared until well after midnight, will end eight years of Democratic dominance of the White House. He'll govern with Congress fully under Republican control and lead a country deeply divided by his rancorous campaign against Clinton. He faces fractures within his own party, too, given the numerous Republicans who either tepidly supported his nomination or never backed him at all. As he claimed victory, Trump urged Americans to "come together as one united people." Clinton called her Republican rival to concede but did not plan to speak publicly until Wednesday morning. Trump, who spent much of the campaign urging his supporters on as they chanted "lock her up," said the nation owed Clinton "a major debt of gratitude" for her years of public service. The Republican blasted through Democrats' longstanding firewall, carrying Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states that hadn't voted for a GOP presidential candidate since the 1980s. He needed to win nearly all of the competitive battleground states, and he did just that, including Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and others. Global stock markets and U.S. stock futures plunged, reflecting investor concern over what a Trump presidency might mean for the U.S. and world economies and trade. The Republican blasted through Democrats' longstanding firewall, carrying Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states that hadn't voted for a GOP presidential candidate since the 1980s. He needed to win nearly all of the competitive battleground states, and he did just that, claiming Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and others. Global stock markets and U.S. stock futures plunged deeply, reflecting investor alarm over what a Trump presidency might mean for the economy and trade. Supporters of Hillary Clinton react as they watch live coverage of the US elections at an event organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong on November 9, 2016.
Share markets collapsed and the dollar tumbled against the yen and the euro as Donald Trump looked on course to win the race for the White House, in a stunning upset with major implications for the world economy. / AFP PHOTO / ANTHONY WALLACE. A New York real estate developer who lives in a sparkling Manhattan high-rise, Trump forged a striking connection with white, working class Americans who feel left behind in a changing economy and diversifying country. He cast immigration, both from Latin America and the Middle East, as the root of the problems plaguing many Americans and tapped into fears of terrorism emanating at home and abroad. GOP Senate candidates fended off Democratic challengers in key states, including North Carolina, Indiana and Wisconsin. Republicans also maintained their grip on the House. Senate control means Trump will have great leeway in appointing Supreme Court justices, which could mean a shift to the right that would last for decades. Trump has pledged to usher in sweeping changes to U.S. foreign policy, including building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and suspending immigration from countries with terrorism ties. He's also praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and spoken of building a better relationship with Moscow, worrying some in his own party who fear he'll go easy on Putin's provocations. Putin sent him a telegram of congratulations early Wednesday. Trump upended years of political convention on his way to the White House, leveling harshly personal insults against his rivals, deeming Mexican immigrants rapists and murderers, and vowing to temporarily suspend Muslim immigration to the U.S. He never released his tax returns, breaking with decades of campaign tradition, and eschewed the kind of robust data and field efforts that helped Obama win two terms in the White House, relying instead on his large, free-wheeling rallies to energize supporters. His campaign was frequently in chaos, and he cycled through three campaign managers. His final campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, touted the team's accomplishments as the final results rolled in, writing on Twitter that "rally crowds matter" and "we expanded the map." Clinton spent months warning voters that Trump was unfit and unqualified to be president. But the former senator and secretary of state struggled to articulate a clear rationale for her own candidacy. She faced persistent questions about her honesty and trustworthiness. Those troubles flared anew late in the race, when FBI Director James Comey announced a review of new emails from her tenure at the State Department. On Sunday, just two days before Election Day, Comey said there was nothing in the material to warrant criminal charges against Clinton. Trump will inherit an anxious nation, deeply divided by economic and educational opportunities, race and culture. Exit polls underscored the fractures: Women nationwide supported Clinton by a double-digit margin, while men were significantly more likely to back Trump. More than half of white voters backed the Republican, while nearly 9 in 10 blacks and two-thirds of Hispanics voted for the Democrat. Doug Ratliff, a 67-year-old businessman from Richlands, Virginia, said Trump's election was one of the happiest days of his life. "This county has had no hope," said Ratliff, who owns strip malls in an area badly beaten by the collapse of the coal industry. "Things will change. I know he's not going to be perfect. But he's got a heart. And he gives people hope." The Republican Party's tortured relationship with its nominee was evident right to the end. Former President George W. Bush and wife Laura Bush declined to back Trump, instead selecting "none of the above" when they voted for president, according to spokesman Freddy Ford. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a reluctant Trump supporter, called the businessman earlier in the evening to congratulate him, according to a Ryan spokeswoman. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the American people "have chosen a new direction for our nation." Obama, who campaigned vigorously for Clinton throughout the fall and hoped his own rising popularity would lift her candidacy, was silent on Trump's victory, but he is expected to invite him to the White House this week. It will be a potentially awkward meeting with the man who pushed false rumors that the president might have been born outside the United States. HIGHLIGHTS BELOW:

• I will be President to All Americans: Trump
• Sorry to keep you waiting, it's a complicated business. Got a call from Hillary, we congratulated each other. She worked very hard: Trump says in victory speech
• 1:10 PM - Donald Trump elected President of the United States, to address supporters in New York soon
• Trump wins Midwestern state of Wisconsin
• Republicans retain control in Pennsylvania.
• California Attorney General Kamala Harris defeated Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D) for California's open seat in the U.S. Senate, making her the first black woman elected to the upper chamber in more than two decades, says a Washington Post report.

Pic: @KamalaHarris (Twitter)

• Somber mood at Hillary Clinton’s election night party

Congratulations to the first Indian-American woman in the Senate – California’s @KamalaHarris! Welcome to the Congress! #USElections

— Rich Verma (@USAmbIndia) 9 November 2016

#NEWSGRAPHIC Trump needs 25 more electoral college votes to reach the presidency pic.twitter.com/8LlDXVIPg8 — AFP news agency (@AFP) November 9, 2016

• The 270 mark still is being hunted by candidates, with Trump in the lead.
• Republicans clinch House majority, extending 6-year lock on chamber, while Dems' gains modest. (AP)

Trump ran against the Democrats, the Republicans, Hollywood, the Media, Wall street, and the elites-- yet he may actually win #ElectionNight — Lauren Southern (@Lauren_Southern) November 9, 2016

 

This tweet can be read two different ways, @DanaBashCNN says https://t.co/vu3NPNITqa #ElectionNight pic.twitter.com/KeQEObHwdL — CNN (@CNN) November 9, 2016

• 10:53 am: Clinton wins Nevada.
• 10:33 am: Trump wins Iowa, leaving Clinton with only 41.6% votes.
• 10:24 am: Trump wins Utah.
• 10:04 am: Donald Trump has won Georgia. The republican nominee has been awarded its 16 electoral votes.
• 10:00 am: Hillary Clinton wins the key Washington in the bitter presidency battle.
• 9:55 am: Trump has won North Carolina (which previously went for Obama) with 51.2% votes.
• Trump wins Idaho. Clinton takes Hawaii and California. Clinton was trailing but it this win in California --having 55 electoral college votes -- has brought her back in the race.
• Trump wins Florida. Clinton keeps her hopes of victory alive after taking Colorado's nine electoral votes.
• Hillary Clinton wins the battleground state, Virginia, with 48.3 percent of the vote to Donald Trump's 46.6 percent.
• Trump wins key battleground state Ohio. A win in Ohio, is considered to be a big boost for Trump.
• Trump, 70, is ahead in the key battleground state of Florida while Clinton is projected to win in delegate-rich New York, the home state of both the candidates. In Florida, Trump had taken a lead of about 77,000 votes which has 29 electoral college votes.
• Trump is also ahead in Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, New Hampshire. He was also leading in Ohio and Virginia when reports last came in, but results were still too close to call. Virginia, with 13 electoral college votes, has a significant Indian-American population and is home to Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Senator Tim Kaine.
• In terms of overall vote percentage, Trump has so far received 49.2 per cent of the votes counted so far as against 46.8 per cent gained by Clinton.

HOW THE PRESIDENT IS ELECTED:

• In the US, voters select presidential electors, who in turn, vote for the new president and vice president on November 8 through the Electoral College.
• Electors are apportioned to each of the 50 states as well as to the District of Columbia (also known as Washington, DC).
• The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of members of Congress to which the state is entitled, while the 23rd Amendment grants the District of Columbia the same number of electors as the least populous state, currently three.
• Therefore, in total, there are currently 538 electors, corresponding to the 435 members of the House of Representatives and 100 senators, plus the three additional electors from the District of Columbia.

BACKGROUND:

• Trump's campaign saw dramatic ups and downs.
• Some polls in recent months saw the brash billionaire leading Clinton by a point or two. And while it seemed just a few weeks ago that his campaign was doomed after the release of tapes in which he made outrageous sexist comments, Trump was able to spring back.
• Trump's numbers surged recently after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) re-opened its investigation into Clinton's email scandal.
• The 2016 race for the White House will be remembered for being the contest in which both candidates have unusually high negative rates, with each being despised by certain demographics.
• While Trump is highly popular among white blue-collar Americans, he is hated by many single women and Latinos. Clinton is somewhat popular among her own supporters, but deeply distrusted by much of the public.