Donald Trump: Hillary Clinton called to congratulate us
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Donald Trump will become the 45th president of the United States, CNN projects, a historic victory for outsiders that represents a stunning repudiation of Washington’s political establishment.
The billionaire real estate magnate and former reality star needed an almost perfect run through the swing states – and he got it, winning Ohio, North Carolina and Florida.
The Republican swept to victory over Hillary Clinton in the ultimate triumph for a campaign that repeatedly shattered the conventions of politics to pull off a remarkable upset. Clinton conceded to Trump in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Speaking at a victory party in New York, Trump was gracious toward Clinton and called for unity.
“We owe (Clinton) a very major debt of gratitude to her for her service to our country,” Trump said. “I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.”
He added: “I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans.”
Trump won with 289 electoral votes compared to 218 for Clinton, according to CNN projections.
Trump’s supporters embraced his plainspoken style, assault on political correctness and vow to crush what he portrayed in the final days of his campaign as a corrupt, globalized elite – epitomized by the Clintons – that he claimed conspired to keep hard-working Americans down.
His winning coalition of largely white, working-class voters suggests a populace desperate for change and disillusioned with an entire generation of political leaders and the economic and political system itself.
Now, Trump faces the task of uniting a nation traumatized by the ugliest campaign in modern history and ripped apart by political divides exacerbated by his own explosive rhetoric – often along the most tender national fault lines such as race and gender.
Trump is sure to follow his own playbook
Trump will be the first president to enter the White House with no political, diplomatic or military executive experience. His victory will send shockwaves around the world, given his sparse foreign policy knowledge, haziness over nuclear doctrine, vow to curtail Muslim immigration and disdain for US alliances that have been the bedrock of the post-World War II foreign policy.
His promises to renegotiate or dump trade deals such as NAFTA and to brand China a currency manipulator risk triggering immediate economic shocks around the globe.
Global markets already began tumbling late Tuesday.
Trump, 70, will be the oldest president ever sworn in for a first term and will take the helm of a nation left deeply divided by his scorched-earth campaign. His victory was built on fierce anger at the Washington establishment and political elites among his grass-roots voters, many of whom feel they are the victims of a globalized economy that has resulted in the loss of millions of jobs.
His victory ends Clinton’s crusade to become the first woman to ever rise to the nation’s highest office. It’s a humiliating chapter in the long political career of Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign
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Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton voted in Chappaqua, New York, on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8. Afterward, she and her husband, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, visited with locals outside the voting area.
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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump casts his vote in New York on Election Day.
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Clinton addresses a midnight rally at North Carolina State University in Raleigh early on November 8. Both Clinton and Trump barnstormed across battleground states in a frenetic, last-minute push for votes.
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Clinton greets Lady Gaga backstage after the campaign event in Raleigh on November 8. The singer urged the crowd to make history and elect the first woman president.
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Clinton held a rally in Philadelphia the night before Election Day.
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Clinton's rally in Philadelphia included appearances from President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.
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The Clintons share a moment backstage.
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Trump's family -- as well as Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence -- join the candidate for a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Monday, November 7.
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Trump visited Raleigh on November 7.
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Trump makes an appeal to voters in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on November 7.
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Trump daughter-in-law Lara Trump joins former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the Scranton rally on November 7.
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Clinton takes the stage during a rally at the University of Pittsburgh on November 7.
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Trump's rally in Manchester was one of five stops the candidate made November 7, the last full day of campaigning.
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Clinton's image is reflected in a teleprompter as she greets supporters after a rally in Pittsburgh on November 7.
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Trump checks out a rubber mask of himself during a campaign rally in Sarasota, Florida, on November 7.
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Trump's face is obscured by a teleprompter as he holds his campaign rally in Raleigh on November 7.
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President Obama arrives to speak at a Clinton rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on November 7.
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Preparations continue November 7 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, where Clinton will hold an election night event.
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Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Minneapolis on Sunday, November 6.
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Trump supporters take photos in Minneapolis on November 6.
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Trump addresses supporters in Minneapolis on November 6.
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Clinton and NBA basketball player LeBron James wave to a crowd in Cleveland on November 6.
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Clinton supporters hold signs in Cleveland on November 6.
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Clinton boards her campaign plane in Cleveland on November 6.
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A crowd lines up for a rally supporting Trump in Sioux City, Iowa, on November 6.
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Clinton shakes hands with supporters during a rainstorm in Miami on Saturday, November 5.
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Clinton supporters wait outside an early voting center in the predominantly Cuban-American neighborhood of West Miami, Florida, on November 5.
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Trump and his wife, Melania, arrive at an airport rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on November 5.
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People climbed a wall to get a better view of Trump in Wilmington.
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Trump attends a rally in Denver on November 5.
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Singer Katy Perry shows off a coat reading "I'm With Madam President" during a Clinton event in Philadelphia on November 5.
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Police guard a men's room where a protester was being held after he disrupted a Trump rally in Reno, Nevada, on November 5.
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Police officers and Secret Service agents take a man away in handcuffs after the Reno disruption.
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Members of the Secret Service rush Trump off the stage in Reno.
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Photograph by Callie Shell
Children wait for the start of a Clinton rally in Detroit on Friday, November 4.
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Supporters listen to Clinton in Detroit on November 4.
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Clinton speaks at the rally in Detroit on November 4.
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Clinton joins Beyonce and Jay Z on stage during a free concert in Cleveland on November 4.
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Trump rallies supporters in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on November 4.
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Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway waits backstage at a rally in Atkinson, New Hampshire, on November 4.
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Ground crews await Trump's arrival for a rally in Wilmington, Ohio, on November 4.
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Clinton, seen in a reflection, applauds as her former primary rival, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, campaigns for her in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday, November 3.
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Trump holds a rally in Selma, North Carolina, on November 3.
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Trump speaks in Jacksonville, Florida, on November 3.
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A young girl attends a Clinton rally in Las Vegas on Wednesday, November 2.
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Trump addresses supporters in Pensacola, Florida, on November 2.
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Trump gestures in Pensacola on November 2.
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People attend a Clinton rally in Phoenix on November 2.
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Clinton smiles as she greets supporters in Phoenix on November 2.
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Clinton waves in Phoenix on November 2.
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Clinton greets customers at a barbershop in North Las Vegas on November 2.
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Trump appears at a rally in Orlando on November 2.
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A banner flies overhead at a Trump rally in Orlando on November 2.
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Clinton, right, and aide Huma Abedin stand aboard Clinton's campaign plane as they head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a campaign rally on Friday, October 28. News broke during the flight that the FBI was reviewing new emails related to Clinton's personal server, bringing an issue they had assumed was behind them back into the campaign. The emails being examined were part of an investigation into former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, Abedin's estranged husband, who is accused of sexting with a girl who was purportedly underage. On November 6, FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers that after reviewing the new emails, the agency stood by its opinion that Clinton should not face criminal charges.
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Clinton addresses the media in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 28. She issued a statement about the latest FBI disclosure. "We are 11 days out from perhaps the most important national election of our lifetimes," she said. "Voting is already underway in our country. So the American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately."
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Clinton speaks at her news conference on October 28.
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Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids on October 28.
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Trump supporters attend a rally in Cedar Rapids on October 28.
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Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Lisbon, Maine, on October 28.
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Clinton speaks in Cedar Rapids on October 28.
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Trump smiles at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, on October 28.
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Clinton attends a homecoming pep rally at North Carolina A&T State University on Thursday, October 27.
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First lady Michelle Obama hugs Clinton at a rally in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on October 27.
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A Clinton supporter takes a selfie at a campaign rally in Winston-Salem on October 27.
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Trump gears up for a campaign rally at an airport in Sanford, Florida, on Tuesday, October 25.
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Trump supporters cheer while waiting for the candidate's arrival in Sanford on October 25.
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Clinton attends a rally in Coconut Creek, Florida, on October 25.
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A shadow of Clinton's campaign plane is seen as the candidate prepares to land in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Monday, October 24.
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Clinton, center, claps for US Sen. Elizabeth Warren at a rally in Manchester on October 24.
Clinton waves as she boards her campaign plane in Seattle on Friday, October 14.
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The view from Clinton's campaign plane on October 14.
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Clinton headlines a fundraiser in Seattle on October 14.
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Clinton's campaign staff takes questions from the media on her plane in Seattle on October 14.
Trump’s win also deals a painful rebuke to President Barack Obama, whom he pursued for years with his birtherism campaign built on the false premise that Obama was born outside the United States. Now Trump will have the power to eviscerate Obama’s political legacy – including the Affordable Care Act, the latter’s proudest domestic achievement.
But there are deeper, more fundamental questions about Trump’s presidency that will be key to his capacity to unify a deeply divided country and appeal to Americans who will feel outraged and disgusted by his victory.
He’s got the attention of the whole world
Trump’s campaign was built on rage, falsehoods and singling out culprits for the ills of modern America, including undocumented migrants, foreign nations such as China and Muslim immigrants.
He mocked a disabled New York Times reporter, vowed to use the power of the presidency to put Clinton in jail and pledged to sue women who accused him of sexual assault.
Trump has promised to build a wall on the southern border and make Mexico pay for it, and to deport undocumented migrants. He has vowed to reintroduce interrogation methods for terror suspects that are more extreme than waterboarding.
So the demeanor that Trump will adopt as president and the manner in which he will behave will be closely watched – not just in the United States, but among nervous leaders abroad.
One of the many uncertainties about Trump’s coming presidency is how his White House will interact with Republicans in Congress — and whether he and GOP leaders will heal their rift from the campaign.
Republicans repelled a Democratic bid to recapture the Senate, giving the GOP control over Capitol Hill and the White House.
That means it would fall to the GOP either to rubber stamp policies likely to mark a break from conservative orthodoxy or to provide a check on the power of Trump, who has shown every sign he will use executive power aggressively.
House Speaker Paul Ryan will face intense pressure from pro-Trump members of his own coalition to cooperate with the new president.
Senate Republicans, meanwhile, are likely to hold Trump’s feet to the fire to ensure he lives up to his promise to appoint justices who could ensure a generational conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Clinton apparently failed to reassemble the diverse coalition that helped Obama win the presidency in 2008 and 2012.
The events of Clinton’s terrible final week on the campaign – the revival of her email controversy by FBI Chief James Comey and a damaging drip, drip, drip of revelations by WikiLeaks which her campaign says was orchestrated by Russian intelligence – could have helped consign her to defeat.
There also is the question of Trump’s temperament. Clinton repeatedly warned that he was unfit to control the nuclear codes because he could be baited with a tweet.
Obama passionately denounced Trump as intellectually and temperamentally unfit to succeed him in the Oval Office.
But now, he will be forced to greet his successor on the morning of Inauguration Day in January, and look on while he is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States.
