Donald Trump wins U.S. election in astonishing victory

Donald Trump has been elected the next president of the United States — a remarkable showing by the celebrity businessman and political novice who upended American politics with his bombastic rhetoric.

Trump rode an astonishing wave of support from voters seeking sweeping change, capitalizing on voters' economic anxieties, taking advantage of racial tensions and overcoming a string of sexual assault allegations on his way to the White House.

His triumph over Hillary Clinton will end eight years of Democratic dominance of the White House and threatens to undo major achievements of President Barack Obama. He has pledged to act quickly to repeal Obama's landmark health-care law, revoke the nuclear agreement with Iran and rewrite important trade deals with other countries, particularly Mexico and Canada.

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• World leaders react to Trump victory

Following his win, and a victory speech in which he pledged, "I will not let you down," Trump said in a tweet Wednesday morning: "The forgotten man and woman will never be forgotten again. We will all come together as never before." 

For her part, Clinton did not give a formal concession speech, but called Trump early Wednesday to congratulate him. She is expected to speak to her supporters Wednesday morning at a New York hotel, in what will be her first public remarks since her stunning defeat.

Obama has reacted to Trump's victory by inviting him to meet at the White House on Thursday. 

The White House says Obama called Trump from his residence in the White House to congratulate him. White House spokesman Josh Earnest says the Thursday meeting is to discuss the presidential transition.

Obama also called Clinton early Wednesday. The White House says Obama conveyed admiration for the "strong campaign she waged throughout the country."

Trump's key to victory

Trump blasted through Democrats' longstanding firewall, carrying Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states that hadn't voted for a Republican 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. Initially, the Dow was forecast to open some 800 points lower Wednesday. But following a fairly conciliatory victory speech by the president-elect, the Dow is now anticipated to open down 360 points, or two per cent. Losses have been similarly trimmed in European markets. Germany's DAX, for example, is only 1.5 per cent lower at 10,330 while Britain's FTSE 100 index is down 0.6 per cent at 6,802.

President-elect Donald Trump kisses his wife Melania Trump as his daughter Ivanka Trump watches approvingly after giving his acceptance speech rally. (John Locher/The Associated Press)

A New York real estate developer who lives in a sparkling Manhattan highrise, 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.

• ANALYSIS: How Trump defied pundits and pollsters to win the White House

Trump will take office with Congress expected to be fully under Republican control. Republican Senate candidates fended off Democratic challengers in key states and appeared poised to maintain the majority. 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 major change to the right that could last for decades.

Such a beautiful and important evening! The forgotten man and woman will never be forgotten again. We will all come together as never before

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2016

Trump upended years of political convention on his way to the White House, levelling harshly personal insults on 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 this year.

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."

The mood at Clinton's party grew bleak as the night wore out, with some supporters leaving, others crying and hugging each other. Top campaign aides stopped returning calls and texts, as Clinton and her family hunkered down in a luxury hotel watching the returns.

At 2 a.m. ET, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta told the crowd to head home for the night. "We're still counting votes and every vote should count," he said.

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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 nine in 10 blacks and two-thirds of Hispanics voted for the Democrat.

'He gives people hope'

Doug Ratliff, a 67-year-old businessman from Richlands, Va., had hoped for a Trump win.

"This county has had no hope," said Ratliff, who owns strip malls in the area badly beaten by the collapse of the coal industry. "You have no idea what it would mean for the people if Trump won. They'll have hope again. Things will change. I know he's not going to be perfect. But he's got a heart. And he gives people hope."

• European shares fall on Trump victory as markets open

Trump has pledged to usher in a series of sweeping changes to U.S. domestic and foreign policy: repealing Obama's health-care law, though he has been vague on what he could replace it with; 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 Trump a telegram to congratulate him on the win. In a brief statement Wednesday, the Kremlin said Putin expressed "his hope to work together for removing Russian-American relations from their crisis state" and his confidence Moscow and Washington could build a "constructive dialogue."

Contentious relationship with his party

The Republican Party's tortured relationship with its nominee was evident right up 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 spokesperson.

Ryan called the Trump win "a repudiation of the status quo of failed liberal progressive policies."

• Republicans retain control of House, Senate

Democrats, as well as some Republicans, expected Trump's unconventional candidacy would damage down-ballot races and even flip some reliably red states in the presidential race. But Trump held on to Republican territory, including in Georgia and Utah, where Clinton's campaign confidently invested resources.

Clinton asked voters to keep the White House in her party's hands for a third straight term. She cast herself as heir to Obama's legacy and pledged to make good on his unfinished agenda, including passing immigration legislation, tightening restrictions on guns and tweaking his signature health-care law.

But she struggled throughout the race with 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.