Political novice and former reality TV star Donald Trump has defeated Hillary Clinton to take the US presidency, stunning America and the world in an explosive upset fuelled by a wave of grassroots anger.
The Republican mogul immediately pledged to unite a nation deeply divided after the bitterest election in recent memory, vowing to be a “president for all Americans.” The long-standing global political order, which hinges on Washington’s leadership, was cast into doubt by the election of a man who has questioned core US alliances.
Around the world, as Trump’s victory settled in as cold reality, the political earthquake was greeted with warnings that America had handed power to “an unstable bigot, sexual predator and compulsive liar,” in the words of Britain’s The Guardian.
But the leaders of America’s closest hemispheric partners, Canada and Mexico, quickly made clear their willingness to work with the new president, offering a message of continuity and stability with their giant neighbour.
And US investors appeared to be shaking off the shock that initially sent global markets plunging. Trump called for national reconciliation after Clinton conceded defeat in a result that virtually no poll had dreamed of predicting, her hopes of becoming the first female US president brutally dashed.
“Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division,” Trump told a crowd of jubilant supporters on Wednesday in New York, pledging to work with Democrats in office.
Trump praised Clinton — in the last presidential debate, he called her a “nasty woman” — for her hard work and years of public service. So great was the shock of defeat that the normally robust Clinton did not come out to her supporters’ poll-watching party to concede defeat, instead sending her campaign chairman.
As day broke under rainy skies in Washington, the White House said President Barack Obama called Trump to congratulate him. The president, who will host his successor for transition talks on Thursday, was to address the country and the nation at 1715 GMT.
Putin said he wanted to rebuild “full-fledged relations” with the United States, as he warmly congratulated the president-elect. Trump will become America’s 45th commander-in-chief on January 20.
The results prompted a global market sell-off, with stocks plunging across Asia and Europe, while the Mexican peso plunged 7.64 per cent to a record low against the dollar. But the British market briefly after Trump’s conciliatory victory speech and the Dow Jones Industrial Index opened higher. —Agencies
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