Donald the peacemaker: President-elect pays tribute to Hillary Clinton's loyal service to the country after she concedes and pledges that the forgotten of America will be 'forgotten no longer'
- Donald Trump has won the presidency – taking Pennsylvania to secure 274 electoral college votes
- Trump accepted the mantle of leadership with uncharacteristic humility nearly three hours after Election Day was over
- Hillary Clinton made the private call to Trump to concede shortly after sending her campaign chairman to give her supporters exactly the opposite message, that it was not over
- She had just 218 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win when Trump's victory emerged
- In Trump's victor speech, he thanked Democratic nominee Clinton, who had called him minutes earlier to concede the presidential race
- He was joined on stage by his family, vice president running mate Mike Pence and several supporters from the Republican Party
- As Clinton's party fell flat and supporters streamed away in tears, she was locked in a hotel suite just round the corner from Trump Tower
Donald Trump marked his world-shaking victory over Hillary Clinton early this morning with a dramatic peace-making gesture, saying: 'We owe her a debt of gratitude and I mean that very sincerely.'
After he sensationally won the White House race, Clinton phoned him at 2:30 a.m. to concede she had lost.
She made the private call shortly after sending her campaign chairman to give her supporters exactly the opposite message, that it was not over – a humiliating and bizarre end to a political career which had put her on the verge of being the first female president.
Instead a jubilant Trump Election Night headquarters party erupted in cheers as the news broke.
Trump accepted the mantle of leadership with uncharacteristic humility nearly three hours after Election Day was over.
'Now it's time for America to bind the wounds of division,' he began his victory speech just before 3am. 'I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans – and this is so important to me.
'For those who have chosen not to support me in the past - of which there were a few people - I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and your help, so we can work together and unify our great country.'
'I promise you that I will not let you down,' he said.
He thanked his parents, saying they were 'wonderful in every regard'. He thanked his sisters, his brothers, his wife and children 'for putting up with all of those hours. ... This political stuff was nasty and it was tough'. He even thanked the U.S. Secret Service.
And in a twist nearly as bizarre as the sum of Campaign 2016, he thanked Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who had called him minutes earlier to concede the presidential race after declining to do it from the stage of what was to be her own victory party.
Instead of bluster about her classified emails, Trump brought a gracious acknowledgement of her decades of government service.
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Winner: Trump took to the stage shortly before 3am in New York. Surrounded by his family he thanks Hillary Clinton for her service - the first signs of trying to change the tone after a divisive election
With the family: Trump walked on to stage with his wife Melania at his side, their son Barron, and immediately behind Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner
Thanks: Trump went through his family, naming his wife and each of their children and thanking them for their support
Unifying message: Trump said: 'For those who have chosen not to support me in the past – of which there were a few people – I am reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can unify our great country.'
'She congratulated us – it's about us – on our victory,' he said. 'And I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign over a very long period of time. We owe her a debt of gratitude and I mean that very sincerely.'
'I mean, she fought very hard. Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.'
No one yelled 'Lock her up!'– an aggressive rallying cry from Trump's hundreds of rallies and the Republican National Convention in July.
Clinton has yet to concede the race publicly. Her campaign chairman John Podesta mad the trek from a Manhattan hotel to the convention center where confetti cannons were at the ready.
'Several states are too close to call,' he said at the time, 'so we're not going to have anything more to say tonight.'
'Everybody should head home,' Podesta told a ballroom brimming with thousands of hopeful Democrats. 'You should get some sleep. We'll have more to say tomorrow.'
Clinton, he said, 'has done an amazing job, and she is not done yet.'
But she was done, and Trump's crowd knew it the moment their hero spoke.
Bringing all his family members and key staff on stage with him, Trump thanked his senior aides one by one.
Campaign director Kellyanne Conway waved and smiled. She curtsied and held both thumbs up, and then stuck around to talk to TV camera crews until nearly 4 o'clock in the morning.
Dr. Ben Carson, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus and even the 'Bridgegate' scandal-plagued New Jersey Gov Chris Christie got a mention from America's most improbable president.
Priebus, he said, is 'a superstar.' The two men embraced, and then the RNC chief pronounced Trump 'the next President of the United States.'
At 3:08 a.m., with Clintonworld in ruins, Trump descended to the stage into a hotel ballroom and mingled with invited guests and supporters.
Red caps flew in the air. The Rolling Stones played 'You Can't Always Get What You Want,' perhaps a subtle dig at the Democrats or the press.
Donald Trump arrives at his election headquarters after winning the presidential election early Tuesday morning
Trump claimed the White House position after taking Pennsylvania to secure 274 electoral college votes
US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta, however, said Clinton will not yet concede
Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton walk through convention center at the end of election night at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York
Team Trump – including Donald Trump, his family, and running mate Mike Pence – watches election results. Ivanka Trump posted the image to her Twitter feed
All of his five children, his wife Melania, as well as his sons and daughters-in-law, joined Trump for a watch party at Trump Tower
And Vice-President-Elect Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana for another 73 days, beamed.
'I come to this moment deeply humbled, grateful to God for his amazing grace,' Pence said as he introduced the man who had vaulted him into the national spotlight.
'The American people have spoken and the American people have elected their new champion,' Pence declared.
'America has elected a new president, and it's almost hard for me to express the honor that I and my family feel, that we will have the privilege to serve.'
When Trump emerged on stage along with nearly 50 aides and family members, he apologized for putting the crowd on pins and needles while the evening's drama played out.
'Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business,' he said.
The bizarre ending to Clinton's political career came after Trump confounded pollsters at every turn, capturing one 'swing' state after another in a line of toppled dominoes that stretched across three time zones and now ends at the White House.
The last to fall was the Keystone State – after Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Wisconsin all went to the Republican. That gave him 274 votes in the electoral college; the winner is the first to reach 270.
He was also winning the popular vote by more than a 1 per cent margin.
Clinton is contemplating a ruinous end to her career, the potential of a renewed investigation into her and Bill's charity and personal riches by a special prosecutor, and the Democrats bring locked out of not just the White House but both houses of Congress.
There will also be a Republican lock on the Supreme Court which could last a generation.
Young Donald Trump supporters wearing 'Make America Great Again' cheer during the election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown on Tuesday
Young Trump supporters – donning suits and red ties similar to the presidential nominee's – celebrate during Trump's election night rally
People cheer as voting results for Florida come in at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown
Supporters of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump rally in front of the White House in Washington, DC, on Tuesday evening
Hillary Clinton supporters cry as they watch the election results during Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's election night rally in the Jacob Javits Center's glass enclosed lobby
Wellesley College students (left) and supporters of Hillary Clinton, Ellie Chalphin of Philadelphia, left, and Lena Engbretson of Beaverton, Oregon, right, are tearful while watching televised election returns during a watch party on the campus of Wellesley College. In New York (right), rally attendees acted in a similar way
A group of Hillary Clinton supporters comfort one another as they break down in tears over the presidential results
A woman weeps as election results are reported during Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's election night rally in the Jacob Javits Center glass enclosed lobby
The victory Trump predicted as America's version of Great Britain's historic 'Brexit' vote – he said it would be 'Brexit-plus-plus' and 'Brexit times 50' – will be remembered as one of the most astonishing campaigns in American history.
Pennsylvania, the state where he attended the Wharton School of Finance and two of his adult children went to boarding schools, put Trump over the top when the Associated Press declared he had won it early on Wednesday morning.
The last Republican to win the Keystone State was President George H.W. Bush, who snatched it from Democrat Michael Dukakis in 1988.
New York Republican Rep Peter King told DailyMail.com that the nation's next commander-in-chief had seeded the ground for his victory by identifying with disaffected voters who were upset about job losses and the implosion of the Obamacare medical insurance law.
'Donald Trump won because he tapped into the discontent and anger of the American people,' King said. 'It's a wonderful, wonderful night.'
The marathon evening unfolded disastrously for Clinton. With the Democratic nominee holed up in a hotel suite with her husband and family, her aides stopped speaking to the press as the results came in.
The first big state to fall was Florida. It seemed nail-bitingly close for a time – and then Trump won its 29 electoral college votes.
Ohio fell to Trump without putting up a fight. Even North Carolina, a nominally blue state, was no contest for the reality television host and father of skyscrapers.
A Clinton supporter covers her mouth as she breaks down with emotion over election results on Tuesday
A Clinton supporter cries after Donald Trump wins the state of Florida at the Democrats Abroad election night party at Marylebone Sports Bar and Grill in London early Wednesday morning
People sit outside the Jacob Javits Center waiting for election results following a rally for Clinton
Two women hug in hopes of comforting one another as Donald Trump wins electoral votes during the presidential election
A woman at Hillary Clinton's New York rally cries as a man comforts her
Guests watch the results on the television monitor during Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's election night rally in the Jacob Javits Center glass enclosed lobby
A Hillary Clinton supporter openly cries at Clinton's election night rally in Manhattan as election results roll in on Tuesday
People in the crowd at Hillary Clinton's 2016 US presidential Election Night event watch in tears as results come in on a big screen at the Javits Convention Center
Clinton supporters watch in shock as Trump gains a lead in several states in the presidential election on Tuesday
Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton react during election night at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
Supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump react as they watch sate by state results unfold on a TV screen during election night at the New York Hilton Midtown
As vote-counters repainted the Buckeye State from blue to red – President Barack Obama won it twice – the New York Times' live presidential forecast gave the billionaire builder an 87 per cent chance of winning the White House.
That grew to '>95%,' its highest possible number. Then it was effectively over, but there were hours to wait for confirmation.
America's Electoral College system provides one vote for each member of Congress, including both the Senate and the House of Representatives, plus three to represent the District of Columbia – 538 in all.
A candidate needs to claim 270 votes, the smallest possible majority, in order to win the White House. Pennsylvania's 20 votes put Trump over the top with 274.
Long before the end came, aides to Clinton told Fox News that she was 'expecting a long night.'
When North Carolina's result was set in stone on Tuesday night, the Manhattan ballroom where Trump supporters gathered erupted in screams of 'USA! USA!'
As a Florida victory looked imminent, young Trump fans chanted at giant TVs: 'Call it! Call it! Call it!'
They exploded in a mass of cheers when the Sunshine State contest was declared over. A few threw their red 'Make America Great Again' hats in the air.
When Iowa and Wisconsin came through, a spontaneous rendition of 'God Bless America,' earnest if off-key, drowned out Megyn Kelly's voice blasting from a TV tuned to the Fox News Channel.
When Michigan made him the President-Elect of the United States, sternum-rattling bedlam ensued.
Projections making the rounds online and republished by the Drudge Report news website suggested that 140 million voters are participating, a new record, far exceeding the 131.4 million total in 2008.
Supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump watch results unfold on a TV screen during election night at the New York Hilton Midtown
Women at Trump's election rally in New York hug as they celebrate the Republican nominee inching ahead in several states
A woman at Trump's election rally in New York cheers as election results are shown to the Republican nominee's supporters
Young Trump supporters celebrate at the Republican nominee pulls ahead in the presidential race
Trump supporters shout with joy as Trump takes the lead in the presidential election on Tuesday night
Robert Herrera, 31, displays his Trump banner on 6th Avenue in New York, not far from where Trump is holding his election night rally
Supporters for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump react as early results come in at a Republican election night party Tuesday
Supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gather during the election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown
Wellesley College students and supporters of Hillary Clinton Kumari Devarajan, of Washington, left, and Diana Castillo, of Elgin, Illinois, right, wipe away tears as they watch televised election returns during a watch party on the campus of Wellesley College
A woman looks on while awaiting election results at Clinton's rally on Tuesday night
First-time voters, in particular, fueled the massive increase. Fox News exit polls showed that group swinging toward Clinton by a 55-37 margin, according to Fox News Channel exit polls.
Trump's campaign built its momentum in part on the promise of bringing a 'silent majority' out of the woodwork. He may not have needed the help.
Trump, a billionaire first-time candidate whose political debut was initially seen as an ego-stroking circus act, bested 16 other Republicans for the right to face Clinton, who has lived and breathed campaigns and elections for more than 40 years and had only one serious intra-party rival.
The real estate tycoon built a devoted following of tens of millions, including large numbers of Americans who had never voted before.
Along the way he angered some in the Republican Party establishment who saw him as a reckless insult-generator destined to alienate large swaths of the American electorate.
His campaign was less than a half-hour old when he generated headlines by saying some illegal immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border were 'murderers,' 'rapists' and other criminal aliens.
While accurate, the statement was contorted to create the impression that the man who employs thousands of Hispanics at his country clubs and skyscrapers actually hates them.
The label stuck.
Trump gave his enemies ammunition by repeating more than 500 times a pledge that as president he would wall off America from Mexico, stemming the flow of narcotics and human chattel while defending the border from an unchecked flood of immigrants with no legal right to be in the United States.
Hillary Clinton supporters react as election results roll in on Tuesday night
Hillary Clinton supporters hold their hands to their mouths as they react to election results at the Democratic nominee's election night rally
Pedestrians watch the election results on large screens in Times Square, New York, on Tuesday
Hundreds of Hillary Clinton supporters gather to observe the US presidential election results at the corner of President and Clinton streets in the Brooklyn Borough of New York
Clinton supporters react to election results at a rally in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Tuesday night
A supporter of US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is seen reacting to the giant FOX news jumbotron TV in Times Square
Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton look on during election night at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton watch and wait at her election night rally in New York on Tuesday
Supporters watch election returns during Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's election night rally in the Jacob Javits Center glass enclosed lobby
Supporters of US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump watch results at his election night rally in Manhattan on Tuesday
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