US Elections Live: President-elect Trump promises to 'renew the American dream'
Donald Trump has been elected the 45th President of the United States.
- Donald Trump has been elected president of the United States, and is delivering his victory speech to supporters at campaign HQ.
- Hillary Clinton has called Donald Trump to concede the presidency.
- Donald Trump defied the bookies by securing crucial victories in Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and other crucial states.
- Democratic campaign chair John Podesta earlier told Clinton supporters to go home for the night as votes continue to be counted in a handful of remaining states.
- The election has seen stocks tumbling on global markets; Investors are concerned about what a Trump presidency might mean for the world economy and trade.
- Republicans have secured enough seats in the House of Representatives to continue their control of the chamber over the Democrats. Republicans now have a clean sweep of the Presidency, the Senate and the House of Representatives
Donald Trump has addressed his supporters at the Republican Party presidential campaign HQ in New York, saying he had just received a call from Secretary Hillary Clinton conceding the election.
"She congratulated us on our victory and I congratulated her on a very, very hard-fought campaign. She fought very hard," he said.
“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, and I mean that sincerely.”
In a message of reconciliation to the people of the US, he said: “It is time for us to come together as one united people...I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be President of all Americans.
“For those who have chosen not to support me...I am reaching out to you for your guidance and help so we can work together to unify our great country.
“Ours was not a campaign but rather an incredible and great movement...A movement comprised of Americans from all backgrounds.
“Working together, we will begin the urgent task of renewing the American dream.”
He spoke of the US’ “tremendous potential...The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.”
He said growth would be doubled and the US would be the world’s strongest economy, with "great relationships" with the world’s other countries.
“America will no longer settle for anything else than the best. We must reclaim our country’s destiny," he said
“We will always put America’s interests first, but we will deal fairly with everybody.”
Mike Pence, the vice-presidential running mate, has addressed supporters in the Republican HQ, saying: “This is a historic night. The American people have spoken and have elected their new champion.”
He said he was “grateful to God for his amazing grace, to my family...I could not be here without them.
“I’m deeply grateful to the American people for giving us this opportunity to serve...and to our President election whose leadership and vision will make American great again.
“So let me say it is my high honour and distinct privilege to introduce to you the President-Elect of the United States of America Donald Trump.”
Hillary Clinton has called Donald Trump to concede the presidency of the US, CNN is reporting.
Democratic campaign chair John Podesta has told Clinton supporters at Campaign HQ in New York: “We can wait a little longer can’t we? Every vote can count. We’re not going to have anything more to say tonight. Everybody should head home. You should get some sleep and we’ll have more to say tomorrow."
Of Clinton, he said: “She has done an amazing job. And she’s not done yet...Let’s get this vote counted and let’s bring this home.”
Meanwhile, the Republican Party has retained control of the Senate with victory in Pennsylvania, AP has said.
Donald Trump has won the battleground state of Pennsylvania and Alaska.
Veteran broadcaster and former CBS News anchor Dan Rather took to his personal Facebook page to send a message of hope to the American people.
"Time to remember to breathe. Smile, have a cup of coffee or big glass of water. Relax. Stay calm. Whatever happens in this election we’re going to be okay. The country is going to be okay."
Read more on his Facebook page.
The Republicans have also clinched continued House control for the new Congress. They will probably lose seats from their current historic high, but they won enough to extend their six-year streak of commanding the chamber.
With voting results still being counted early on Wednesday, Republicans have won at least 218 House seats. That exceeds the number needed to control the chamber.
Democrats started the year hoping Mr Trump's divisive presidential candidacy would cost Republicans large numbers of House seats.
Republicans now control 247 seats in the House. With a smaller majority, dissident hard-right conservatives could have added leverage to press House Speaker Paul Ryan and other party leaders on the budget and other issues.
Hillary Clinton has won Nevada.
Donald Trump was closing in on victory in the race to the White House after taking the battleground states of Florida, Ohio and North Carolina.
With nine of the 51 results still to come, the Republican had 244 electoral votes, with his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton on 209, and 270 needed to win.
Both candidates had picked up victories in their strongholds, but the billionaire businessman's success in a tight contest in Florida, with its 29 votes, looked crucial.
The first states to be decided produced the predicted results - Kentucky, Indiana, Oklahoma, West Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee went for Mr Trump, while Vermont, Massachusetts,
Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and the District of Columbia were claimed by Mrs Clinton.
In later waves, Mr Trump added Texas, Kansas, Georgia and more to his column while Mrs Clinton took New York and Illinois. She later added huge and reliably Democratic California.
Michigan and Wisconsin, two Midwestern powerhouses that have not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since the 1980s, took on unexpected importance.
Mrs Clinton's campaign had largely taken both for granted, but made a late push in Michigan in the race's final days.
The uncertainty sent Dow Jones futures and Asian markets tumbling, reflecting investor concern over what a Trump presidency might mean for the economy and trade.
As Mrs Clinton's team anxiously waited for results to roll in, the candidate tweeted to supporters: "Whatever happens tonight, thank you for everything."
Mrs Clinton, a fixture in American politics for decades, was hoping to become the first woman to serve as commander in chief.
Her race against Mr Trump, a celebrity businessman with no political experience, was among the nastiest in recent memory, exposing and deepening the nation's economic and racial divides.
Donald Trump has won Utah and Iowa.
Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton has won Washington state; Donald Trump takes Georgia.
A senior aide to Donald Trump says he believes the Republican has won the US presidential election.
Layne Bangerter, director of the Trump for President campaign in Idaho, told the Press Association: "We are not over confident but now we are calling it. Florida is over. North Carolina, we're going to win. He keeps marching through Ohio - this is all we need.
"He'll keep going to the west - he's going to pick up every state, possibly Colorado, on into Utah, Nevada.
"New Mexico he will probably not win. But that will show the trend of the night because we're picking up states like Virginia.
"I'm saying it's over - the voice of the people has risen up."
Mr Bangerter was among dozens of Trump supporters gathered at the tycoon's election night event in New York, billed as his "victory party".
He said: "We're very optimistic. I'm going to call it.
"It's been too big a turnout. It's a populist movement.
"We came in very nervous.
"This is the voice of the American people."
He added: "We want a pro-life president. A pro-religious liberties president."
Supporters gathered at Mr Trump's event were in confident mood as the early state vote results showed the Republican was leading his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Paul Battista, 78, from Florida said: "I'm not surprised at all. Mr Trump has worked hard.
"He's the only one who can save us. Our entire government is corrupt."
Robin Bernstein, who said she had known Mr Trump for more than 20 years through Trump International Golf, said: "It's very exciting. I always believed in Donald Trump.
"I've had the pleasure of knowing him for over 20 years.
"He's larger than life. He'll be a great ally to the Brits. He'll keep our country safe."
Hillary Clinton has won 16 states, has 197 electoral votes and 38,627,786 of the total votes cast
Donald Trump has won 21 states, has 201 electoral votes and 40,862,356 of the total votes cast
(270 electoral votes are needed to win)
Polls still open in four states
Donald Trump wins key state of North Carolina.
Hillary Clinton has won Oregon.
Republican Party nominee Donald Trump has won Idaho and Democratic Party rival Hillary Clinton has won California and Hawaii
Republican nominee Donald Trump has won the battleground state of Florida
Trump has won Ohio, while Clinton takes Virginia, home state of her running mate Tim Kaine, and Colorado.
Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton has won New Mexico, Donald Trump wins Missouri.
Hillary Clinton has won 10 states, has 104 electoral votes and 26,597,353 of the total votes cast
Donald Trump has won 17 states, has 140 electoral votes and 27,621,484 of the total votes cast
(270 electoral votes are needed to win)
Polls still open in 10 states
Donald Trump has won Montana.
The race for the White House is going down to the wire with Donald
Trump making some impressive early gains.
Watching the returns at 9:45pm. #ElectionNight #MAGA🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/HfuJeRZbod
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2016
With results called in 26 states, Trump had won 16 with 137 electoral votes while Clinton had won ten with 104 electoral votes - 270 electoral votes are needed to win.
As of 2.30am, the result was still too close to call in several key battlegrounds but tallies put Trump ahead in Florida and Ohio.
With counting still under way, Clinton tweeted: "This team has so much to be proud of. Whatever happens tonight, thank you for everything."
This team has so much to be proud of. Whatever happens tonight, thank you for everything. pic.twitter.com/x13iWOzILL
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 9, 2016
Long queues formed at many polling stations across the country, suggesting a high turnout.
But an exit poll showed a lack of enthusiasm for either candidate with only 42% saying they "strongly favoured" the politician they backed at the ballot box.
Despite repeated claims by the Trump camp that the election was rigged, there were few reports of polling problems apart from the usual machine breakdowns and queues.
Hillary Clinton has won Connecticut, Donald Trump takes Louisiana.
Republican nominee Donald Trump has won Arkansas.
America's presidential election barrelled toward the finish, with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump fighting for Florida, North Carolina and Ohio, three of the nation's most competitive states.
Mrs Clinton, a fixture in American politics for decades, was hoping to become the first woman to serve as commander in chief. She faced stiff competition from Mr Trump, the billionaire businessman who tapped into a searing strain of economic populism.
Mr Trump notched up early wins in Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama.
Mrs Clinton won Vermont, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and the District of Columbia.
The race was expected to be determined by roughly a dozen competitive states. It was too early to call the contests in several where polls had closed - Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.
Vast divides in race and gender were keeping the contest close in Virginia and Georgia, another pair of hard-fought races.
About nine in 10 black voters and two-thirds of Hispanics in each state were backing Mrs Clinton, while most whites supported Mr Trump, according to exit polls. Women in both states were far more likely than men to support Mrs Clinton.
Republican nominee Donald Trump has won Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming and Nebraska and rival Hillary Clinton has won New York
Hillary Clinton has won nine states, has 97 electoral votes and 14,325,443 of the total votes cast
Donald Trump has won 13 states, has 119 electoral votes and 15,866,131 of the total votes cast
Donald Trump has won Mississippi, AP has said.
Hillary Clinton has won Rhode Island
Republican nominee Donald Trump has won Tennessee and Alabama
Trump has won South Carolina,
Republican nominee Donald Trump has won Oklahoma, and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton has taken Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and the District of Columbia, AP has said.
Republican nominee Donald Trump has won West Virginia.
Trump has won Indiana and Kentucky and rival Hillary Clinton has won Vermont, AP has said.
America's ugly and unpredictable presidential election entered its final hours on Tuesday, with voters flocking to polls to choose between Democrat Hillary Clinton, hoping to become the first woman to serve as commander in chief, and Republican Donald Trump, the billionaire businessman who tapped into a searing strain of economic populism.
Mrs Clinton appeared to have multiple paths to triumph, while Mr Trump needed to prevail in most of the battleground states to secure an upset. Control of the Senate was also at stake, with Democrats needing to net four seats if Mrs Clinton wins the White House.
The 45th president will inherit an anxious nation, deeply divided by economic and educational opportunities, race and culture. The economy has rebounded from the depths of recession, though many Americans have yet to benefit. New terror threats from home and abroad have raised security fears.
Mrs Clinton asked voters to keep the White House in Democratic hands for a third straight term. She cast herself as heir to President Barack 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.
"I know how much responsibility goes with this," Mrs Clinton said after voting on Tuesday at her local polling station in Chappaqua, New York, with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, at her side.
"So many people are counting on the outcome of this election, what it means for our country, and I will do the very best I can if I'm fortunate enough to win today."
Mr Trump, the New York real estate developer who lives in a gold-plated Manhattan penthouse, forged a striking connection with white, working-class Americans who feel left behind in the changing economy and diversifying country. He cast immigration, both from Latin America and the Middle East, as the root of many problems plaguing the nation.
"I see so many hopes and so many dreams out there that didn't happen, that could have happened, with leadership, with proper leadership," he said by telephone on Fox News before casting his own ballot in Manhattan. "And people are hurt so badly."
Mr Trump's campaign filed a lawsuit in Nevada on Tuesday alleging polling place "anomalies" during early voting in the Las Vegas area. The suit asks that records from four polling places that stayed open past closing time on Friday be impounded and preserved. Long queues at a Mexican market and several shopping centres prompted the extended hours.
Mrs Clinton's campaign dismissed the case as "a frivolous lawsuit".
Mr Trump set both parties on edge when he refused to say in the third and final debate whether he would accept the election's results, citing with no evidence the possibility of a rigged outcome. His statement threatened to undermine a fundamental pillar of American democracy and raised the prospect that his fervent supporters would not view Mrs Clinton as a legitimate president if she won.
Asked in a separate Fox interview on Tuesday if he would accept the election results, Mr Trump continued to demur, saying: "We're going to see how things play out."
Most problems at polling places appeared to be routine - the kinds of snags that come every four years, including long lines, machines not working properly and issues with ballots or voter rolls.
Even before Tuesday, almost 45 million people had cast ballots for president. Many expressed relief the end was in sight after an election season in which personal attacks often drowned out the issues.
"I'm tired of the mudslinging," said Laura Schmitt, a 54-year-old Republican from Woodbury, Minnesota, who was voting for Mr Trump. Emetric Whittington, a 51-year-old Democratic mother of three on Chicago's violence-plagued South Side, agreed: "I can't wait for this night to be over."
Mrs Clinton has denounced Mr Trump for calling Mexican immigrants "rapists" and promoting a ban on Muslims entering the US, and for his long line of remarks about women that culminated in an audio in which he bragged about grabbing their genitals.
Mr Trump called his opponent "Crooked Hillary" for her use of a private email server as secretary of state and her complicated ties to the family's Clinton Foundation.
"I can't vote for somebody who's so morally reprehensible," said Lisa Moore, a 48-year-old Republican from Glen Rock, New Jersey, who picked Mrs Clinton. Democrat Charles Ikner of Cross Lanes, West Virginia, opted for Mr Trump, saying it was time for "fresh blood" in the White House.
In the final days, Mrs Clinton was buoyed by FBI director James Comey's weekend declaration that he would not recommend criminal charges against her following a new email review. Mr Comey announced the inquiry late last month, sapping Mrs Clinton's surging momentum and threatening Democrats in down-ballot races.
