Trump rode an astonishing wave of support from voters seeking sweeping change, capitalising 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.
Republican Donald Trump has won the US presidency with at least 290 electoral votes, securing more than the 270 he needed to succeed Barack Obama.
His Democratic rival Hillary Clinton had 218 electoral votes, a crushing defeat for the former secretary of state.
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.”
Despite losing the state-by-state electoral battle that determines the presidency, Clinton narrowly led Trump in the nationwide popular vote, according to US media tallies. It marks the second time in 16 years that a Democratic candidate lost the presidency despite winning more votes than the victor. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore got more votes than Republican George W Bush.Trump’s key to victoryTrump blasted through Democrats’ long-standing 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.
A New York real estate developer who lives in a sparkling Manhattan high-rise, 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.
Trump will take office with Congress fully under Republican control. Republican Senate candidates fended off Democratic challengers in key states 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.
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 US.
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.
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.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
