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Trump Wins U.S. Presidential Election In Stunning Upset


Donald Trump
Donald Trump
  • Trump wins U.S. presidency
  • Trump says Clinton concedes race in telephone call
  • Democrats fall short in bid to take Senate
  • Republicans retain control of House of Representatives

Republican Donald Trump has been elected the 45th president of the United States in a huge upset over his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

In a speech to his supporters, Trump said Clinton had called him and congratulated him on the win. He pledged to be a president for "all Americans," saying it was time to "bind the wounds of division" after a contentious campaign.

He also vowed to deal fairly with all nations and touted his economic plan, saying his administration would embark on a project of national growth and renewal.

MORE: Electoral College Map

Earlier, Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta, had told Clinton's supporters to go home and "get some sleep" and that she would not be speaking to her supporters yet.

Clinton had wins in New York, Illinois, and much of the northeast, along with closely fought Virginia, the home state of her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine.

EXPLAINER: What Will A Trump Presidency Look Like?

But those wins were not enough for Clinton as she lost the "Rust Belt" states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, as well as Florida, a deficit too much for her to overcome.

In Congress, Republicans retained control of the 435-member House of Representatives and the Senate, the upper house, where 34 seats were being contested.

The rancorous campaign between the two candidates exposed deep fault lines in the U.S. political landscape, and whoever wins will face a profoundly divided electorate.

Clinton, 69, and Trump, 70, had savaged one another throughout the campaign, which some historians say have featured a level of mudslinging and overheated rhetoric unprecedented in modern U.S. history.

PHOTO GALLERY: American Voters Choose A President

​Exit surveys conducted around the country on election day by the Associated Press and the main U.S. TV networks showed more than half of voters cast their ballots with reservations about their candidate or because they disliked the others running.

The exit surveys also showed about four out of 10 voters believed trade among nations creates jobs, while another four out of 10 say it takes jobs from Americans.

Trump has railed against decades of U.S. trade policy and has energized working-class voters, while Clinton has historically supported U.S. trade deals, including as secretary of state.

She did, however, back off of her support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement with Pacific Rim nations.

Trump, a wealthy New York businessman and former reality TV star who has never held elective office, has said Clinton would be jailed under his presidency over her controversial handling of e-mails during her tenure as secretary of state.

​He captured the Republican nomination with controversial proposals like "extreme vetting" of Muslims who want to enter the country and building a wall on the southern border to keep out immigrants from Central America and has vowed to upend politics as usual in Washington if he is elected.

Clinton is a former U.S. senator, secretary of state, and first lady who had vowed to build on the legacy of outgoing Democratic President Barack Obama and touted her decades of public service as qualifying her to lead the nation.

She was seeking to become the first female U.S. president.

A record number of Americans -- roughly 46 million -- voted early by mail or at polling stations, including in states like Florida, Nevada, and Colorado, where unusually strong turnout among Hispanic voters could give an edge to Clinton.

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