Pollsters had projected a close race, but in the end it was a decisive win for Donald Trump. In a stunning victory, the Republican candidate was elected the next president of the United States, after winning the key battleground states of Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The Republican Party also retained control over the House and Senate.
Global financial markets plummeted at the start of the night, as the results began coming in. The main bourses in Asia fell sharply with Tokyo’s Nikkei stock index diving 5.36 percent. The Dow futures initially fell nearly 700 points, with investors reflecting their concern over Trump's unpredictable nature and anti-trade stance.
The Mexican peso – which became a bellwether for the race – plunged to record lows, falling as much as 13 percent against the dollar at one point. The Mexican Central Bank is expected to hold a press conference Wednesday with concerns over what a Trump presidency could mean for the Mexican economy and questions over his views on immigration and trade.
Some of the losses across the markets narrowed after Trump gave a measured acceptance speech, in which he congratulated his opponent Hillary Clinton and pledged “to every citizen of our land that I will be President for all of Americans.”
He also called on the country to come together and mend divisions. “It is a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds, and beliefs, who want and expect our government to serve the people,” he said. “Working together, we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding our nation and renewing the American dream.” Ending the speech, he said “you will be so proud of your President.”
Hours later he took to twitter to add “Such a beautiful and important evening! The forgotten man and woman will never be forgotten again. We will all come together as never before.” He also changed his twitter status to “President-Elect of the United States.”
The White House issued a statement indicating President Barack Obama “phoned Donald Trump to congratulate him on his victory early this morning.”
President Obama is expected to make a statement on Wednesday “to discuss the election results and what steps we can take as a country to come together after this hard-fought election season.” He also invited the President-elect to the White House on Thursday to discuss plans to ensure “a smooth transition of power.”
International Reaction
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Trump had praised during his campaign, was quick to offer his congratulations, signaling Moscow’s hopes to restore “fully fledged relations” with Washington from the “current state of degradation.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May issued a statement in which she said: "Britain and the United States have an enduring and special relationship based on the values of freedom, democracy and enterprise. We are, and will remain, strong and close partners on trade, security and defense. I look forward to working with President-elect Donald Trump, building on these ties to ensure the security and prosperity of our nations in the years ahead."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered Trump "close cooperation" stressing that "Germany and America are connected by values: democracy, freedom, respect for the law and for the dignity of human beings, independently of origin, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political views."
European Union Council President Donald Tusk and EU Commission counterpart Jean-Claude Juncker have invited the President-elect to “consolidate the bridges we have been building across the Atlantic."
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that "it is important that the Trans-Atlantic bond remains strong" and that he looked forward to working with the U.S. president-elect.
The world will be watching how a President Trump will address trade deals such as NAFTA, and international partnerships like NATO. Trump had been critical of both during his campaign.
Leone Lakhani is a reporter and executive producer at The Cipher Brief. Follow her on Twitter @LeoneLakhani.
