EARLY on Wednesday morning Donald Trump’s Republican Party reached the all-important 270 electoral college votes, meaning that he had won the election to become the 45th president of the United States.
By mid-morning, once all of the votes had been counted there were 289 electoral college votes for the Republicans and 218 for the Democrats. Nationally, Donald Trump won 47.7% of the vote, with Hillary Clinton taking 47.5%.
The outcome was met with shock by the supporters of the Democrats as late polls seemed to show Clinton had a slight lead. ”It is time for America to bind the wounds of division,’ Trump said in his election victory speech. ‘We have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people …
‘As I’ve said from the beginning, ours was not a campaign, but rather an incredible and great movement made up of millions of hard-working men and women who love their country and want a better, brighter future for themselves and for their families.’
Tory PM May responded to Trump’s victory saying: ‘I would like to congratulate Donald Trump on becoming the next President of the United States. Britain and the United States are and will remain strong and close partners on trade, security and defence.
‘We have a long-standing, enduring, special relationship which is built on shared values of freedom and democracy and enterprise. I look forward to working with President-elect Trump, to ensure that we can continue the security and prosperity in the future.’
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party said: ‘Trump’s election is an unmistakable rejection of a political establishment and an economic system that simply isn’t working for most people. It is one that has delivered escalating inequality and stagnating or falling living standards for the majority, both in the US and Britain … The public anger that has propelled Donald Trump to office has been reflected in political upheavals across the world.’
Russian President Vladimir Putin said: ‘Russia is ready and wants to restore full-format relations with the United States. ‘Let me repeat. We proceed from the fact that this will be an uneasy way but we’re ready both to cover our part of the distance and do everything to return the Russian-US relations to the steady development trajectory. We heard the statements made by the then US presidential candidate, which were aimed at restoring relations between Russia and the US.’
French President Francois Hollande said: ‘This American election opens a period of uncertainty.’
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: ‘Germany and America are bound by their values: democracy, freedom, the respect for the law and the dignity of human beings, independent of their origin, skin colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political position. On the basis of these values I offer the future president of the United States, Donald Trump, close cooperation.’