After a tough campaign that lasted more than a year, Donald Trump has shocked the world and appears to have succeeded in his bid to be elected as the President of the United States of America.
The final votes are being counted, and Donald Trump and the Republican Party is poised to win the election, beating Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. To win, either candidate has to reach 270 – currently, a number of news outlets have projected that Trump leads 276 to 218 on projected votes.
The Republican candidate took the key states of Ohio, Florida and North Carolina, and Hillary Clinton struggled to stay in the race for The White House after Trump also flipped some Democratic strongholds like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
The night also favoured Republicans in the down ballot races for House and Senate seats allowing the conservative party to retain control in both sectors.
And Trump has made his victory speech a an impassioned Republican crowd.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, it’s a complicated business,” he began, with his family by his side.
He continued by confirming he had received a call from Clinton, congratulating him. However, Clinton’s campaign chairman has confirmed she will not be making any statements until tomorrow [Thursday].
“I just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us on – and it’s about us – on our victory, and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard fought campaign,” President-elect Donald Trump began. “She fought hard. 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. I mean that very seriously.”
He then spoke about his vision for the country he has been elected to lead.
“It’s time for us to come together as one united people.
“For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, and there have been many, I reach out to you – for your guidance and your help – to unify this country.
“The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.”
He spoke about fixing the United States’ infrastructure and working to grow America.
“We will get along with all other counties – who are willing to get along with us.
“We must reclaim our country’s destiny.”
Compared to many polls, some of which an 80 per cent chance of Clinton winning at the beginning of the day, Trump lead for much of the vote count.
And he has proved successful despite his campaign being plagued by accusations of sexual misconduct, and questions raised over his tax returns, and numerous bankruptcies.
Trump, a successful businessman worth an estimated $4 billion and former host of The Apprentice, announced his intention to seek the Republican presidential nomination in June 2015.
Under the banner of “Make America Great Again”, Trump, who was supported by his wife Melania and children throughout the campaign, has promised to build a wall between the USA and Mexico, and campaigned on a pro-life and anti-gun control platform.
As the result became clear, the google phrase “move to NZ” was trending online, while the Canadian immigration website crashed after being overloaded with traffic.
The reaction on social media to his apparent victory has been strong.
