Republican Donald J. Trump stunned Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton and the political establishment, winning the U.S. presidency early Wednesday morning by sweeping key battleground states and claiming at least two major states — Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — that Democrats considered part of their “blue wall.”
Trump made an acceptance speech early Wednesday. He said Clinton had called him to congratulate him. Trump called for unity across all of America, and said he will be president for all citizens, including those who opposed him. He promised to be friends to countries that want to be friends with America.
Clinton, who won the national popular poll but lost in the Electoral College count, spoke at mid-morning Wednesday.
President Obama called Trump — who has promised to overturn almost all Obama administration initiatives — to congratulate him, and invited the president-elect to the White House for a meeting Thursday. Obama planned a televised address early Wednesday afternoon.
“Ensuring a smooth transition of power is one of the top priorities the president identified at the beginning of the year, and a meeting with the president-elect is the next step,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest in a statement.
Trump will become president in January with Republicans in control of both houses of the U.S. Congress.
Trump’s victories in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin may have helped secure GOP control of the Senate, as incumbent Republicans — Ron Johnson in Wisconsin, Roy Blount in Missouri and Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania — won re-election bitter battles that Democrats hope to win in their efforts to take over the Senate.
Trump’s win in Pennsylvania early Wednesday put him over the top, giving him 289 votes in the Electoral College. He needed 270 to win. Clinton had 218.
Votes were still being counted in battleground states New Hampshire and Michigan.
Financial markets plummeted overnight as news of Trump’s victory circulated, but most indicators moderated by mid-morning. The Dow Jones average opened higher Wednesday morning.