Donald Trump has won the race to the White House to become the 45th president of the United States.
After what was one of the dirtiest campaigns in living memory, Democrat candidate Hilary Clinton conceded defeat shortly after 8 a.m. Irish time.
Such a beautiful and important evening! The forgotten man and woman will never be forgotten again. We will all come together as never before
The night had began as expected for Clinton and most exit polls showed that she was on course to become the first female president of America.
However, things began to shift when Trump won the crucial swing state of Ohio, which has been one of the best indicators of where the election will go in recent years.
Trump also went on to win other crucial states such as Florida and North Carolina which helped him to secure 279 Electoral College votes.
The triumph for Mr. Trump, 70, a real estate developer-turned-reality television star with no government experience, is seen as a massive rejection of the establishment in America, as many voters had became disillusioned with traditional politics in the country.
In his acceptance speech Trump, who is the oldest person ever elected to a first presidential term, vowed to make America great again.
“Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division, It is time for us to come together as one united people. It’s time.”” he said.
“To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.”
Trump also paid tribute to Ms. Clinton, who he said had been a great servant of America.
“She fought a great campaign and I want to thank her for contributing to what was a historic election,”
“She is owed a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.”
Many American’s have reacted with shock following Trump’s historic success, and one leading American economist has warned that their could be a world-wide recession as the New York Stock Exchange has plummeted following the result.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke, Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern said that he was worried about the treatment of what he called the ‘undocumented Irish’ in America.
“I wonder and worry about how they’ll be treated now and I think they’ll be worried this morning in the United States and I feel very sorry for them.”
