Donald Trump sweeps to shock victory, crushes Clinton by winning Obama states

Donald Trump has made his victory speech after what he called a “historic” US Presidential election, as indeed it was. Hillary Clinton called him to concede after Trump was called the winner in Wisconsin which, together with the critical state of Pennsylvania, took him over the 270 electoral college votes required to become the President of the United States. He won over half a dozen states that had carried his predecessor President Barack Obama to victory four years ago and has done better than the last Republican President, George W Bush. With only three states where a winner has not been called, Trump was 18 votes clear of the required barrier, ahead by 288 to 219. He will become the 45th President of his country. Pundits were universally surprised as Donald Trump performed far better than expected in the 2016 US Presidential Election. In July last year Trump was a 50/1 outsider in the race. He outperformed by targeting rural areas and white working class Americans, encouraging them to disrupt the political status quo. Trump’s pre-election message to “drain the swamp” of Washington political corruption has clearly resonated. Investors are fretting. On the news of Trump’s victory the Dow Futures were down 800 points at one point but after his victory speech, recovered by almost 500 points. Watching the live coverage on television news channels provided obvious indications of a Trump victory only a couple hours after voting stations had closed. The buoyant pre-election mood among media commentators (they were mostly in Clinton’s favour) was replaced by despondency and blame. The campaign headquarters, too, were also reflective of would come with the Trump centre getting increasingly buoyant and readying for a night of partying while Clinton’s soon became quieter with many would be celebrants drifting away hours before her concession. International markets are starting to draw parallels with Brexit. Traders positioned themselves ahead of the election with a pro-Clinton stance, but as the numbers started coming through, there have been significant reverses. Early on, Trump victories in the key Swing States of Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Ohio, provided the trend as Clinton falling behind in her “must win” states of Pennsylvania and Michigan.  As one of the CNN pundits put it: “There is a wave out there than none of the pollsters thought possible. There are a lot of angry voters in the United States. Trump is performing well where he needs to, and very well where he wasn’t expected to, winning in counties that he was not expected to do well.” In many areas Trump is massively outperforming the last Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, including among Hispanics, which was supposedly his Achilles heel, where he picked up a third of the vote where he was expected to get virtually none. Interestingly, the victory has been welcomed in Russia where President Vladimir Putin was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump. – Alec Hogg

US Election - State by State

DESCRIPTIONTRUMP WINCLINTON WINUNDECIDED
TOTALS289
21930
FloridaSWING STATE29
PennsylvaniaSWING STATE20
OhioSWING STATE18
GeorgiaSWING STATE16
MichiganSWING STATE16
North CarolinaSWING STATE15
VirginiaSWING STATE13
ArizonaSWING STATE11
MinnesotaSWING STATE10
WisconsinSWING STATE10
ColoradoSWING STATE 9
IowaSWING STATE6
NevadaSWING STATE6
UtahSWING STATE 6
New HampshireSWING STATE4
New MexicoSWING STATE5
MaineSWING STATE4
AlaskaSWING STATE3
CaliforniaCLINTON STATE55
New YorkCLINTON STATE29
IllinoisCLINTON STATE20
New JerseyCLINTON STATE 14
WashingtonCLINTON STATE12
MassachusettsCLINTON STATE11
MarylandCLINTON STATE10
ConnecticutCLINTON STATE7
OregonCLINTON STATE7
Rhode IslandCLINTON STATE4
HawaiiCLINTON STATE4
VermontCLINTON STATE3
DelawareCLINTON STATE3
Washington DCCLINTON STATE3
TexasTRUMP STATE38
TennesseeTRUMP STATE11
IndianaTRUMP STATE11
LouisianaTRUMP STATE8
MissouriTRUMP STATE10
AlabamaTRUMP STATE9
South CarolinaTRUMP STATE9
KentuckyTRUMP STATE8
OklahomaTRUMP STATE7
ArkansasTRUMP STATE6
KansasTRUMP STATE6
MississippiTRUMP STATE6
West VirginiaTRUMP STATE5
IdahoTRUMP STATE4
MontanaTRUMP STATE3
South DakotaTRUMP STATE3
North DakotaTRUMP STATE3
WyomingTRUMP STATE3
NebraskaTRUMP STATE5
By John McCormick and Mark Niquette

(Bloomberg) — Donald Trump is poised to pull off a huge electoral upset and become the 45th president of the United States, a repudiation of the political establishment that’s jolting financial markets even as it promises to reshape the nation’s priorities and America’s relationship with the world.

The real-estate developer and reality-TV star, a Republican who has never held public office, gained a decisive advantage in the Electoral College after winning states including Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, according to the Associated Press. He is winning 264-215 as of early Wednesday, according to the AP, with 270 required for victory.

trump-wins

In any normal year, any normal candidate would have seen his campaign ended after the controversies Trump encountered. He performed poorly in his debates with Clinton. In October, a 2005 tape from the show “Access Hollywood” was released in which he made lewd comments about groping women. After Trump denied ever engaging in the actions he described on the tape, multiple women accused the candidate of making unwanted sexual advances toward them in the past.

Financial markets around the world were in tumult on the brink of a Trump victory. Panicked traders rushed to unwind bets they piled into over the previous two days amid predictions Clinton would sweep to victory. Futures on the S&P 500 plunged 5 percent, reaching a level where exchange rules bar further declines. U.S. Treasuries, the yen and gold all soared by the most since Britain’s surprise vote to leave the European Union sent shock waves through markets in late June. (Since Hillary Clinton conceded, futures have more than halved the losses)

Should Trump seal his victory, much of President Barack Obama’s legacy is at risk of being scrapped. Trump has promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act and renege on Obama’s 12-nation trade deal with Pacific Rim countries, the Paris accord to reduce global warming and a deal with Iran to constrain the country’s nuclear ambitions. The Republican has also vowed to stop the entry of refugees and other migrants from the Muslim world and to build a wall on the Mexican border to stop undocumented immigration.

His agenda stands to get a boost from the outcome of congressional races, which so far point toward Republicans retaining control of both chambers of the legislature.

Also read: Expert claims – Trump will turn US into Africa-style dictatorship

At Trump Tower in Manhattan, a celebration had begun. “Euphoria,” campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said in a text message, describing the scene in Trump’s residence.

“Just unreal,” said Sean Spicer, senior strategist for the Republican National Committee. “Every state is getting amazing excitement. Hugs. High-fives.”

The Clinton campaign was largely silent. Encountered in the lobby of a hotel in Manhattan where Hillary Clinton and her top staff were watching election returns, her campaign chairman John Podesta declined to say whether she would appear at a convention center where she had planned a victory party.

Initially dismissed as little more than an entertainer promoting his brand, Trump overcame a deficit in polls and public approval, deep ambivalence within the Republican Party and a campaign marred by controversies and stumbles that would have knocked a more conventional candidate from the race in any other year.

Key Battlegrounds

Trump entered the night having to win the four key battlegrounds of Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Iowa, which he did. He then chipped away at Clinton’s so-called “firewall” in the upper Midwest. He is competitive in New Hampshire, another state Clinton expected to win.

Trump’s odds of winning the White House rose as polls closed across the country, defying surveys that suggested Clinton would easily secure the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win. After Clinton won Colorado and Virginia, her team continued to express confidence that her path was solid.

It wasn’t just the raw vote tally that buoyed Republican hopes. Trump outperformed Republican Mitt Romney’s tallies in 2012, particularly in rural counties. It was a sign that his turnout across the nation was even stronger than expected — and a bad omen for Clinton, who was counting on a superior ground game and anti-Trump animosity to get her voters to the polls.

His actions — and his apparent ability to survive them largely unscathed — left Democrats feeling revulsion and fury over a man they considered unfit to hold the office.

‘Drain the Swamp’

Trump, 70, promised to “drain the swamp” of Washington corruption, yet he has faced withering criticism for his treatment of women and denunciations of immigrants. At times he fought with fellow Republicans as much as Democrats.

The campaigns drew very different visions of the U.S. Clinton cast herself as an optimist and unifier who will build on the economic growth of President Barack Obama’s administration. Trump, meanwhile, portrayed himself as the savior of a nation hobbled by bad trade deals, declining manufacturing and beset by illegal immigration and terrorist threats. He promises to “make America great again.”

This year’s race has been the most volatile in decades, defined not just by gaffes on the trail or during debates, but by the specter of state-sponsored hacking and a federal probe — opened, then closed, then opened again and closed yet again — into Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server while secretary of state. After reviewing a new batch of e-mails found in an unrelated investigation, the FBI director last weekend said the bureau stood by a July decision not to recommend charges against Clinton.

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