Clinton concedes by phone, with Trump now the President-Elect

In a stunning upset, Donald Trump claimed victory in the race for President over Hillary Clinton, as he vowed to try to unite the country after what he acknowledged was a difficult and bruising campaign.

"It is time for us to come together as one united people," Trump said in a gracious speech to cheering supporters in New York.

"I will be President for all Americans," Trump vowed.

Clinton did not speak to her planned "victory party" - instead, she sent her campaign manager out to tell supporters to go home for the night, saying they would wait for more votes to be counted in the race for President.

"We're not going to have anything more to say tonight," said John Podesta, just after 2 am Eastern Time.

Podesta's appearance came after a grueling evening for Clinton and her backers, as they watched Donald Trump win in key state after key state, bringing him right to the edge of being declared the winner.

Clinton's decision not to speak ruffled some feathers early this morning.

"Didn't Hillary promise to accept the results?" said Chip Englander, a former aide to Marco Rubio and the campaign manager for Rand Paul's bid for President.

But in the next few minutes, the Associated Press took a step to call the race for Trump; soon after, Clinton called Trump by telephone to concede.

"I look forward very much to being your President," Trump said to supporters.

"While the campaign is over, our work on this movement is really just beginning. We're going to get to work immediately for the American people."

About the Author