Donald Trump Wins Election Over Hillary Clinton, Republicans Keep House and Senate, Stock Market Plunges and More

Donald Trump was elected to become the 45th president of the United States in the early morning hours following a drama-filled election night. The Republican presidential nominee, who did much of his campaigning from social media, now has a Twitter bio that reads: "President-elect of the United States."

President Obama called Trump “to congratulate him on his victory early this morning” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said, adding that Obama also invited Trump to come meet with him at the White House on Thursday. Obama will offer remarks to the country on Wednesday afternoon.

For her part, Hillary Clinton went missing on Tuesday night. In an odd move at 2 a.m., Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said several states were too close to call and the Democratic nominee would not speak to her supporters at the Javits Center as planned. He encouraged supporters to go home, saying, “We’ll have more to say tomorrow." Within 20 minutes, the situation drastically changed as Trump's motorcade roared up to the New York Hilton Midtown.

Clinton will now deliver her concession speech Wednesday morning.

Top Stories

Donald Trump Defeats Hillary Clinton After Rewriting the Rules of Politics in Landmark Election: "Donald John Trump, the billionaire New York developer whose pugnacious and insulting political style obscured a hidden ability to tap into — and stoke — the anger and political disillusionment of huge swaths of Americans, ended his unlikely string of campaign successes Tuesday by defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton to become president-elect of the United States. Clinton conceded the race to Trump in a phone call, as the Republican broke the 270-vote electoral college threshold with a Wisconsin win, CNN reported." (Patch)

Election 2016 Results: Republicans Keep Control of House and Senate: "With the night increasingly pointing to a President Trump, there was a perhaps even bigger victory for the Republican Party as it kept control of both houses of Congress. While going in to Election Day it was already a long shot for the Democrats that they could take control of the House of Representatives — they would have needed to flip 30 seats — they did feel it was realistic that they would be able to take control of the Senate. The Republicans had a 54-44 lead with two Independents who caucus with the Democrats. So, for all intents and purposes a 56-44 lead, which meant the Democrats would need to flip five seats." (Patch)

Markets Plunge Worldwide as Trump Surges to the White House: "Global financial markets convulsed Tuesday night as Donald Trump was projected to claim victory in the race for the White House after a polarizing campaign that investors had largely bet against." (The Washington Post)

Voters Declare Their Disgust, Disdain and Dismay as They Choose Their President, Donald Trump: "By the tens of millions, Americans went to the polls Tuesday to exercise a right this nation has prized for 238 years — the right to elect our government, a right secured by traitors to the Crown and born of bloodshed and sacrifice. We are a house divided against itself in so many ways. Majorities are slim and difficult to secure. Millions believe the system through which we choose our leaders is broken, even 'rigged.' Nevertheless, we go to the polls seeking change. Demanding change. And yet one person's change for the better is a road to damnation and ruin for their neighbor." (Patch)

Moving To Canada Today? 5 Things To Know: "So you've been saying for months that if Donald Trump won the presidency, you just couldn't stand to stay in the States any longer. An alternative awaits just a short jog to the north." (Patch)

Marijuana Legalization Election Results: CA, MA, NV Passes; AZ Rejects; ME Up for Grabs: "California, Massachusetts and Nevada have voted to legalize recreational marijuana in their states, while Arizona rejected its measure and Maine was still too close to call Wednesday morning. The results of the three statewide marijuana initiatives on the ballot Tuesday night, especially in massive California, could make for a landmark moment in efforts to legalize the recreational drug and push toward a repeal of federal cannabis prohibition." (Patch)

From the Twitterverse

From the Twitter account of president-elect Donald Trump at 6:36 a.m.:

On the Radar

Hillary Clinton will deliver her concession speech at 10:30 a.m.

Today's Numbers

• Donald Trump was elected 45th president of the United States.
• Trump secured the presidency with 279 electoral votes after a win in Wisconsin.
• Both Trump and Clinton missed out on 9 percent of young voters, who went third party.
• Democrats could take between 5 and 9 seats in the House, but that's not enough to change the balance of power.

Quote of the Day

Donald Trump on George W. Bush leaving the top of his ballot blank:

“I think it’s sad. I think it’s sad, you know. When I see George Bush do that, and look I was very critical of him for getting us into Iraq, which was obviously a horrible decision, and getting out the way Obama got us out was a horrible way to get out too — the combination. I don’t think it has any impact, frankly. I think it has no impact.”

Allen McDuffee is a politics and policy reporter, investigative journalist, blogger and podcast host. He has written for The Atlantic, Wired and The Washington Post.Follow him on Twitter: @AllenMcDuffee

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons