Trump on brink of White House triumph, rattles world markets
- Clinton and Trump chase last-minute support on US election eve
- Trump, Clinton blast each other on character; Clinton rises in poll
- Trump attacks Clinton on trade, says he should be handed victory
Trump appeared headed toward a stunning upset of Clinton in a bitter and divisive White House race after capturing Ohio, Florida and other big states, edging closer to slamming the door shut on her quest to become the first woman president.
With investors worried a Trump victory could cause economic and global uncertainty, investors fled risky assets such as stocks. In overnight trading, S&P 500 index futures fell 5 percent to hit their so-called limit down levels, indicating they would not be permitted to trade any lower until dayside trading resumed on Wednesday morning.
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| Supporters of Donald Trump rally in front of the White House. (Photo: Reuters) |
Trump's surprise wins pushed him closer to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the state-by-state fight for the White House, and he still held slight leads in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona as vote counting moved into the wee hours of Wednesday.
Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta told supporters at Clinton's election rally in New York to go home. "Several states are too close to call so we're not going to have anything more to say tonight," he said.
Clinton still had a narrow path to the White House, although she would have to sweep every remaining battleground state.
Shortly after networks called Wisconsin for Trump on Tuesday evening, celebrating supporters at his election night rally in New York began to chant "lock her up" - a common refrain on the campaign trail for the former U.S. secretary of state repeatedly branded "Crooked Hillary" by the volatile Trump.
A packed crowd in the lobby of Trump's new hotel in Washington, D.C., also broke into chants of "lock her up" and "USA, USA, USA" as state after state was called for Trump.
As of 2:03 a.m. EST, Trump had 244 electoral votes to Clinton’s 218, with U.S. television networks projecting the winner in 42 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Republicans also were projected to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and appeared to be heading toward keeping their majority in the U.S. Senate. If Trump wins the White House, he would have a greater chance of enacting his agenda with a Republican-led Congress.
As the evening wore on, Clinton, 69, acknowledged the unexpectedly close results given her lead in opinion polls going into Election Day.
"This team has so much to be proud of. Whatever happens tonight, thank you for everything," Clinton said on Twitter.
A wealthy real-estate developer and former reality TV host, the 70-year-old Trump rode a wave of anger toward Washington insiders to challenge Clinton, whose gold-plated establishment resume includes stints as a first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state.
