Donald Trump won the election to become the 45th president of the United States, capping a campaign that defied almost all odds and polls. The New York-born Republican, who had never run for office before, claimed victory at around 3pm Hong Kong time on November 9, 2016, after winning key battleground states including Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.
By 3.45pm, Trump had secured 276 electoral votes, six more than the required amount, while Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton received 218. Clinton appeared to have underperformed among millennials, Latinos, and African Americans. The victory shocked political and business elites and sent global financial markets into a panic, with the Hang Seng Index shedding as much as 4.2 per cent before ending the day 2.2 per cent lower at 22,415.19. The Dow Jones index was largely steady in early trading.
In a victory speech on November 9, 2016, Trump called for national unity and promised to work with all nations. In a departure from his usual provocative attacks on free trade and US alliances, he declared that America “will get along with all other nations.” He stated, “I want to tell the world community that while we will always put America’s interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone.”
International reactions were mixed. Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Trump, stating that the world’s two biggest economies share responsibility for promoting global development and prosperity, and expressed a desire to work with Trump. Russian President Vladimir Putin also sent a congratulatory note, saying the dialogue between Moscow and Washington must serve the interests of both countries. The Russian parliament reportedly burst into applause after the victory was confirmed.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen congratulated Trump and expressed hope to work with his administration to advance bilateral relations. However, European reactions were more strained. German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen described the result as a “huge shock,” while French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Trump’s personality “raised questions.” Japan, which had expressed dismay at Trump’s criticism of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the US alliance, will send Katsuyuki Kawai to Washington as early as next week, though Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga denied this was due to being unprepared for the win.
