Donald Trump shocked the nation and financial markets Wednesday by defeating Hillary Clinton after a bitterly contested presidential race that alternately electrified and repulsed millions of American voters.
“I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans,” the 70-year-old real-estate developer told supporters gathered in New York City. “The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.”
Markets cratered as Trump’s victory became increasingly clear late Tuesday, with the Republican nominee picking up state after state. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures YMZ6, -0.02% were down more than 450 points early Wednesday. The U.S. dollar DXY, +0.44% dropped more than 1%.
Since bursting on to the campaign stage in June 2015, the brash New Yorker rose to ever-greater political stardom through the Republican primary season, and accepted the GOP nomination in July. Yet all the while, he was one of the most unpopular candidates in recent memory, hobbled by a series of controversial statements about women, minorities and even leaders of his own party.
None of that seemed to matter on Tuesday night and into the early hours of Wednesday, as Trump won more states, turning polls and prediction markets upside down. Speaking to supporters, Trump said it was time to “come together as one united people.”
Trump entered the race by espousing a get-tough philosophy on immigration and trade deals he said were bad for American workers. Pledging to “Make America Great Again,” he defeated more than a dozen Republican challengers and claimed the nomination at a raucous convention in Cleveland.
The brash New Yorker infuriated many Americans, such as when he was heard on a tape making lewd comments about women. But the business mogul and reality-TV star also galvanized crowds who cheered him at rallies around the country — and chanted “Lock her up!” at mentions of Clinton.