Donald Trump & Hillary Clinton
US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton attend campaign rallies in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, October 10, 2016 and Manchester, New Hampshire U.S., October 24, 2016 in a combination of file photos. Reuters/Mike Segar/Carlos Barria

Following a tight race to the finish, Republican candidate Donald Trump ultimately won the US presidential election early Wednesday morning. The controversial reality TV star defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton to become the 45th president of the United States of America.

Trump has defied pre-election polls that claimed Clinton would win by a large margin. In a stunning turn of events, the real estate mogul took victory from the battleground states of Ohio, North Carolina and Florida, thereby widening the gap of his wins from the former US first lady. Trump took 288 electoral votes, while Clinton lost with only 215.

With Trump winning, his selected running mate, Mike Pence, will become the next US vice president. Clinton chose Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her VP.

Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta told her supporters in New York that she would not be speaking publicly yet. She would instead be addressing the election results the next day.

Read: Potential Trump win in US presidential election rattles global markets, $1.9 trillion in US stocks at risk of being wiped out

Meanwhile, a small group of Trump supporters in Australia loudly cheered for him in a bar in Sydney’s CBD on Wednesday afternoon, local time. According to the AAP, the group, called Trump’s Aussie Mates, was organised by former Liberal MP Ross Cameron and was later joined by former Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop.

“I feel fantastic. I feel delirious. I’m virtually in tears,” Cameron told AAP.

Michelle Obama warns Arizona of a ‘hopeless’ America under Donald Trump

*Modified to correct Trump’s electoral votes win to 288.

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