Donald Trump sensationally won the White House race this morning as Hillary Clinton phoned him at 2.30am to concede she had lost.
She made the private call shortly after sending her campaign chairman to give her supporters exactly the opposite message, that it was not over - a humiliating and bizarre end to a political career which had put her on the verge of being the first female president.
Instead a jubilant Trump headquarters erupted in cheers as the news broke.
At Trump headquarters, running mate Mike Pence was first to take the stage and said: 'This is a historic night. The American people have spoken and the American people have elected their new champion.'
To chants of USA he said: 'I come to this moment deeply humbled, grateful to God for his amazing grace. I am mostly grateful to our president-elect, whose leadership and vision will make America great again.
'Let me say, it's my high honor and distinct privilege to introduce to you the President-Elect of the United States of America - Donald Trump.'
The bizarre ending to Clinton's political career came after Trump confounded pollsters at every turn, capturing one 'swing' state after another in a line of toppled dominoes that stretched across three time zones and now ends at the White House.
The last to fall was the Keystone State - after Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Wisconsin all went to the Republican. That gave him 274 votes in the electoral college - the winner is the first to achieve 270.
He is also winning in the popular vote by a more than one per cent margin.
But Clinton is clearly gearing up to go to court across the country to try to force recounts in close-fought precincts and counties in the hope of grinding out a victory.
It is precisely the divisive end to the election she accused Trump of planning when he said last month that he may not accept the result.
If her beyond-the-eleventh-hour tactic fails, Clinton is contemplating the ruins of her career, a promise of a full-scale investigation into her and Bill's charity and personal riches by a special prosecutor, and the Democrats locked out of not just the White House but both houses of Congress.
There will be a Republican lock on the Supreme Court which could last a generation.
<<Print>>