Clinton Refuses To Concede As Trump Heads For Victory

Donald Trump is set to be the next president of the United States after voters gambled on his promise to "Make America Great Again".

Press Association report continues:

At the end of one of the most divisive elections in modern US history, the Republican candidate was on the brink of defeating rival Hillary Clinton in a race that went down to the wire.

But with votes still being counted, the Clinton camp refused to throw in the towel.

Mr Trump's victory was all but certain after he took Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, giving him 264 electoral votes, just six short of the 270 finishing line.

He was also comfortably ahead in Wisconsin, with 10 electoral votes, suggesting there was no way back into the race for Mrs Clinton.

His supporters at a rally in New York were quick to claim victory.

But Mrs Clinton's campaign manager John Podesta told her supporters at their own rally about a mile away: "They're still counting votes and every vote should count.

"Several states are too close to call so we aren't going to have anything more to say tonight. Go home, get some sleep, we will have more to say tomorrow."

Seeking to rally supporters, many of whom had earlier been in tears, he added: "Let's get those votes counted and let's bring this thing home."

The apparent election of outspoken businessman and TV personality Mr Trump, who has never held public office, illustrates the anger and frustration felt by many Americans at the political establishment represented by Democratic former secretary of state Mrs Clinton.

In an potential upset which has drawn parallels to the Brexit victory in the UK, Mr Trump rewrote the rules of political campaigning.

Mrs Clinton's failure to become the first female president in US history would bring down the curtain on a political career which has seen her spend decades at the heart of American politics.

That experience may have played a major role in the result.

Mr Trump campaigned on a promise to "drain the swamp" in Washington, with Mrs Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state and the 2012 attack on the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, frequently highlighted during his campaign against the rival he dubbed "crooked Hillary".

International markets panicked as Mr Trump closed in on victory, with shares tumbling and the dollar falling in value against the Japanese Yen.

Mr Trump's outspoken rhetoric about Mexicans during the campaign - and his promise to build a wall between the US and its southern neighbour - also triggered a fall in the peso.

There were ecstatic scenes at Mr Trump's victory party, where their candidate reportedly arrived shortly before 7.30am UK time.

But across Manhattan, the mood at Mrs Clinton's gathering was funereal, with many supporters in tears.