Heading into Election Day in the United States, it had appeared Democrat Hillary Clinton was poised to become the first woman president in the nation's history.
After all, Trump had thrown out nearly every political convention, hurling personal insults and rivals and critics and women, calling Mexican immigrants rapists, drug dealers and murders, and promising to suspend Muslim immigration to the United States -- even if those Muslims happen to be refugees.
Trump also dispensed with the normal devices of a traditional presidential campaign, building his popularity at frequently chaotic rallies and taking on one and all through his Twitter account.
Clinton herself was so sure of victory that she booked her election night party for the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, a venue with a glass ceiling that would have served as a highly symbolic statement on her election.
In addition the Democrat's campaign had hired a New Jersey fireworks company to put in a victory display from a barge in New York's East River.
But in the end, American voters opted for the billionaire real estate developer and reality TV star, rejecting the familiar Clinton for a political novice who taped into the anxieties over the state of the economy, the impact of globalization on U.S. workers, and the threat posed by Islamic State terrorists.
Clinton called Trump to concede early Tuesday morning, and is expected to address the election results publicly later today.
Trump's victory, which was not declared until the middle of the night, ends eight years of Democratic control of the White House.
For the first time in eight years the entire federal government will be under Republican control.
As he claimed victory in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Trump urged Americans to "come together as one united people."
But things will certainly be different, particular in regard to U.S. energy policy. The Obama administration has been a steadfast supporter of the development of renewable energy and has embraced a wide array of policies to address climate change.
When it came to energy policy, Clinton had vowed to expand on President Obama's efforts, promising to development enough renewable energy to power every home in the United States within 10 years.
Trump has said he intends to "unleash" American energy by doing away with federal regulations that he says have prevented the nation from fully taking advantage of its oil, natural gas and coal resources.
He has also promised to rescind the Obama administration's clean power plan, describing attempts to take on climate change "a very, very expensive form of tax.
Trump has called climate change a "hoax" devised by the Chinese government in the past, and said repeatedly during his presidential campaign that he will "cancel" the United States' involvement in the Paris climate accord.
"Any regulation that's outdated, unnecessary, bad for workers or contrary to the national interest will be scrapped and scrapped completely," he said in May.
"We're going to do all this while taking proper regard for rational environmental concerns," he added.
Trump maintains the Paris climate deal allows "foreign bureaucrats to control how much energy we use."
Because the U.S. in the world's second-largest greenhouse gas producer, stepping away from the nation's commitments would effectively cripple the accord.
Shockingly, it would be fairly easy for President Trump to carry through on his threat after he assumes office in January 2017.
All he has to do is make no effort to enforce the rules. If he wanted to be more aggressive about getting out of the deal, he could also unilaterally abandon the 1992 climate treaty.
Environmentalists have called Trump's stance on the issue "frightening."
Despite their profound differences on these issues and others, President Barack Obama invited Trump to meet with him at the White House on Thursday to discuss transition.
"Ensuring a smooth transition of power is one of the top priorities the president identified at the beginning of the year and a meeting with the president-elect is the next step," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
President Obama will also address the nation on Wednesday.
Earnest said the president's televised address will focus on "what steps we can take as a country to come together after this hard-fought election season."
World financial markets plummeted Tuesday night after Trump surprisingly jumped to an early lead in critical states and that lead solidified as the night wore on.
By the time the U.S. state of Florida was declared "too close to call," the Dow Jones futures market had dropped 700 points.
The markets have since largely recovered.
Trump eventually won Florida, and took nearly every other competitive battleground state, including Ohio and North Carolina.
He also scored victories in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which were expected to go to Clinton.
(Photo: Donald Trump watches the election returns Tuesday night.)
For additional information:
