Donald Trump defies all odds to become US President

Donald Trump stunned America and the world on Wednesday defeating Hillary Clinton in the race to become the 45th president of the United States.

The Republican mogul defeated his Democratic rival, plunging global markets into turmoil and casting the long-standing global political order, which hinges on Washington's leadership, into doubt.

In his address to jubilant supporters at a victory party in Manhattan, his hometown, he said that he was president for all of America.

In his victory speech he did not mention building a wall on the Southern US border and vowed that Americans will be proud of him. "At the end of 2,3,4 or 8 years supporters will be proud of me," he said.

He praised his defeated rival Hillary Clinton for her years of public service. "Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country."

He said that though the election campaign had ended "real work had just begin".

During a bitter two-year campaign that tugged at America´s democratic fabric, the bombastic tycoon pledged to deport illegal immigrants, ban Muslims from the country and tear up free trade deals.

His message appears to have been embraced by much of America´s white majority, disgruntled by the breath and scope of social change and economic change in the last eight years under their first black president, Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama called Donald Trump early Wednesday to congratulate him on his victory and invited him to the White House for talks on Thursday, his office said.

Trump openly courted Russian leader Vladimir Putin, called US support for NATO allies in Europe into question and suggested that South Korea and Japan should develop their own nuclear weapons.

The businessman turned TV star turned-politico -- who has never before held elected office -- will become commander-in-chief of the world´s sole true superpower on January 20.

Although he has no government experience and in recent years has spent as much time running beauty pageants and starring in reality television as he had building his property empire. Trump at 70 will be the oldest man to ever become president.

Yet, during his improbable rise, Trump has constantly proved the pundits and received political wisdom wrong.

Opposed by the entire senior hierarchy of his own Republican Party, he trounced more than a dozen better-funded and more experienced rivals in the party primary.

During the race, he was forced to ride out allegations of sexual assault and was embarrassed but apparently not shamed to have been caught on tape boasting about groping women.

And, unique in modern US political history, he refused to release his tax returns.