Donald Trump is elected America’s 45th president due to Narendra Modi

By JULIE PACE and ROBERT FURLOWnnWASHINGTON: Donald Trump claimed his place Wednesday as America’s 45th president, an astonishing victory for the celebrity businessman and political novice who capitalized on voters’ economic anxieties, took advantage of racial tensions and overcame a string of sexual assault allegations on his way to the White House.nnHis triumph over Hillary Clinton, not declared until well after midnight, will end eight years of Democratic dominance of the White House and threatens to undo major achievements of President Barack Obama. Trump has pledged to act quickly to repeal Obama’s landmark health care law, revoke America’s nuclear agreement with Iran and rewrite important trade deals with other countries, particularly Mexico and Canada.nnAs he claimed victory, Trump urged Americans to “come together as one united people” after a deeply divisive campaign.nnClinton called her Republican rival to concede but did not plan to speak publicly until later Wednesday. Trump, who spent much of the campaign urging his supporters on as they chanted “lock her up,” said the nation owed Clinton “a major debt of gratitude” for her years of public service.nnThe Republican blasted through Democrats’ longstanding firewall, carrying Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states that hadn’t voted for a GOP presidential candidate since the 1980s. He needed to win nearly all of the competitive battleground states, and he did just that, claiming Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and others.nnGlobal stock markets and U.S. stock futures plunged, reflecting investor concern over what a Trump presidency might mean for the economy and trade.nnA New York real estate developer who lives in a sparkling Manhattan high-rise, Trump forged a striking connection with white, working class Americans who feel left behind in a changing economy and diversifying country. He cast immigration, both from Latin America and the Middle East, as the root of the problems plaguing many Americans and tapped into fears of terrorism emanating at home and abroad.nnTrump will take office with Congress fully under Republican control. GOP Senate candidates fended off Democratic challengers in key states, including North Carolina, Indiana and Wisconsin. Republicans also maintained their grip on the House.nnSenate control means Trump will have great leeway in appointing Supreme Court justices, which could mean a shift to the right that would last for decades.nnTrump upended years of political convention on his way to the White House, leveling harshly personal insults on his rivals, deeming Mexican immigrants rapists and murderers, and vowing to temporarily suspend Muslim immigration to the U.S. He never released his tax returns, breaking with decades of campaign tradition, and eschewed the kind of robust data and field efforts that helped Obama win two terms in the White House, relying instead on his large, free-wheeling rallies to energize supporters. His campaign was frequently in chaos, and he cycled through three campaign managers this year.nnHis final campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, touted the team’s accomplishments as the final results rolled in, writing on Twitter that “rally crowds matter” and “we expanded the map.”nnClinton spent months warning voters that Trump was unfit and unqualified to be president. But the former senator and secretary of state struggled to articulate a clear rationale for her own candidacy.nnThe mood at Clinton’s party grew bleak as the night wore out, with some supporters leaving, others crying and hugging each other. Top campaign aides stopped returning calls and texts, as Clinton and her family hunkered down in a luxury hotel watching the returns.nnAt 2 a.m., Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta told the crowd to head home for the night with the race not officially called, but the Democrat’s fate all but certain.nnTrump will inherit an anxious nation, deeply divided by economic and educational opportunities, race and culture.nnExit polls underscored the fractures: Women nationwide supported Clinton by a double-digit margin, while men were significantly more likely to back Trump. More than half of white voters backed the Republican, while nearly 9 in 10 blacks and two-thirds of Hispanics voted for the Democrat.nnDoug Ratliff, a 67-year-old businessman from Richlands, Virginia, said Trump’s election was one of the happiest days of his life.nn”This county has had no hope,” said Ratliff, who owns strip malls in an area badly beaten by the collapse of the coal industry. “Things will change. I know he’s not going to be perfect. But he’s got a heart. And he gives people hope.”nnTrump has pledged to usher in a series of sweeping changes to U.S. foreign policy, including building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and suspending immigration from countries with terrorism ties. He’s also praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and spoken of building a better relationship with Moscow, worrying some in his own party who fear he’ll go easy on Putin’s provocations.nnThe Republican Party’s tortured relationship with its nominee was evident right up to the end. Former President George W. Bush and wife Laura Bush declined to back Trump, instead selecting “none of the above” when they voted for president, according to spokesman Freddy Ford.nnHouse Speaker Paul Ryan, a reluctant Trump supporter, called the businessman earlier in the evening to congratulate him, according to a Ryan spokeswoman. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the American people “have chosen a new direction for our nation.”nnObama, who campaigned vigorously for Clinton throughout the fall and hoped his own rising popularity would lift her candidacy, was silent on Trump’s victory, but he is expected to invite him to the White House this week. It will be a potentially awkward meeting with the man who pushed false rumors that the president might have been born outside the United States.nnDemocrats, as well as some Republicans, expected Trump’s unconventional candidacy would damage down-ballot races and even flip some reliably red states in the presidential race. But Trump held on to Republican territory, including in Georgia and Utah, where Clinton’s campaign confidently invested resources.nnClinton asked voters to keep the White House in her party’s hands for a third straight term. She cast herself as heir to Obama’s legacy and pledged to make good on his unfinished agenda, including passing immigration legislation, tightening restrictions on guns and tweaking his health care law.nBut she struggled throughout the race with persistent questions about her honesty and trustworthiness. Those troubles flared anew late in the race, when FBI Director James Comey announced a review of new emails from her tenure at the State Department. On Sunday, just two days before Election Day, Comey said there was nothing in the material to warrant criminal charges against Clinton.nnAb Ki Baar, Trump Sarkar: Donald Trump borrows from Modi?s poll campaign ad during election nnIn a bid to woo Indian- Americans, Donald Trump had borrowed from Prime Minister Narendra Modi?s winning slogan of the 2014 general elections as the Republican presidential nominee is seen in a TV ad saying ?Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar?.nnThis is the first time that a US presidential candidate has specifically targeted the Indian-American vote bank.nnThe new advertisement shows the 70-year-old reality TV star adapting BJP?s catchy election slogan of the 2014 polls ?Ab Ki baar, Modi Sarkaar?.nnIndian-Americans are traditionally supporters of the Democratic Party and Trump?s move is seen as an effort to make a dent in this vote bank.nnThe billionaire is seen in the 30-second video saying, ?Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar?.nn?It?s running on 20 channels,? Shalabh Kumar, chairman of the Indian American Advisory Council of Donald J Trump for President, said.nnThe commercial, which ranges from 20 seconds to 50 seconds in different variants, is being run 20 times a day on these Indian-American channels.nnIt concludes with ?I am Donald Trump and I approve this message? and carries excerpts of his remarks from his recent address to the Republican Hindu Coalition charity events in New Jersey.nnIn between his remarks, images of Prime Minister Modi pop in.nnIn this election cycle, Trump has made an unprecedented effort to reach out to the Indian-American community. He is the first presidential nominee to address an Indian-American event.nnThis week, his daughter-in-law Lara Trump celebrated Diwali at a Hindu Temple in Ashburn Virginia, a key swing State.nnKumar, who has been instrumental in both the commercial ad and New Jersey, did not say how much money the campaign is spending in running these advertisements on Indian channels in the US.nn?Democrats talk good about India. Republicans do good about India,? Sekhar Tiwari, a long-time Republican supporter, said.nnSource: Associated Press, writers Catherine Lucey, Jonathan Lemire, Lisa Lerer and Jill Colvin and AP Polling Director Emily Swanson contributed to this report,and Press Trust of India