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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, flanked by members of his family, speaks to supporters during election night at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York on November 9, 2016.TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP / Getty Images

POLITICS BRIEFING

By Chris Hannay (@channay) and Rob Gilroy (@rgilroy)

Donald Trump, the reality star and real-estate magnate who few took seriously when he launched a bid for the presidency in June, 2015, is now America's president-elect.

> Results: The election is one of the closest in U.S. history. Hillary Clinton may eke out a small win in the popular vote, while Mr. Trump was carried to victory by flipping Florida and a number of Rust Belt states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa. (Michigan remains too close to call.)

> The president-elect: Mr. Trump surpasses Ronald Reagan as the oldest president. He is the first New Yorker to assume office since Dwight Eisenhower and just the fourth president ever to win office but lose his home state. He will be sworn in on Jan. 20.

> What you need to know now: For the very latest developments, The Globe has this running file, which includes which world leaders have so far offered their congratulation to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

> Stunned silence: Joanna Slater was at the Hillary Clinton election party in New York, where the mood turned dark very early Tuesday night as results starting coming in. "In a cavernous convention center where Ms. Clinton's supporters had gathered to witness what they hoped would be a historic victory, there was a stunned sense of disbelief. Some wept, while others looked silently at giant television screens delivering news they never expected to hear."

> The Trump wave: Doug Saunders says the election proved what many had been saying all along: The Donald Trump's rise was not driven only by those left on the edges of the U.S. economy. "When it came to the crunch, it turned out that Donald Trump's backers were something else entirely: Both far more numerous and much less economically marginal than believed."

> A dynamic America: John Ibbitson says fears of an American decline are premature. "With Mr. Trump winning, we need to remember something bigger – America is once again proving that it is a dynamic, contradictory, slightly crazy at times and perpetually surprising republic. … Nothing can break the American spirit, which has prevailed against all comers."

> Canada-U.S. relations: Campbell Clark says a Donald Trump presidency will almost certainly throw a monkey wrench into Canada-U.S. relations. "Donald Trump, the surprise winner of the U.S. presidential race, has promised to rip up many of the things Canada has tried to nail down."

> Trudeau and Trump: Robert Fife says the Liberals are stunned by the Trump victory, but they will try to get to work with the new president. "Officials say Mr. Trudeau plans to sell an agenda of economic and global co-operation in a congratulatory phone call to Mr. Trump, including an invitation for the Republican victor to visit Canada soon after his inauguration on Jan. 20."

> The climate file: Shawn McCarthy says the victory by Donald Trump in the U.S. election throws into disarray Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's goal of forging a North American energy and climate strategy. … The prospect for a continental energy policy will look very different from this past year."

> A thunderous message: Margaret Wente wonders how "the greatest democracy on Earth [could] elect a rogue outsider whose main attributes are ignorance and a pathological need to bully? … This was far, far more than the revenge of uneducated working-class white people. It was a thunderous message from a broad spectrum of mainstream Americans."

> Bad for Canada: Barry McKenna says "Donald Trump's stunning upset over Hillary Clinton is a worst-case scenario for Canada's trade-dependent economy. … A Trump presidency …. could undermine Canadian exports and the smooth functioning of the integrated North American economy, particularly in industries such as autos."

> Global markets react: Eric Reguly says fears that Donald Trump would crash global markets may have been a bit premature. "The numbers said the American and global economies were about to enter the House of Pain and stay there; no escape possible. But shortly after Mr. Trump took to the stage, the markets started to recover, even if they were still down on Tuesday's close."

> Welcome to the Middle East: Patrick Martin: "From continuing conflict in half a dozen states and the spread of jihadi terrorist organizations throughout the region to the decline of democracy and the growth of autocratic regimes, the Middle East will demand the new U.S. president's immediate attention."

> Turn the channel: John Doyle: "All I want for Christmas is the return of regularly scheduled programming. I feel I speak for tens of millions when I ask for this. Seriously, dude. Even John King on CNN must be tired of his magic freaking wall."

> A win for marijuana: Tasmin McMahon writes that "marijuana was one of the winners of an otherwise bitterly divisive presidential election campaign, as voters in several states voted to support measures that would permit some legal use of the drug."

> Elsewhere: Vox warns Trump's victory is a win for white supremacists, Russia, and wealthy Americans who will receive tax breaks, while it also imperils the planet. … The New York Times editorial board says that Americans' desire for change has put the country in danger. … and Fox News says it's time to restore traditional values.

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