Read Donald Trump first speech as president-elect

Donald Trump has pledged to unite America after his shock election as President.

“Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division…I say it is time for us to come together as one united people,” he said, as supporters chanted “USA! USA! USA!”.

“I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be President for all Americans and this is so important to me.”

Mr Trump said he received a call from Hillary Clinton conceding her defeat in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

“I’ve just received a call from Secretary Clinton, she congratulated us on our victory and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign,” he added.

“She fought very hard. Hillary has worked very hard over a long period of time and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.”

He took to the stage at a rally in New York after analysis showed it was impossible for Ms Clinton to surmount a deficit in Electoral College votes after her rival won several battleground states.

As her defeat looked certain, she had tweeted: “Whatever happens tonight, thank you for everything.”

Credit: Independent