Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump to concede the presidential election early Wednesday, her aspiration to become the first woman elected U.S. president dashed by the businessman's stunning, chaotic rise to the peak of American politics.
Trump unexpectedly won the presidency, fueled by projected or apparent wins in swings states Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, NBC News projected.
The defeat to Trump, a businessman and reality TV personality who has never held public office, marked a shocking turn in Clinton's decades-long political career. She had tried to assure voters that her record of public service, and stability relative to Trump's bluster, outweighed the real or imagined scandals that have dogged her time in the public eye.
Trump said he received a call from Clinton shortly before he gave a victory speech early Wednesday in Manhattan.
"She congratulated us, it's about us, on our victory. And I congratulated her and her family on a very very hard fought campaign," Trump said.
A month ago, Trump's self-inflicted wounds appeared set to help Clinton become commander-in-chief and hand her a chamber of Congress to boot. On Wednesday, Trump celebrated his victory in Manhattan, where Clinton had originally hoped to celebrate hers.
Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta delivered a defiant speech early Wednesday, declaring that Clinton "is not done yet." However, she conceded shortly after those remarks.