President-elect pays tribute to Hillary Clinton's loyal service to the country after she concedes and pledges that the forgotten of America will be 'forgotten no longer'

Donald Trump marked his world-shaking victory over Hillary Clinton today with a dramatic peace-making gesture for the rival he had called 'crooked' before promising that America would 'come together as never before'.  

After he sensationally won the White House race, Clinton phoned him at 2:30 a.m. to concede she had lost and in the first words of his victory speech he said: 'We owe her a debt of gratitude and I mean that very sincerely'.

She made the private call shortly after sending her campaign chairman to give her supporters exactly the opposite message, that it was not over – a humiliating and bizarre end to a political career which had put her on the verge of being the first female president.

Instead, a jubilant Trump Election Night headquarters party erupted in cheers as the news broke.

Trump accepted the mantle of leadership with uncharacteristic humility nearly three hours after the West Coast polls closed was over.

'Now it's time for America to bind the wounds of division,' he began his victory speech just before 3am.  'I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans – and this is so important to me.

'For those who have chosen not to support me in the past - of which there were a few people - I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and your help, so we can work together and unify our great country.'

'I promise you that I will not let you down,' he said. 

He then went on to reiterate his promise to 'Make America Great Again'. 

'I've gotten to know our country so well. Tremendous potential. It is going to be a beautiful thing. Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.'

He added: 'America will no longer settle for anything less than the best. We must reclaim our country's destiny and dream big and bold and daring. We have to do that. We're going to dream of things for our country, and beautiful things and successful things once again.'

Donald Trump said:

America will no longer settle for anything less than the best. We must reclaim our country's destiny and dream big and bold and daring. We have to do that. We're going to dream of things for our country, and beautiful things and successful things once again. 

 

He thanked his late parents, saying they were 'wonderful in every regard'. He thanked his sisters, his brothers, his wife and children 'for putting up with all of those hours. ... This political stuff was nasty and it was tough'. He even thanked the U.S. Secret Service.

 

And in a twist nearly as bizarre as the sum of Campaign 2016, he thanked Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who had called him minutes earlier to concede the presidential race after declining to do it from the stage of what was to be her own victory party.

'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.

'I mean that very sincerely. Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division, have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people,' Trump said.   

Instead of bluster about her classified emails, Trump brought a gracious acknowledgement of her decades of government service.

No one yelled 'Lock her up!'– an aggressive rallying cry from Trump's hundreds of rallies and the Republican National Convention in July.

Come Wednesday morning, the Trump campaign also revealed that they had received a call from President Obama as well.

Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told the Today show that it was a 'very warm conversation' that they were 'happy to receive'.

'They had a great, thorough, conversation about Mr Trump's victory, he was congratulated, and I think they resolved to work together which is exactly what this country needs. To get the current president and the president-elect and others who are in leadership position to help unify and heal the country. we expect that the two gentlemen will be meeting soon,' she said.

Trump is allegedly visiting the White House tomorrow to meet with President Obama to discuss the change of power.