There is calm in the U.S. after a palpable atmosphere on Tuesday over whether president-elect Donald Trump or rival Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton would accept the outcome of the presidential election.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that many Americans had expressed concerns over how the outcome of the polls would be received by supporters of both Trump and Clinton.
NAN reports that it is a norm in the U.S. for the loser of a presidential election to make a ceremonial call through to the winner, as a sign of accepting defeat and to douse any tension that might be associated with the poll.
The heated election campaigns by Clinton and Trump, which saw the two leading candidates attacking each other, had been seen by most Americans as unusual and taken the presidential campaign to its lowest in the recent history.
Chairman of the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, John Podesta, had also addressed a group of pro-Clinton supporters on her behalf after the exit polls became too close to call.
“Several states are too close to call, so we are not going to have anything more to say tonight.
“Everybody should head home, you should get some sleep; we’ll have more to say tomorrow,” Podesta had encouraged the shocked Clinton’s supporters.
However, the tension-soaked atmosphere evaporated immediately Clinton called Trump to concede the election and congratulated Trump, saying she believed that Trump would be the next president of the U.S. after it became apparent that she had lost the Electoral College.
Trump, while also delivering his maiden speech, in an unusual humble tone, praised Clinton and pledged to unite America as against the violent tones that had pervaded the heated electioneering.
“I just receive a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us, it’s about us, on our victory and I congratulated her family on a very hard-fought campaign, I mean she fought very hard.
“Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time and we owe a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country, I know that very sincerely,” Trump said about Clinton.
The president-elect, also concerned about the effect of the divisive campaigns, appealed to all to Americans to heal the wounds of division, while also pledging to be the president for all Americans.
“Now it’s time for Americans to bind the wounds of division and 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. It’s time.
“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 they were a few people, I’m reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great party.”
NAN reports that Trump would be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2017 as the 45th American president while vice president-elect Mike Pence would be inaugurated as the 48th vice president. (NAN)
