Key points
- AP has declared Trump the winner. He currently has 256 votes according to AFP
- Clinton will not speak tonight
- Clinton campaign manager says will wait for votes to be counted
7.38pm AEDT
While Trump's supporters are jubilant at his decisive and unexpected win, Ms Clinton's camp has taken to social media to express dismay.
One tweet in particular has been widely shared:
7.17pm AEDT
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has congratulated Donald Trump on being elected the next president of the United States.
Mr Turnbull said it had been a long and hard-fought campaign that was described by Mr Trump himself as nasty at times.
"I understand that Australians have been confronted by the intensity of the political battle in the US," he said.
Mr Turnbull said the US is a "great nation" had the capacity to come together and it would behind Mr Trump.
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"Now, we have no stronger relationship whether it's on the battlefield or in commerce, than we have with the United States."
"They're a great and powerful nation, they're a great and powerful friend."
Americans understood they have no stronger ally, no better friend, than Australia.
"And the enduring national interests of our two countries as such that our relationship will continue to be strong, will continue to work together as we have done, with many presidents in years past to chat, to take on the challenges of our time."
Mr Turnbull acknowledged the great leadership of President Barack Obama and his Vice-President Joe Biden.
"President Obama has guided the United States and led the world through many challenges.
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"Challenges of the global financial crisis, dealing with the challenges of terrorism, dealing with the challenges we face in the Middle East, where our servicemen and women are fighting side by side with their American comrades."
Mr Turnbull said he looked forward to working closely with the Trump administration as it is formed and when it takes office earlier next year.
"The American people have made a great and momentous choice today." - AAP
7.10am AEDT
Trump has been elected with 48.8 per cent of the overall popular vote. Clinton has 47.3.
AFP is predicting Trump will win 290 electoral college votes while Clinton has only 218.
7.01pm AEDT
Trump pledged "not to let down" the American people.
"We'll do a great job. We'll do a great job," he said.
"I look very much forward to being your president.
"We're going to get to work immediately for the American people. And we're going to be doing a job that hopefully you will be so proud of your president, you'll be so proud, again, it's my honour, it was an amazing evening, it's been an amazing two-year period, and I love this country."
6.57pm AEDT
Trump said the campaign had been "tough".
"This political stuff is nasty and it's tough, so I want to thank my family very much," he said.
He also singled out former New York mayor Rudi Giulliani and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for their support on the campaign trail.
He also thanked the Republican National Convention and Secret Service, along with the military generals and personnel who had supported him.
6.54pm AEDT
Trump said his campaign was "a movement".
"An incredible and great movement, made up of millions of hard working men and women who love their country and want a better, brighter future for themselves and for their family," he said.
"It's a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, back grounds and beliefs, who want and expect our government to serve the people and serve the people it will."
Trump said "we must reclaim out country's destiny".
"No dream is too big, no challenge is too great," he said.
"Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach. America will no longer settle for anything less than the best.
"I want to tell the world community that while we will always put America's interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone, with everyone."
Trump briefly detailed his plans to build up America's infrastructure and create "millions of jobs".
He also thanked his family.
6.48pm AEDT
Donald Trump appeared on stage with his family to enthusiastic applause and cheering - the crowd chanted U-S-A as he began to speak.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business. Complicated," he said.
"I've just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us - it's about us - on our victory and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign.
"Hillary is 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."
Trump said it was now "time for America to bind the wounds of division".
"We have to get together," he said.
"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."
6.45pm AEDT
Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence addressed the enthusiastic crowd at Trump's election headquarters.
"It's almost hard for me to express the honour that I and my family feel that we will have the privilege to serve as your vice president of the United States of America," he said.
"This is a historic night. The American people have spoken and the American people have elected their new champion."
6.40pm AEDT
CNN reports Clinton has called Trump to concede defeat.
Just moments earlier her campaign manager John Podesta told Clinton supporters she would not speak tonight.
He said the campaign would wait for all votes to be counted, saying Clinton was "not done yet".
Fox News has called Pennsylvania for Trump, but CNN says it is still too close to call.
CNN says Trump will also win Arizona.
6.32pm AEDT
Republican Donald Trump has been named the next president of the US, according to AP.
The projection follows a series of polls through the campaign that largely tilted towards a Clinton win.
On Election Day, states that were predicted to fall in Clinton’s favour instead landed with Trump, including the battleground states of Florida and Ohio, Iowa and North Carolina.
While the presidency won’t be decided until December when the Electoral College will vote for either Clinton or Trump – where 270 of 538 votes are needed to win – networks have been forecasting Trump surpassed that number.
Clinton needed Arizona and Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan to be able to pull forward.
Earlier in the night Melbourne University American politics lecturer George Rennie told SBS News Clinton was unlikely to be able to win.
“Wisconsin has just been declared for Trump, Michigan is going to go to Trump – Clinton is gone, she’s lost," he said.
“I can’t see her pegging back Michigan. She was making a bit of a resurgence, but the counties that are yet to be counted are Trump counties.
“If Michigan is gone, there is not really a map for her. She’s not going to win Arizona. The election is effectively over. It’s a fascinating moment.
“No one has called it and it’s possible mathematically for Clinton to come back , but it’s so far in the realm of unlikelihood.”
6.31pm AEDT
Melbourne University American politics lecturer George Rennie told SBS News the Clinton camp was "totally shell shocked".
"Every major newspaper endorsed Clinton and didn’t endorse Trump," he said.
“It’s not totally unusual for people in this situation to not concede, because if you do, it’s kind of over. You’ve giving the winner a moral legitimacy. And we still have to remember, it is still close. Clinton will win the popular vote, especially as California continues to come in and she’s very close in terms of the electoral college vote.
“So she’s probably thinking there’s glimmer of hope, or there’s people in her campaign that are telling her that. They would not have been prepared for this.
“I feel that she is waiting for any glimmer. We assume that the next US president (Trump) has declared that he will open an investigation into her, with an aim to indicted her and send her to jail. That’s his goal. From that perspective, I can understand not wanting to concede.”
6.29pm AEDT
CNN has declared Trump the winner in Wisconsin which will give him 257 electoral college votes.
6.25pm AEDT
Fox News says Trump is leading Clinton in the popular vote 48.1 per cent to 47.1 per cent.
6.15pm AEDT
US FiveThirtyEight election analyst Nate Silver says Hillary Clinton may still win the popular vote by one or two points, even if she does indeed lose the electoral college vote.
In a blog post he said:
"Whatever your feelings about the state of the country right now, it’s fundamentally not that different a place whether the final call is that Clinton has narrowly won or narrowly lost," he wrote.
"Add just 1 per cent to Clinton’s vote share and take 1 per cent away from Trump’s, and she would have won Florida and Pennsylvania, therefore would probably have been on her way to a narrow electoral college victory."
Trump is sitting on 246 electoral college votes, according to AFP, and Clinton has 218. CNN has Trump on 247 and Clinton on 215. Fox has Trump on 254 and Clinton on 218.
6.03pm AEDT
Clinton campaign chair John Podesta told a crowd of Clinton supporters the campaign would wait overnight to see how the counting would play out.
In a brief statement to the party faithful, Podesta appeared without Clinton to thank her supporters and reassure them the campaign was "not done yet".
"It's been a long night, but we can wait a little longer can't we?" he said.
John Podesta, campaign chairman, announces that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton will not be making an appearance. (AAP) Source: AAP
"Let's get those votes counted and let's bring this home.
"We are so proud of her, she's done an amazing job, and we are so proud of you."
Clinton is still trailing in the electoral college vote and in several key states that are still too close to call, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Pennsylvania.
5.45pm AEDT
The AP has called Pennsylvania for Trump. CNN says the state is still too close to call. Trump has a lead of 48.9 per cent to 47.6 per cent.
CNN says Michigan, New Hampshire and Wisconsin also remain too close to call.
According to AP, he now only needs six electoral votes to take the presidency
5:35 pm AEDT
German Defence Minister Ursula Von Der Leyen says the development in the US election Trump's favour is a "huge shock", adding he thinks current votes reflect a vote against the establishment rather than for him.
The comments come as conservative French politician Marine Le Pen congratulates Trump.
Trump sits at 247 electoral votes and Clinton at 215, says CNN, while AFP positions Trump at 245 and Clinton at 215.
5.20pm AEDT
Melbourne University American politics lecturer George Rennie told SBS News race had planned a big role in the election.
"It’s pretty clear that there is a significant racial issue in the United States right now, and that’s reflected in the way many different groups see their place in society" he said.
"If you want to talk about race, obviously you can talk about the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement and a lot of left leaning movements.
"But the big thing here is the Donald Trump movement. It’s white men and their families who feel like they’re being told constantly told that they suck. But when they saw Trump come along, they liked that he was someone that was saying ‘you don’t suck, you’re a decent person’.
"That resonated with those voters, and clearly it resonated in such a large extent, that the exit polls turned out to be wrong by an unbelievable margin. It’s shocking just how wrong all the exit polls were.”
Mr Rennie said some world leaders who had been uncomplimentary about Trump would now have to back track.
“People in the Turnbull government were a little bit more cautious generally speaking [in criticising Trump], certainly more so than the strong language used by [Bill] Shorten and other world leaders," he said.
"It makes it very difficult.
“[Previous criticisms] will be unsaid, kind of like the time Trump went to Mexico, and the former President Vicente Fox said that Trump’s awful, while the current president felt like he had to work with Trump.” - Peter Theodosiou
5.19pm AEDT
The Republicans have officially retained control of the senate, AP reports.
5.08pm AEDT
CNN has now called Utah for Donald Trump. They predict he now has 244 electoral college votes to Hillary Clinton's 215.
The network says Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Pennsylvania are still too close to call, but Trump is leading in all four states.
Clinton has the narrowest of leads in New Hampshire and is leading in Maine and Minnesota, but those states are unlikely to get her over the 270 electoral votes line.
CNN says Clinton absolutely needs to win Michigan and New Hampshire to be in with a shot of winning.
Melbourne University American politics lecturer George Rennie told SBS News Clinton was not going to win either Michigan or Wisconsin.
5.05pm AEDT
The polls have now closed all across America. All that is left now is to count the remaining votes.
4.59pm AEDT
Melbourne University American politics lecturer George Rennie told SBS News the election result was "totally unprecedented by US standards".
"It wasn’t just polls, it was the exit polls as well that were off. And routinely off," he said.
“The best theory is that some Trump supporters, and a lot of people that are alt-right who like Trump, have talked about this idea that there were silent Trump voters that weren’t willing to engage in the polls.
"There was one guy I spoke to on the alt-right who was talking about this idea in very gendered terms – women will accept the polls and talk to people, whereas men ‘have no time for this’ and just vote on the day.
“I don’t really think [this idea] sits very well with the way polls are particularly conducted, but that’s getting at the best explanation we have for this because this is just so far off the planet.” - Peter Theodosiou
4.48pm AEDT
While Foreign Minister Julie Bishop acknowledges that the vote count is ongoing, she told media on Wednesday:
“At this stage it would appear that Donald Trump is most likely to claim the presidency and as I have said for many months now the Australian government is ready and prepared to work with whomever the American people in their wisdom choose to be their president.”
Ms Bishop said she foreshadowed the new administration would be confronted with tests including in Asia-Pacific and hoped a strong US-Australia relationship could continue.
“A presidential election in the United States is always a momentous occasion," she said.
"In this instance it has been a particularly bruising, divisive and hard fought campaign, however the new administration will have a number of challenges including in our region and we want to work constructively with the new administration to ensure the continued presence and leadership of the United States in our region.
The United States is Australia’s major security ally, largest direct foreign investor and second-largest trading partner.
It is also the guarantor and defender of the rules based international order that has underpinned Australia’s economic and security interests. - Andrea Booth
4.45pm AEDT
Melbourne University American politics lecturer George Rennie told SBS News Clinton had lost the election.
“Wisconsin has just been declared for Trump, Michigan is going to go to Trump – Clinton is gone, she’s lost," he said.
“I can’t see her pegging back Michigan. She was making a bit of a resurgence, but the counties that are yet to be counted are Trump counties.
“If Michigan is gone, there is not really a map for her. She’s not going to win Arizona. The election is effectively over. It’s a fascinating moment.
“No one has called it and it’s possible mathematically for Clinton to come back, but it’s so far in the realm of unlikelihood.” - Peter Theodosiou
4.43pm AEDT
Trump supporters have told SBS News the Republican candidate stands up for "the outsiders".
4.37pm AEDT
AFP reports the London futures market has fallen nearly 5 per cent on the prospect of a Trump win.
US stock markets tumbled more than five per cent in after-hours trading early Wednesday while futures markets for the S&P 500 fell 5.01 per cent and the tech-heavy NASDAQ lost 5.08 per cent, reflecting the growing concerns among investors about the economic risks posed by an eventual Trump presidency.
Japan's government and its central bank will hold crisis talks Wednesday on the market convulsions sparked by Donald Trump's strong showing in the US presidential election.
"The meeting on exchange of information about financial market" between the BOJ, the Finance Ministry and the Financial Services Agency "will be held at 3 pm (0600 GMT) at the Finance Ministry," a BoJ spokesman told AFP.
4.34pm AEDT
CNN now has Hillary Clinton on 215 electoral votes to Trump's 238. AFP still has Trump on 245 and Fox has him on 254.
FiveThirtyEight is giving Clinton just a 21 per cent chance of winning the White House.
4.24pm AEDT
AP and Fox have predicted Clinton will win Nevada, which only has a return on six electoral votes.
4.22pm AEDT
FOX News has Trump sitting on 254 electoral votes to Clinton's 209. AFP gives Trump 245 and Clinton 209. CNN has Trump on 238 and Clinton on 209.
Trump is leading in Utah, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. Fox has predicted Trump will win in Wisconsin, but other networks say the race is too close to call.
Last time Pennsylvania voted in a Republican was 1988.
Clinton is holding her lead in Nevada, Maine and Minnesota.
New Hampshire is still extremely close with Trump narrowly in the lead.
4.09pm AEDT
Clinton must win Pennsylvania to maintain any chance of becoming president, FiveThirtyEight says.
She currently trails Trump 48.1 per cent to 48.3 per cent.
She also trails him narrowly in Arizona but leads him in Nevada.
Trump has also been confirmed as the winner of Iowa.
The key states of Michigan and Wisconsin also still in play, but Clinton trails in both.
4.01pm AEDT
The says an error in the data that is hiding the fact that Hillary Clinton is in fact in the lead by about 10 per cent in the remaining vote.
3.57pm AEDT
CNN says Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Wisconsin are still too close to call. However Trump is leading in all five states.
Clinton is leading narrowly in Nevada but it is still too close to call.
FiveThirtyEight is now giving Trump an 84 per cent chance of winning.
3.48pm AEDT
Trump now has 232 electoral college votes, according to CNN, and Clinton has 209.
Fox is giving Trump 254 votes while AFP has him on 229. Both say Clinton has 209.
Brendan O'Connor from the US Study Centre at Sydney University told SBS a Trump win was now likely.
He said people needed to question why the FBI email announcement was made.
"It turned out to be an announcement that nothing new was found," he said.
"Why couldn’t that have been done behind the scenes to checked out all that data?
"If there were serious new things, she then would’ve faced the possibility of impeachment.
"For the Hillary Clinton side, it created an enormous cloud over her as being untrustworthy. Most people didn’t get into the details, once you hear ‘Hillary Clinton FBI investigation reopened’ – that’s not positive at all is it?" - Peter Theodosiou
3.45pm AEDT
US election analyst for FIveThirtyEight, Nate Silver, says Clinton must win Arizona or Trump will become the next president of the United States.
The Mexican peso has fallen further, now having dropped by 13 per cent.
3.40pm AEDT
CNN has predicted Hillary Clinton will win Washington, but she still trails Trump with 209 electoral votes to his 216.
Clinton has won 16 states so far and Trump has won 22.
AFP has Trump on 223 electoral college votes and Clinton on 209.
3.38pm AEDT
Reuters and AP have predicted Trump will win Georgia while the New York Times has updated it's likelihood of Trump becoming president to 95 per cent.
FiveThirtyEight gives him a 78 per cent chance of winning.
The Democrats had reason to believe it might do well in Georgia given its largest city of Atlanta has a large black population at 54 per cent of the total, according to the latest data (2010).
Ten per cent of the population is Hispanic and 38 per cent is white.
Atlanta, in fact, has been referred to as the “black mecca” since the 1970s.
3.33pm AEDT
Fox News is predicting Donald Trump will win both Iowa and Wisconsin, one of the states Hillary Clinton needed to keep her path to the White House open, according to US election analyst Nate Silver.
CNN has officially named Trump as the winner of Florida, leading Clinton 49.1 per cent of Clinton's 47.7 per cent.
The network now has him sitting on 216 electoral votes over Clinton's 197.
3.25pm AEDT
As it becomes increasingly likely Donald Trump will become the president of the United States, there are reports the Canadian immigration .
3.20pm AEDT
Fox News has Donald Trump sitting on 222 electoral college votes, ahead of Clinton on 202. CNN has Clinton on 197 and Trump on 187 while AFP has Trump on 212 and Clinton on 190.
CNN has predicted Trump will win Nebraska
Trump is leading Clinton in the popular vote 49 per cent to 46.6 per cent.
In AFP's latest electoral college vote count, Trump still leads Clinton:
CLINTON (202)
California (55), Colorado (9), Connecticut (7), Delaware (3), Hawaii (4), Illinois (20), Maryland (10), Massachusetts (11), New Jersey (14), New Mexico (5), New York (29), Rhode Island (4), Vermont (3), Virginia (13), Washington (12), Washington, DC (3)
TRUMP (217)
Alabama (9), Arkansas (6), Florida (29), Idaho (4), Indiana (11), Kansas (6), Kentucky (8), Louisiana (8), Mississippi (6), Missouri (10), Montana (3), Nebraska (5), North Carolina (15), North Dakota (3), Ohio (18), Oklahoma (7), South Carolina (9), South Dakota (3), Tennessee (11), Texas (38), West Virginia (5), Wyoming (3)
3.12pm AEDT
Brendan O'Connor from the US Study Centre at Sydney University told SBS a Trump win was likely.
“It seems likely – the New York Times are projecting a Donald Trump presidency – that is remarkable," he said.
“All the polls really showed that Hillary was likely to win today. It’s still too close to make a final call.
"It will be a very narrow electoral college vote victory on either side. But the momentum is with Trump. He’s won the state of Florida, it seems very likely, well ahead in Ohio.
"[In] those key states in American politics, he’s done very well in. All the pundits and all the pollsters have a lot of thinking to do if Trump wins."
Mr O'Connor said the polling was "not particularly accurate".
"Younger voters are hard to get to through those techniques of polling," he said.
"The whole polling industry needs to take a look at itself, and the whole idea of projecting elections – the New York Times has been projecting 85 per cent likelihood of a Clinton pretty much all year.
"That industry should probably go out of business if they get it wrong today because it’s as useful as horse racing’s form guide at some point."
Mr O'Connor said it was very likely Trump would "" if he won the presidency.
"The Republicans already have a four-seat majority," he said.
"So they’ll have the senate and the house, and that’s very powerful.
"When you control those three chambers of government, you can do things.
"It’s not to say that Trump doesn’t have enemies within the Republican Party and the Congress, but it makes it a lot easier to govern as a president, where Hillary Clinton [would be] likely to be facing a hostile house and probably a hostile senate as well.
"It’s very difficult to get your nominees through and your cabinet positions through if you’ve got a senate that’s not the same as your party.” - Peter Theodosiou
3.10pm AEDT
Fox News has predicted Trump will win Utah and CNN says Clinton has taken Oregon.
3.07pm AEDT
Fox News now has Clinton sitting on 202 while Trump leads with 216 electoral college. However CNN still has clinton on 190 and Trump on 186
CNN has predicted Trump will take North Carolina, an important swing state while the race in Michigan and Wisconsin remain too close to call.
Election analyst now gives Trump a 61 per cent chance of becoming president.
3.03pm AEDT
Markets plunged as the Mexican peso hit a record low, India stocks plunged 6 per cent and Tokyo fell 4 per cent amid Trump pulling forward in the presidential election.
India's stock dive also follows the country's announcement it was pulling high denomination notes from circulation.
Sydney sunk by 3.4 per cent, Singapore 1.7 per cent and Seoul took a 3.2 per cent hit.
"Put your seat belts on because this is going to be a bumpy ride,” Chad Morganlander, a money manager at Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. in Florham Park, New Jersey told Bloomberg News.
“Investors will be moving in a chaotic fashion to get ahead of the information flow.”
3.01pm AEDT
CNN has predicted Clinton will win California, a crucial state with 55 electoral college votes, along with Hawaii.
Trump is predicted to take Idaho.
The predictions means she overtakes Trump in the electoral college votes, with CNN now giving her 190 with Trump sitting on 171.
2.57pm AEDT
Melbourne University US affairs lecturer losing Florida did not mean the end of the election for Clinton.
"Clinton doesn’t have to win Florida, but symbolically it’s significant if she loses that state – so that’s an important one to win," she said.
The state of Florida is critical for Trump to win 270 electoral votes.
The Hispanic vote is essential for Clinton in this state, not to mention black voters. President Obama only just won the state in 2012.
Fox News has Trump sitting on 181 electoral college votes and Clinton still on 131.
2.51pm AEDT
Bloomberg and AP has the important swing state of Florida for Donald Trump.
2.50pm AEDT
Trump is predicted to win North Carolina, Fox News says.
The only time since 1976 that North Carolina voted Democratic was in 2008 when Obama won the presidency.
Clinton is predicted to win Colorado according to CNN.
2.41pm AEDT
CNN has Trump on 167 electoral college votes and Clinton on 122. AFP has Trump on 169 votes. Fox News has Trump on 168 votes and Clinton on 131.
Trump has been confirmed as the winner of Ohio while Clinton has taken Virginia.
2.38pm AEDT
US election analyst Nate Silver says if Trump holds his lead in both Michigan and Wisconsin he does not see a path to victory for Clinton.
Crude oil futures have fallen more than 4 per cent to below $43.17 per barrel as Donald Trump leads.
2.36pm AEDT
Trump is leading the overall national vote 49.1 per cent to Clinton's 46.7 per cent.
2.31pm AEDT
Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida and Arizona are all still too close to call, but Trump has a narrow lead in all four.
North Carolina, Georgia and New Hampshire are also leaning towards Trump, while still close to call.
Clinton has a narrow lead in Arizona, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Colorado but those states are also too close to call.
2.24pm AEDT
Trump is predicted to win in Ohio, according to CNN and the American Broadcasting Corporation.
CNN says no Republican has won Ohio without also winning the White House since 1960 when Richard Nixon became president.
He is now sitting on 167 electoral college votes to Clinton's 109, according to CNN.
Reuters has predicted Clinton will take Colorado.
2.22pm AEDT
The Australian dollar has dropped to $0.76 US cents.
2.18pm AEDT
With 95 per cent of the vote counted in Florida, Trump is still leading with 49.2 per cent over Clinton's 47.7 per cent.
2.13pm AEDT
CNN is saying Trump has managed to flip key counties in states that are currently too close to call.
Counties that previously voted strongly for the Democrats have changed their votes to the Republican candidate.
CNN has declared Clinton has won New Mexico and Trump has Missouri.
CNN has Trump currently sitting on 149 electoral votes and Clinton on 109 while AFP has Trump on 151 electoral votes.
2.09pm AEDT
Trump continues to lead in close contests in North Carolina, Michigan and Wisconsin. Several key states are still too close to call with large amounts of votes still to count.
2.05pm AEDT
As Donald Trump edges out a lead in crucial swing states such as Florida and Ohio, while showing solid results in safer Democratic states, markets are beginning to panic at the prospect of a Trump presidency.
Futures markets are down significantly amid fears of a looming trade war and the Mexican Peso – which has been closely ties to Clinton’s fortunes – is taking a nosedive.
Reuters has reported the Mexican peso has dropped 9.17 per cent.
CNN is reporting the Dow Futures trade is down nearly 500 points.
2pm AEDT
In Wisconsin Trump is leading with 50.2 per cent of the vote to Clinton's 44.6 per cent.
Trump is predicted to win Montana, according to CNN and is still leading in New Hampshire.
Fox News has predicted Clinton will win Virginia.
Iowa is still too close to call as is Utah and the key state of Nevada.
1.52pm AEDT
Trump has a narrow lead in New Hampshire, 48 per cent to 46.7 per cent.
In Florida his lead has narrowed slightly to 49 per cent over Clinton's 47.8 per cent.
In Virginia Clinton has over taken Trump and is now just leading 47.5 per cent to 47.4 per cent.
1.43pm AEDT
Fox News has declared Clinton the winner of New Mexico and she may still hang on to win Virginia.
Clinton is also leading in Colorado and Pennsylvania.
The AFP has Clinton still trailing Trump in the electoral votes, with just 104 to Trump's 138. CNN is predicting Clinton has 104 to Trump's 136.
1.39pm AEDT
The New York Times is predicting there is now a 55 per cent chance Trump will win the presidency.
Melbourne University US affairs lecturer Emma Shortis told SBS News this wasn't the closest election the US has seen.
"It’s not the closest we’ve seen, but it still has potential to be,” she said.
“The closest was Al Gore and George Bush in 2000 - that came down to Florida, and in the end he (Bush) won Florida by 537 votes.
“I think the margin in Florida will be bigger than that, but if it’s within a bit less than a per cent, there will be an automatic recount. So Florida could go on for a long time."
She said it was possible there would not be a clear result.
“it is possible, it’s still unlikely. But if it does happen, there are a few different that could happen," she said.
“If the vote in Florida stays very close, there would be an automatic recount.
"But, in other states it would be very different. In the 50 states, the electoral process is run by a state body – so there are 50 different organisations that run this and they’re all slightly different.
"In some states there would be an automatic recount if the results are within a certain margin, in other states the loser has to ask for a recount or go directly to court.
“So if it’s really close you could see litigation go all the way to the US Supreme Court – which could take months”
1.34pm AEDT
The AFP has updated its electoral college count, with quite different numbers to CNN.
The tally is expected to switch back and forth over the course of Election Night.
Several states were so far too close to call including key battlegrounds Florida and Pennsylvania.
CLINTON (104)
Connecticut (7)
Delaware (3)
Illinois (20)
Maryland (10)
Massachusetts (11)
New Jersey (14)
New York (29)
Rhode Island (4)
Vermont (3)
Washington, DC (3)
TRUMP (138)
Alabama (9)
Arkansas (6)
Indiana (11)
Kansas (6)
Kentucky (8)
Louisiana (8)
Mississippi (6)
Nebraska (5)
North Dakota (3)
Oklahoma (7)
South Carolina (9)
South Dakota (3)
Tennessee (11)
Texas (38)
West Virginia (5)
Wyoming (3)
1.28pm AEDT
The Associated Press has called Connecticut for Clinton, while they say Trump has claimed Louisiana.
1.24pm AEDT
Trump is leading in Michigan 48.7 per cent to 46.2 for Clinton.
He is also maintaining his lead in Florida.
Melbourne University US affairs lecturer, Emma Shortis said the race was “closer than anyone really expected or projected”.
“Florida which is a very important state that has 29 electoral votes, a place where a couple of elections have come down to, is looking really close and within one per cent with 90 per cent counted,” she told SBS News.
“Trump has to win that state basically in order to win the overall elector college votes, which would win him the presidency.
"Clinton doesn’t have to win Florida, but symbolically it’s significant if she loses that state – so that’s an important one to win.
"As far as the rest goes, and the swing states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the vote is still too close to call, which is a little bit surprising.
"Clinton has a few different paths to the White House, where Trump has a narrow path. Clinton needs to hold on while Trump needs to jump ahead.” - Peter Theodosiou
1.21pm ADET
Trump is leading in the key state of Ohio, 51.5 per cent to 44.4 per cent for Clinton.
Clinton maintains an extremely narrow leading in New Hampshire with 46.5 per cent to Trump's 47.4 per cent.
1.17pm AEDT
In a revised count of electoral college votes, CNN has Trump sitting on 128 votes, Clinton on 97.
Trump has a narrow lead in North Carolina with 49.8 per cent of the vote.
In Florida he is still leading 49.3 per cent to 47.6 per cent.
1.12pm AEDT
Trump is leading the overall national race for president 50.2 per cent to Clinton's 45.9 per cent.
Ohio is leaning towards Trump with leading 51.1 per cent to 44.8 per cent to Clinton.
1.11pm AEDT
US Senate on a knife-edge as results flow in
The US Senate remains on a knife-edge as results flow in from early states.
Democrats appear to have failed to retake seats in Indiana and Florida on as they seek to regain control from a Republican majority.
But with several other races too close to call, control of the Senate will depend on results from close races in North Carolina, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
1.08pm AEDT
Donald Trump is currently leading in the electoral college vote count with 124 votes to Clinton's 104.
Trump is still leading in Florida with 49.2 per cent of the vote to Clinton's 47.6 per cent.
1.06pm AEDT
The Associated Press has released their projections for the next round of states:
Hillary Clinton wins Illinois (20 electoral votes)
Hillary Clinton wins New York (29 electoral votes)
Donald Trump wins North Dakota (3 electoral votes)
Donald Trump wins South Dakota (3 electoral votes)
Donald Trump wins Texas (38 electoral votes)
Donald Trump wins Kansas (6 electoral votes)
1pm AEDT
Hillary Clinton is predicted to win New York, Trump's home state, while Trump is predicted to win Kansas, South Dakota and North Dakota.
In New York Clinton is leading Trump with more than 90 per cent of the vote.
In New Hampshire Clinton is still leading Trump with 49.9 per cent of the vote.
In Florida Trump is still in the lead with 49.2 per cent to Clinton's 47.6 per cent.
He is more than 52,000 votes ahead.
However many other states remain far too close to call.
12.56pm AEDT
The electoral college votes have been updated:
CLINTON (75)
Connecticut (7)
Delaware (3)
Illinois (20)
Maryland (10)
Massachusetts (11)
New Jersey (14)
Rhode Island (4)
Vermont (3)
Washington, DC (3)
TRUMP (66)
Alabama (9)
Indiana (11)
Kentucky (8)
Mississippi (6)
Oklahoma (7)
South Carolina (9)
Tennessee (11)
West Virginia (5)
12.47pm
US political system, society has 'never been weaker': Bob Carr
As the United States decides its next president, former NSW Premier Bob Carr said the country was in the throws of a "political nervous breakdown".
As pre-election polls suggested Hillary Clinton was more likely to win the presidency, Mr Carr said there would be sections of American society and the political system which wouldn't agree with her assuming the seat.
"If Hillary gets elected as we all hope, then I think she is in for a long civil war with congress which will be republican," he told SBS.
"I think the white working class remains alienated as never before from this process, and the Democratic Party in particular.
Mr Carr lambasted Donald Trump for running a "ludicrous" campaign and claimed that the election day was his "reckoning" for numerous insults against cultural diverse people in the US.
He also said Australia's relationship with the US would remain "comfortable" under a Clinton administration but said the Turnbull government could be called upon to step up.
"The relationship will work as well as it’s ever worked. I think Australia has got to learn to say no to America if Hillary veers in a feisty direction.”
12.44pm AEDT
Trump is now leading Florida 49.1 to Clinton's 47.9. Florida is an extremely important state for both candidates.
The Republicans are also expected to retain control of the senate.
12.42pm AEDT
Clinton has a narrow electoral college vote lead over Trump with 68 votes to 66.
12.36pm AEDT
Donald Trump is now leading in Florida by nearly one million votes, but with more votes still to be counted the race is too close to call.
Florida is one of the states that has an automatic recount trigger if the votes remain too close at the end of the first count.
The American Broadcasting Corporation is predicting the Republicans will retain control of the house of representatives.
In other election news, Florida voters have overwhelming voted to support medical marijuana in the state.
12.28pm AEDT
Trump is now leading Clinton in Florida 48.9 per cent to Clinton's 48.1 per cent.
In Georgia Trump is leading 71 per cent to Clinton's 26.9 per cent while in Michigan Clinton has 51 per cent of the early vote to Trump's 43.9 per cent.
Surprisingly, the deep red state of Texas is currently extremely close with Clinton leading 48.6 per cent to Trump's 47.2 per cent.
Clinton is leading by several points in both New Hampshire and Ohio while Trump has several points in Clinton in Virginia.
In the key state of North Carolina Clinton is leading 51.3 points to 46.3 per cent for Trump.
Trump is also predicted to with South Carolina and Alabama.
12.24pm AEDT
The race in Florida is currently too close to call with Trump sitting slightly above Clinton with 48.6 per cent to her 48.4 per cent.
CNN is also reporting the early race is close in the key states of North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
It is projected that former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio will retain his Florida senate seat.
12:15 pm AEDT
In Florida, Trump has 48.5 per cent, tying with Clinton at 48.5 but Clinton is in the lead on vote count.
Clinton has 51.8 per cent in North Carolina and Trump has 45.7.
In Ohio, Clinton has 52.7 and Trump has 43.6 per cent.
Clinton is leading in Texas at 48 per cent and Trump not far behind at 46.
12:07 pm AEDT
Hillary Clinton has 68 of the electoral votes and Trump has 48, CNN projects.
Hillary Clinton has won Illinois (20 electoral votes), New Jersey (14) Massachusetts (11), Maryland (10), Rhode Island (4), Delaware (3) and Dist of Columbia (3).
Trump has taken Oklahoma (7), Tennessee (11) and Mississippi (6).
Florida is too early to call but Clinton has 48.9 per cent while Trump has 48.2 per cent.
Pennsylvania and New Hampshire also too early to call.
Hillary Clinton is ahead in Ohio at 53 per cent. Trump is sitting at 43.3 per cent.
11:56 am AEDT
Hillary Clinton has 49.8 per cent of the vote in the battleground state of Florida and Donald Trump is at 47.4.
SBS understands through sources that Clinton campaign is confident about Florida.
In North Carolina, Clinton at 49.7 per cent while Trump is at 48 per cent.
Trump is projected to take South Carolina, which has nine electoral votes.
Ohio has Trump at 53.4 per cent and Clinton at 42.9 per cent.
11:45 am AEDT
An Associated Press projection says Republican Senator Rob Portman has won a re-election in Ohio.
In Virginia, Trump has 54.3 per cent. Clinton has 41.2 per cent.
Georgia is at 73.3 to Trump and 25 to Clinton.
In North Carolina, 62.9 per cent goes to Trump and 35.3 per cent to Clinton.
The US national vote is 52.7 per cent to Donald Trump and 44 to Hillary Clinton.
US presidential polls have closed in nine states. Washington Polls have now closed in in two more swing states - Ohio and North Carolina.
Ohio and North Carolina, with 18 and 15 Electoral College votes respectively, are battleground states that Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump have devoted a great deal of time to throughout the campaign.
Others states were voting has closed include West Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia as well as in parts of Alabama, New Hampshire, and most of Florida.
Kentucky and Indiana were the first states to close voting. Hawaii will be the last state where polls will close (1600 AEDT).
(With AAP)
11:31 am AEDT
Donald Trump wins West Virginia (5 electoral votes), according to a CNN projection.
It's too early to call North Carolina. Ohio (18 electoral votes) is also too early to call
Donald Trump now has 24 electoral votes and Clinton has three.
11:29 am AEDT
Votes in Florida are being counted. Donald Trump has 49.1 per cent of the vote and Hillary Clinton is at 48 per cent.
In Virginia, Trump has 53.9 per cent. Clinton has 41.2 per cent.
Georgia is at 73.3 to Trump and 25 to Clinton.
Voting times have been extended in North Carolina.
11:08 am AEDT
On the electoral map, Donald Trump has 19 and Hillary Clinton has three.
A candidate needs 270 to secure presidency.
11:04 am AEDT
CNN projects:
Donald Trump wins Indiana (11 electoral votes)
Donald Trump wins Kentucky (8 electoral votes)
Hillary Clinton wins Vermont (3 electoral votes)
The first states’ polls closed at 7 p.m. ET. Results are still coming in from Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia.
CNN projects a win for South Carolina.
It's too early to call Georgia and Virginia.
On these projections, the US vote for president is at 62.4 percent to Trump, 31.8 to Clinton.
10:56 am AEDT
The first polls are closing in the historic election for the 45th president of the United States.
In Indiana, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has 69.9 per cent of the vote while Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton sits at 33.9 per cent. That state has 11 electoral votes.
In Kentucky, 65.4 percent to Donald Trump and 30 per cent to Hillary Clinton. The next polls are set to close at 7:00pm (local time). It has eight electoral votes.
Battleground states such as Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio - where polls are due to close by 7:30pm local time (11:30 AEDT) – may provide clues about the possible winner.
10:38 am AEDT
At least two people are believed to be wounded after shots were fired near a polling station in Azusa, California, CNN is reporting.
The station is currently in lock-down and police are investigating following the incident.
A male voter told CNN he was inside the Memorial Park North Recreation Center when he heard the shots.
He said a "massive shooting is happening and the police have told us to stay indoors. We are currently on [lock] down."
A female voter said: "At first, I thought it was construction but people came running into the room saying they see a guy with a bulletproof vest and a white shirt. As of right now, they just have us in the voting room and are trying to keep us calm."
Azusa is around 50 kilometres outside Los Angeles.
10:35 am AEDT
Polls are about to close in six states.
Senate results are 30 to Republicans and 36 to Democrats.
10:11 am AEDT
Eric Trump may have broken New York state law by tweeting a photo of his completed ballot.
The second son of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump tweeted a photo of a ballot with the oval over his father's name filled in on Tuesday.
10:01 am AEDT
Clinton cast her ballot at an elementary school near her home in Chappaqua, New York early on Tuesday morning.
"It is the most humbling feeling. I know how much responsibility goes with this," Clinton said.
"So many people are counting on the outcome of this election, what it means for our country. And I'll do the very best I can if I'm fortunate enough to win today."
Trump, voted alongside his family at a school in Manhattan, began election day with a call to the "Fox & Friends" morning news show.
Source: AAP
"It's been a beautiful process. The people of this country are incredible," Trump said of the election. However, he added, "If I don't win, I will consider it a tremendous waste of time, energy and money."
(AFP)
