Emotional Highs and Lows From a Historic Election Night

Alan Taylor
November 9, 2016
30 Photos
In Focus

The world watched as the U.S. presidential election unfolded last night, leading to an upset victory for Donald Trump, who defeated Hillary Clinton to become the 45th president of the United States. Supporters of former Secretary of State Clinton and now-President-elect Trump gathered at rallies to watch the vote tallies come in, and were widely surprised as their candidates’ performance did not match expectations. As the night wore on, Trump supporters became more ecstatic, as Clinton fans fell into despair. Now that Clinton has conceded, and Trump has made his acceptance speech, a look back at an emotional rollercoaster of a night.

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Top: Supporters of Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton watch results at her election night rally at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City on November 8, 2016. Bottom: Supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump react to early results during election night at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City on November 8, 2016. #

Adrees Latif / Reuters, Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty

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Jill Huennekens of Milwaukee attends Hillary Clinton's election night rally at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York on November 8, 2016. #

Adrees Latif / Reuters

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A Trump supporter adjusts her hat as she waits at Donald Trump's election night rally in Manhattan, on November 8, 2016. #

Brendan McDermid / Reuters

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Supporters of Hillary Clinton reacxt to early poll results during election night at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York on November 8, 2016. #

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Supporters of Donald Trump celebrate as they watch results at the United States Studies Center at the University of Sydney on November 9, 2016. #

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A supporter of Hillary Clinton reacts during election night at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York on November 8, 2016. #

Kena Betancur / AFP / Getty

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Supporters of Donald Trump react as they watch the election results during Trump's election night rally on November 8, 2016, in New York. #

John Locher / AP

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A group of women react as voting results come in at Hillary Clinton's election night event at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on November 8, 2016. #

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A supporter of Donald Trump becomes emotional watching televised results during an election night party at a hotel in downtown Phoenix, Arizona on November 8, 2016. #

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Supporters of Hillary Clinton react at her election night rally in Manhattan on November 8, 2016. #

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A man leans out of a Hummer shouting words in support for Donald Trump while driving through Times Square on November 9, 2016. #

Mark Kauzlarich / Reuters

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A boy holds a photo of Hillary Clinton during an election night block party in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood on November 8, 2016, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. #

Mark Lennihan / AP

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Supporters of Donald Trump rally in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., on November 8, 2016. #

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Supporters hug as election results are displayed on a larger television screen during Hillary Clinton's election night rally on November 8, 2016. #

Patrick Semansky / AP

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A woman takes a selfie during Donald Trump's election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown on November 8, 2016. #

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Supporters of Hillary Clinton watch elections results at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on November 8, 2016. #

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Leelee Fertig, a Donald Trump supporter, waits for election day results while attending the Colorado GOP Election Night Party in Greenwood Village, Colorado, on November 8, 2016. #

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Campaign chairman John Podesta speaks on stage at Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's election night event at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on November 9, 2016. Podesta thanked the crowd and asked them to head home, after saying that Clinton would not be speaking until the next day. #

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People celebrate during the call for Republican president-elect Donald Trump at his election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown on November 9, 2016. #

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Women watch election results during Hillary Clinton's election night rally in the Javits Center glass enclosed lobby on November 8, 2016. #

Frank Franklin II / AP

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People cheer at Donald Trump’'s election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown on November 8, 2016. #

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A supporter of Hillary Clinton reacts at her election night rally in Manhattan on November 9, 2016. #

Lucas Jackson / Reuters

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Supporters of Donald Trump react at his election night rally in Manhattan on November 8, 2016. #

Carlo Allegri / Reuters

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People celebrate at Donald Trump's election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown on November 9, 2016. #

Mark Wilson / Getty

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A protester argues with a supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump outside Trump Tower in New York City after midnight on election day November 9, 2016. #

Dominick Reuter / AFP / Getty

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Supporters of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton argue after Trump is declared the winner in Times Square in New York on November 9, 2016. #

Mark Kauzlarich / Reuters

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A man dressed in red-white-and-blue sits on a curb during a protest against Donald Trump on, November 9, 2016, in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. #

Ted S. Warren / AP

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Supporters of Donald Trump rally through Times Square in New York on November 8, 2016. #

Bria Webb / Reuters

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People carry a cutout image of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton after an election watch event on November 9, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea. #

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President-elect Donald Trump delivers his acceptance speech during his election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown in the early morning hours of November 9, 2016 in New York City. #

Chip Somodevilla / Getty

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