Donald Trump wins electoral college vote

The US electoral college has certified Donald Trump as President, despite a last-ditch effort to deny him the White House.

Six weeks after winning the polls, the Republican has secured the 270 votes needed to formalise his victory.

Vermont was the first state to report the results of its vote. As expected, all three electors voted for Clinton. Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia and South Carolina followed for Trump, and Delaware for Clinton as the totals started to mount.

Reacting to his win, Trump promised to "work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans".

The voting process is usually a formality, but was clouded this year by claims that Russian hackers tried to sway the presidential election.

Texas ultimately put the President-elect over the 270 threshold, despite two of its electors voting against him.

The New York Times reports that four Democratic electors also cast their votes for someone other than Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The result will be officially announced on 6 January in a special joint session of Congress.

"I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next President of the United States Trump said in a statement after the result came in.

"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans," he added.

Anti-Trump activists had urged electors to back efforts led by celebrities and academics to cast their ballots at variance with election results to keep Trump from reaching the necessary 270 electoral votes.

Millions of Americans signed an online petition to that effect, while thousands of anti-Trump protesters gathered at state capitols across the country.

More than 200 demonstrators were on the steps of Pennsylvania’s capitol in Harrisburg on Monday morning, waving signs and chanting in chilly, 25F (-4C) weather. They chanted “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!” and “No treason, no Trump!”