World shell-shocked after Donald Trump wins American presidency

World shell-shocked after Donald Trump wins American presidency

FIRST it was Canada. Now Australia and New Zealand have recorded a surge in Americans looking for another home, after thousands protested against Donald Trump. Protesters burned an orange-haired Donald Trump head in effigy, lit bonfires and blocked traffic as anger over the billionaire’s election to the presidency spilled onto the streets of major cities. From New York to Los Angeles, thousands of people marched, rallied and chanted in around 10 cities against the billionaire president-elect a day after his stunning upset win, some carrying signs with slogans such as “Not our President” and “Love trumps hate.” Protesters carrying signs reading “Dump Trump” gathered outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, where the president-elect lives. Police said they had arrested 15 people, the New York Times reported. In Washington, several hundred gathered in front of the White House for a candlelight vigil More protests grew in Boston, New Orleans, Colorado, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Texas, Arizona, Seattle, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Arrests were made as thousands of protesters thronged streets in midtown Manhattan while at a park further downtown hundreds who had gathered screamed “Not my president.” In Chicago, they also chanted phrases like “No Trump! No KKK! No racist USA.” The anti-Trump rallies come after Hillary Clinton revealed the US election result will be painful “for a long time”, but urged her supporters to give Trump the “chance to lead.” President Obama will host Donald Trump in the Oval Office tomorrow, hoping to ease a smooth transition of power and steady nerves after an election that has shocked the world. 7.25PM AEDT: Trump begins to play catch up on transition to White House The true test now begins for Donald Trump. The Republican president-elect paid little attention to transition planning leading up to his stunning victory. With 72 days before he takes control of the executive branch, Trump and his senior team on Wednesday immediately began the herculean task of picking a Cabinet and tapping hundreds of appointees to senior roles in key departments - State, Defense, Homeland Security, Commerce and Treasury among them - many requiring multiple security reviews or Senate confirmation. “They have a long way to go,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, an outside group that was working with both campaigns on transition planning since the summer. “It’s imperative to have the right people brought in fast and they’re prepared.” Stier described the transition as “a point of maximum vulnerability” for the nation. As president-elect, Trump is entitled to get the same daily intelligence briefing as President Barack Obama - one that includes information on U.S. covert operations, information gleaned about world leaders and other data gathered by America’s 17 intelligence agencies.

5.40PM AEDT: Remember, don't come by boat - whatever you do Americans are looking up how to move to Australia after Donald Trump was elected President. Australia's immigration website had a surge of visits from people US in the past 24 hours, according to the Department of immigration and Border Protection. "There has been an increase in traffic to the Department’s website from the United States over the past 24 hours," a Department spokesman said Thursday afternoon. But there had been no "noteworthy" increase in the number of enquires about migration to Australia. "Consistent with our strong historical ties, Australia has always been a popular destination for people looking to migrate or visit from the United States," the spokesman said. Canada's immigration website crashed yesterday after the election result became apparent. New Zealand's immigration department reports its website was visited by 70,500 times by users in the United States yesterday. Some 7300 formally registered their interest in immigrating.