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 general polls.
The Republican garnered more than the 270 electoral votes required to win, even as at least half a dozen U.S. electors broke with tradition to vote against their own state’s directives, the largest number of “faithless electors” seen in more than a century.
Now set to take office on January 20, Mr Trump, in his reaction, promised to “work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans”.
Electors had been flooded with emails and phone calls urging them not to support the billionaire.
Protesters briefly disrupted Wisconsin’s Electoral College balloting. In Austin, Texas, about 100 people chanting: “Dump Trump” and waving signs reading: “The Eyes of Texas are Upon You” gathered at the state capitol trying to sway electors.
In the end, however, more Democrats than Republicans went rogue, underscoring deep divisions within their party.
At least four Democratic electors voted for someone other than Clinton, while two Republicans turned their backs on Trump.
Texas ultimately put the president-elect over the 270 threshold, despite two of its electors voting against him.
With nearly all votes counted, Trump had clinched 304 electoral votes to Clinton’s 227, according to an Associated Press tally of the voting by 538 electors across the country.
The voting process is usually a formality, but was clouded this year by claims that Russian hackers tried to sway the presidential election.
The result will be officially announced on 6 January in a special joint session of Congress.
