President Donald Trump: What happens next

Donald Trump has been elected as the next leader of the free world, beating Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton by 279 to 218. But there are a number of steps that have to be taken before the new president can take over the White House. Here we look at the timeline of events that will take place between the election and Mr Trump’s inauguration, and beyond.

A joint session is held in Congress for the electors to formally vote in the Electoral College system on 19 December. This is the voting system that ultimately elects the president, but Congress will not count the votes until early next year, announcing the result on 6 January.

Mr Trump will be expected to announce his cabinet in the coming weeks. When president Obama was first elected in November 2008, he named Hilary Clinton as his Secretary of State on 1 December and completed his cabinet announcements less than three weeks later. Mr Trump has not indicated which of his supporters will be selected to support him in office, but there has been speculation that Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will be named within his cabinet.

It is traditional that in the weeks between the election day and Inauguration Day the outgoing and incoming First Ladies meet at the White House for a tour of the private residence. Michelle Obama met with Laura Bush on 10 November in 2008 to be shown the space that would be the family’s new home and plan for their arrival. Mr and Mrs Bush’s twin children, Barbara and Jenna, gave the Obama girls Malian and Sasha their own tour of the residence.

President Obama will continue to be Commander In Chief until noon on 20 January 2017, when Mr Trump will be sworn in as the next president alongside his vice-president, Mike Pence.

Inauguration Day in Washington DC starts with a morning worship service, followed by a procession to the Capitol building to start the vice president’s swearing in ceremony, followed by the president’s, who then gives an Inaugural address. Barack Obama and vice-president Joe Biden will officially depart, before Mr Trump and Mr Pence move onto the official Inaugural Luncheon, the Inaugural Parade down Pennsylvania Avenue and then to the Inaugural Ball.

Inauguration day also serves as moving in day for the new president. The Obamas will say their goodbyes to White House staff, making way for the Trumps to move their belongings into the private quarters of the building and take up their position as the First Family.

After being sworn in Mr Trump will be watched closely over the decisions he makes in his first 100 days in office. In his campaign speeches he promised to replace Obamacare and cut taxes across the board during his presidency. In his victory speech he promised to “double our growth and have the strongest economy anywhere in the world,” to rebuild the country’s infrastructure and to “get along with all other nations willing to get along with us”. President Vladimir Putin looks likely to be one of the first world leaders Mr Trump will visit, considering the applause that errupted in Russia's government at the news of the US election result and the leader's announcement that the country is "ready to restore fully fledged relations with the United States".