
President Barack Obama is rooting for President-elect Donald Trump's success, he said Wednesday afternoon during a nine-minute address in the White House Rose Garden - but his clearly devastated staff didn't look so sure.

With Vice President Joe Biden at his side, a sometimes smiling but always composed Obama said Tuesday's election in which his party's nominee lost the nation's highest office was a setback for his agenda but not for the nation.

'We are now all rooting for his success in uniting the country,' he said.

'Everybody is sad when their side loses an election. But the day after, we have to remember that we're actually on one team,' Obama said.

'This is an intramural scrimmage. We're not Democrats first. We're not Republicans first. We're Americans first. We're patriots first.'

After he spoke some of his staff openly wept at the result, one saying of the day: 'I'm so sad'.

Obama's call for calm came alongside similar statements from both Clinton and Trump. All three combined in a concerted effort to try and bring the nation together after a fractious and bitter election battle.

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Now we must unite: The president promised that he and his staff would make the transition smooth, like the one he had experienced when he succeed George W Bush after the 2008 election

Congratulations: The president spoke at the White House to say that he was rooting for the next president and the rest of the nation should too

Smooth transition: The president said he would give the same orderly handover that he received from George W Bush. He pointedly did not mention how Bill Clinton's staff behaved during the transition to George W Bush

Outgoing team: The president was flanked by his vice-president as he spoke in the Rose Garden of the White House

Weeping: As he spoke, White House aides were seen crying at the outcome. Top aides will all lose their jobs

Grim: Valerie Jarrett (foreground) who is Obama's senior adviser, watched from the side as the president spoke about the Clinton defeat

Listening: White House press secretary John Earnest (right) was among those at the address, while an aide made her feelings clear (second from left)

Audience: About 150 Obama staff and aides were in the Rose Garden to hear the president speak. Some were seen to be in tears

Support: Staffers clung to each other as the President spoke. One was asked if it was 'bittersweet' and said: 'I don't know about the sweet'

Address: For many of the West Wing staff the next 73 days will mark the end of their White House careers

Clapped out: The president got a minute-long ovation from his staff

Trump vowed to 'bind the wounds of division' in his peace-making, but rambling, victory speech after he triumphed over Clinton.

'To all Republicans and Democrats and Independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people. It's time,' he said.

Hours later, a shattered looking Clinton told her supporters to accept the shock result - despite winning the popular vote.

Flanked by her husband Bill and daughter Chelsea, she said: 'Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.'

Obama said he has instructed his entire staff to cooperate with the Trump team during the 73 days before the January inauguration.

'It is no secret that the president-elect and I have some pretty significant differences,' Obama declared.

But he said the same was true about President George W. Bush and himself eight years ago.

'President Bush's team could not have been more professional or more gracious,' Obama recalled, saying he owed Team Trump the same opportunity to 'hit the ground running.'

'The presidency and the vice-presidency is bigger than any of us.

Defeat: Hillary Clinton has conceded her race against Donald Trump for the White House with a speech at New Yorker hotel

Speech: As her supporters cheered and clapped, Clinton thanked everyone who had helped her campaign along the way

Fight: Clinton told her supporters to never stop fighting for 'what's worth it', and said 'nothing has made me prouder' than being a 'champion' for other women

Big win: In a victory that has shaken the world, Donald Trump (pictured giving his victory speech) has swept to power on his promise to 'Make America Great Again'

Promise: Trump vowed to 'bind the wounds of division' in his peace-making, but rambling, victory speech after he triumphed over Clinton

Obama did not mention the less charitable fashion in which Bill Clinton's White House staff greeted George W. Bush's in 2001.

The General Accounting Office later determined that the Clinton-Bush transition left $15,000 in damage to the White House including 'theft, vandalism, and pranks.'

That including prying the 'W' keys off computer keyboards, gluing desk drawers shut and leaving obscene outgoing voicemail messages on key phone lines.

But Obama said the next few months will be different and he will be 'looking forward to doing everything I can to make sure that the next president is successful.'

The president spoke to an audience of at least 150 White House staff, including his close aides.

They lined up in the garden behind the press, listening intently. When he was done, they applauded for a solid minute. Many looked distraught and some were seen crying.

In his victory speech, Trump foreshadowed Obama's call for national unity.

'It's time for America to bind the wounds of division. [We] have to get together,' the president-elect said.

'To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people. It's time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans, and this is so important to me.'

Hillary Clinton, too, called for Americans to delete their divisions.

'We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought. But I still believe in America, and I always will,' she said Wednesday morning in a belated concession speech.

Lecture: John Earnest, the White House Press Secretary, said he did not have a clue about the president's legacy - but then said: 'I think it is far too early, at least for me, to discern exactly what message the voters were trying to send last night'

Spectator: Josh Earnest was watching from the side as the president spoke about the succession to the 45th president

'And if you do, then we must accept this result and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead. Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power.'

After the speech, during a White House press briefing, spokesman Josh Earnest admitted that the administration did not have a clue what would happen to the Obama legacy like his transnational trade deal, his executive actions on immigration and the health care reform law.

Trump campaigned aggressively against Obama's legacy and says he plans to throw them all out.

'It's difficult to offer a lot of precision in answering those questions today,' Earnest stated.

The White House says it has neither has plans to fortify its top policies with new measures or roll them back in the transition period as it makes way for President-elect Trump.

'There's no specific thing that I have in mind that we're gonna do differently,' Earnest said.

Addressing the fate of Obamacare, Earnest said, 'This administration is going to continue to make a strong case that people should go to Healthcare.gov ... and purchase health care.'

He admitted too that White House staff had not seen the result coming and said: 'I think this briefing's going go a little differently than we all thought this would 24 hours ago.'

But that did not stop him trying to deliver a lecture to the media and the country on what to think. Earnest is already contemplating a private sector fortune having signed up for the lucrative after-dinner speaking circuit.

He has never worked outside the Democratic Party or politically-appointed positions.

'I think it is far too early, at least for me, to discern exactly what message the voters were trying to send last night,' he said. 'There certainly is a lot of speculation about what that may have been.'

But a lot of that speculation is coming 'from people who predicted a different result last night,' he pointed out.

Earnest said Obama would plead with Trump about the importance of 'continuity'. Traditionally, there are at least some aspects of executive agreements that are carried over from administration to administration, he argued.

'I don't know whether that will apply in this case,' he admitted.

At his side: Obama joked about his vice-president having never lost an election, prompting laughter when Biden said: 'Remember, you beat me badly.'

Back to work: The Obama administration now has 73 days of its existence left and not a clue what legacy will be left

The administration wasn't ready to feed Clinton to the wolves, at least not publicly, on Wednesday for her contribution to the situation that Obama now finds himself in. The two-term Democrat will leave office knowing that nearly all of his accomplishments will be reversed.

Earnest said that Clinton won the popular vote. Even though it's 'not what gets you the keys to the Oval Office,' he said, 'it does underscore the ... enthusiasm for her campaign.'

It is also true, he admitted, that many of the voters who cast ballots for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 gave their support to Donald Trump in 2016.

'I don't have an explanation for that, to put it bluntly,' he said, ignoring the scandals that dogged Clinton's presidential campaign.

Former President George W Bush issued a statement of congratulations on Wednesday afternoon, following an election in which neither he nor his former-president father supported their own party's candidate.

'This morning I called President-elect Donald Trump and congratulated him on his election as President of the United States of America,' he said.

'Laura and I wish the President-elect, Melania, and the entire Trump family all our very best as they take on an awesome responsibility and begin an exciting new chapter in their lives.

'We pray for the success of our country and the success of our new President.'

Obama pledged that 'a peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy, and over the next few months we are going to show that to the world.'

He said American leadership must feature 'a sense of unity, a sense of inclusion ... a respect for each other.'

'I hope that he maintains that spirit throughout this transition.'

Obama also praised Hillary Clinton, the unsuccessful Democratic candidate whose long career in politics had officially ended minutes earlier with a gracious concession speech.

Contrast: The Obamas and the Clintons looked buoyant as they attended a rally in Philadelphia - but polls showing she would win were wrong. He praised her on Wednesday

Message of support: George W Bush and his wife Laura issues a statement saying that they were behind the president-elect. 'We pray for the success of our country and the success of our new President.'

'I could not be prouder of her,' he said. 'She has led and extraordinary life of public service.'

'A lot of Americans look up to her,' Obama reminded disappointed Democrats, saying that her attempt to break American politics' last giant glass ceiling was commendable and inspiring.

'Her candidacy and nomination was historic, and sends a message to our daughters across the country that they can achieve at the highest level of politics.'

Obama said electoral politics 'is hard, and sometimes contentious and noisy. And it's not always inspiring.'

'But to the young people who got into politics for the first time and may be disappointed by the results, I just want you to know: You have to stay encouraged.

'Don't get cynical,' he said. 'Don't ever think you can't make a difference.'

'Sometimes you lose an argument. Sometimes you lose an election.'

Obama said he had called to congratulate Trump after his surprise victory, and invited him to a meeting at the White House.

A White House spokesperson said on Wednesday morning that the two men had spoken, and that President Obama had asked to president elect to travel to Washington DC on Thursday so they could begin to discuss the transition on power.

President Obama said the two men spoke at 3:30am on Wednesday.

That call came after President Obama's somber election night videoon Wednesday, during which he told Americans: 'No matter what happens, the sun will rise in the morning'.

Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway also spoke about the call between the two men during an appearance on Today Wednesday morning, saying: 'Well, it was a very warm conversation.

'We were happy to receive the call from the President and they had a great, thorough conversation about Mr. Trump's victory, he was congratulated, and I think they resolved to work together, which is exactly what this country needs - to get the current president and the president elect and others who are in leadership position to help unify and heal the country.'

She then added: 'We expect that the two gentlemen will be meeting soon.'

On Tuesday night, Obama said in a video message for Buzzfeed News: 'Let's face it. This has been an exhausting, stressful and sometimes downright weird election for all of us. 'But here's what I want everybody to know: While we've certainly seen some new things this time around, what isn't new is that our democracy has always been rowdy and raucous. We've been through tough and divisive elections before and we've always come out stronger for it.'

He added: 'Remember, no matter what happens, the sun will rise in the morning and America will still be the greatest nation on earth'.

He joked about that on Wednesday, calling it 'an election prognostication' which was actually correct.