Trump's election victory sparks angry protests
By ITV News' Matt Williams in New York
They appeared without much notice. A crowd of thousands snaking their way down W 57th St in Midtown Manhattan with one goal mind: to march on Trump Tower on 5th Avenue, and to have their voice heard.
Those in the crowd were almost entirely under the age of 30 with a large minority representation. The protesters I spoke to almost exclusively heralded from urban dwellings across America.
Out of those attending there was probably a large proportion from the 31 out of the 35 major cities Hillary Clinton won the majority vote in on Tuesday's presidential election.
In the end, Donald Trump didn't need these votes to secure the Presidency.
However, their presence on the streets here and elsewhere tonight underlines the deep sense of anger and resentment felt in many communities across this country at the outcome of the election.
I've observed many rallies and protests in my life and I feel you can tell a lot about a movement's passion by the quality and nature of the chants.
What I heard tonight was spontaneous and fresh, born out of a situation that nobody in this crowd ever expected to find themselves in, namely the anticipation of President Donald Trump.
Cries of "We reject the President elect", "F**k Mike Pence" and "Hillary won the popular vote" all rang out as the march made its way towards 725 5th Avenue aka 'Trump Tower' now aka 'White House North'.
The protest signs, many obviously made in a hurry, portrayed the collective grievances that had driven people to this cause. 'A racist must not lead us', 'Hate has no place in the White House' and 'Love Must Lead' amongst many banners paraded by what was a loud but well-behaved crowd.
There was a genuine sense of shock amongst those I spoke to, many of whom admitted they were unable to recognize the country they had woken up in today.
Hollie Culler held a ballon emblazoned with the US flag as she chanted against Trump.
Explaining her reasons for attending, she said: "I couldn't stand by and watch. As a young black woman I'm now afraid I won't be able to live on this planet as an accepted human being. This election has changed the way I look at the world and the US."
Adrianne Box explained to me that she had matched on the streets to celebrate the change in America's gay marriage laws in San Francisco last year. She said she found it "terrifying" that 18 months later she was now marching on the streets again out of fear.
I then bumped into Gabriel Furey, a British Politics student from North London.
He had spent the past three weeks traveling around the US attending Donald Trump rallies to get his head across why this movement had grown so strong.
He thought it was important to show solidarity that the majority of people do not hate as much as Donald Trump likes to present.
Lara Wyatt's reason for marching was clear. "He's a white supremacist," she said. "It's unbelievable that he's president of this country. For everyone's rights this is wrong."
Finally I met Jon Poulter, who explained he was from California but now studying in NYC.
"I'm not only here to protest Trump but to protest the morals and values he represents. He supports such a heinous view of minorities. This country was built on a melting pot and we shouldn't try to diverge from that, we should try to embrace it."
Whether tonight is the start of a mass uprising against the new President-elect or a flash in the pan protest which withers and dies once the initial shock subsides remains to be seen.
What is clear is that no matter what show of unity Barack Obama and Donald Trump attempt to portray at the White House on Thursday, this country is split in two when it comes to America's latest choice for the Oval Office. Either you're with him or against him.