Canberra's American community went into voting day ready for it to be over, but it soon became clear the sometimes brutal race to the White House would come down to the wire.
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Trump's early lead, taking Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, Oklahoma and South Carolina, had those at the Democrats Abroad event at PJ O'Reilly's glued to their screens.
Nick Matzke, an American Bio-Geologist who moved to Canberra from Tennessee last year, has been an ardent Hillary Clinton supporter since 2008.
Racism and sexism dominated the campaign and Mr Matzke saw casting his vote for Secretary Clinton as a means to stand up against such rhetoric.
He said this was not the first time the international community had concern for affairs in the US, but the result of this election would change his country and its reputation abroad.
"I don't think you can dismiss huge groups of people and win - but we will see that tested now."
"I have faith the core population of the US and the serious political leadership will be responsible internationally but if Trump wins it will be all bets off - so we can't let that happen."
Anxious energy was palpable at the US Embassy Election Watch event held at the National Press Club but Chargé d'Affaires James Carouso's comments aimed to put everyone at ease.
"It is true that this election has exposed some fault lines in American society and politics," he said. "But, such divisions do not diminish us. Instead, they push us to face them, to do better, and be better."
But American expat and voice of G'Day Patriots podcast James Cahill was not hardly as hopeful.
"No one has put white nationalism on the American ballot before, it is a choice they have never had. I am surprised they have taken to it so heartedly," he said.
"I was expecting for Clinton to have a comfortable but unspectacular win. If trends look as they are now, it will be that America is a country that I don't understand."
With the leadership of the free world hanging in the balance guests took to chowing down ice-cream sandwiches and other American refreshments.
Or testing their knowledge in rounds of political trivia for a mild distraction.
Mock polls were set up at events in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth so Australian guests could getting involved.
ACT mock poll participants made intriguing suggestions for alternate candidates, Lady Gaga, Kanye, Michelle Obama and My Cat Sushi among them, but voted for the Clinton-Kaine ticket with a 86 per cent majority.
