She made the private call shortly after sending her campaign chairman to give her supporters exactly the opposite message, that it was not over - a humiliating and bizarre end to a political career which had put her on the verge of being the first female president.
Instead a jubilant Trump headquarters erupted in cheers as the news broke.
At Trump headquarters, running mate Mike Pence was first to take the stage and said: 'This is a historic night. The American people have spoken and the American people have elected their new champion.'
To chants of USA he said: 'I come to this moment deeply humbled, grateful to God for his amazing grace. I am mostly grateful to our president-elect, whose leadership and vision will make America great again.
'Let me say, it's my high honor and distinct privilege to introduce to you the President-Elect of the United States of America - Donald Trump.'
The bizarre ending to Clinton's political career came after Trump confounded pollsters at every turn, capturing one 'swing' state after another in a line of toppled dominoes that stretched across three time zones and now ends at the White House.
The last to fall was the Keystone State - after Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Wisconsin all went to the Republican. That gave him 274 votes in the electoral college - the winner is the first to achieve 270.
He is also winning in the popular vote by a more than one per cent margin.
But Clinton is clearly gearing up to go to court across the country to try to force recounts in close-fought precincts and counties in the hope of grinding out a victory.
It is precisely the divisive end to the election she accused Trump of planning when he said last month that he may not accept the result.
If her beyond-the-eleventh-hour tactic fails, Clinton is contemplating the ruins of her career, a promise of a full-scale investigation into her and Bill's charity and personal riches by a special prosecutor, and the Democrats locked out of not just the White House but both houses of Congress.
There will be a Republican lock on the Supreme Court which could last a generation.
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