7
23
‘MERICA — Donald Trump has pulled off a stunning upset to become the next president of the United States.
The billionaire Republican won key electoral victories in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania -- states that had formed part of Hillary Clinton’s firewall strategy.
All three voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. But Trump managed to sway to his side economically dissatisfied voters in these rust belt states.
In the lead up to the election, polls and media largely predicted a Hillary Clinton victory. Fifty-seven newspapers endorsed Clinton for president, while Trump won the backing of just two.
So-called experts such as Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.com gave Trump just a 30% chance of winning, while Huffington Post predicted that Clinton was 98% certain to win. Never before has there been such a disconnect between the elite media, who live in urban centers in California and New York, and rural and suburban America where most of the population lives.
President Elect Donald Trump will be sworn in on January 20, 2017. His Republican Party controls both houses in Congress and has one vacancy on the Supreme Court to fill.