America confirms its new President
It’s hard not to be surprised by the result of this year’s election. To many, Donald Trump proved divisive, old fashioned and hard to understand. And yet somehow his campaign has tapped into the American majority. Those feeling left behind by Washington saw a vote for Trump as a way of striking back, a way to topple the status quo. The polls had suggested throughout that a victory for Hilary was inevitable, they were wrong.
The campaign came to a close as the key battle grounds of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania backed a Trump presidency, leaving Clinton little choice but to admit defeat. In his first address as President Elect, Trump proclaimed all Americans must now unite and "bind the wounds of division." He even spoke highly of his Democratic opponent, proclaiming; "Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country."
There has yet to be any public statement from the Clinton campaign, with Mrs Clinton opting not to appear at what was meant to be her victory rally in Manhattan. Many of her supporters were seen breaking down as the election results slowly turned red. It will be a very difficult result for Mrs Clinton to swallow, as the opportunity to become America’s first female president looked so close. She will feel the email scandal, which has dogged much of her campaign, caused serious damage to her ratings at a crucial moment.
Regardless of her private email issues, Hilary has still struggled to become a popular presidential candidate. A large proportion of the electorate felt that Washington needed a clear-out, and Hilary, who has been working on the hill for the majority of her political career personified this resented political establishment. The wealth the Clintons had garnered from post White House projects further alienated her from the working classes, who considered her family and colleagues white limo liberals. Probably most damaging of all was her difficulty with winning the popular women’s vote. Many remembered the disparaging comments during her time as first lady regarding stay at home women. When accused of enabling Bill Clinton's affairs, and of attacking the women who accused him of molesting them, many women felt she acted poorly.
It seems the Clinton campaign is best summed up by their difficulty selecting a campaign slogan. Having changed it many times, “Stronger together” felt flat, like a going through the motions approach to Americas problems. It suggests they weren’t sure how to tackle America’s issues. Trump’s “Make America great again” struck a chord with those needing an answer to their future, and regardless of the incredible mistakes and statements made by Donald J. Trump, it proved enough to win him the most powerful seat in the world.
