Love him or loathe him, no one can deny that Donald Trump pulled off an extraordinary victory in November 2016. Here is a man with no political experience sweeping aside senators and ex-White House residents to become the President of the United States. Everyone loves an underdog and Donald Trump was the very uncomfortable epitome of this. Even his walk-on music the morning after the election signalled that he expected to be giving a congratulatory speech to Hillary Clinton. To the world’s shock, he had won an incredible victory and a multi millionaire businessman was on his way to becoming the most powerful human being in the world. Take a look at the reasons why Donald Trump managed to pull it off.
The Polls Were Wrong
Every poll undertaken on the run up to the election of 2016 signalled that Hillary Clinton was on course for a romp of a victory. How then could Donald Trump win by 279 electoral votes to 218? This pretty comprehensive victory occurred because there was a significant silent Trump vote. Many voters saw this election as a choice between the lesser of two evils. Hillary Clinton was new in that she was a female nominee, but she was tarnished with her husband’s legacy as well as the elitist label that many blue collar workers in the United States were uncomfortable with. Clinton simply campaigned poorly in battleground states. Donald Trump was and is not liked by all, but he was seen as the only alternative to Hillary Clinton. Many voters were uncomfortable with their choice and did not conform to polls. This is why many are calling for political reform organization to enable a wider field of candidates to allow greater choice for the electorate.
A Protest Vote
Donald Trump took on the establishment with his nationalist rhetoric. His anti-immigration agenda hit a chord with many average Americans who feared being labelled racist or extremist in their views if they uttered distrust in the immigration system. Donald Trump took this discontent and ran with it for political gain. His stance on the Mexican wall riled people up and made people passionate about their own nation. This tied in well with Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ tagline that was printed across red caps all over the midwest. Whether people regret their vote now is yet to be seen, but no one can argue that Donald Trump hasn’t acted upon his agenda and tried to implement it.
Trump was seen as spiteful and vicious in his attacks on Muslims and Mexicans, calling many Mexicans trying to cross the border as racists and criminals. While abhorrent to many, he managed to tap into a psyche and gained votes because of it.
The Female Vote
The idea that women could have voted for Donald Trump, a proven misogynist, over Hillary Clinton boggles the minds of many, but we mustn’t forget that Hillary wasn’t popular with many women as they didn’t see themselves as liberal and left leaning as the female nominee. She was the antithesis of Trump, and her rhetoric wasn’t hitting home. This resulted in fifty three percent of white women across the USA choosing to elect Trump.
Donald Trump isn’t your average President, but his term is certainly eventful. It’s yet to be seen if he will win a second term in 2020.