Trump Bulldozes Blue Wall, Wins White House
In the most shocking upset American politics has ever seen, Trump tore through the Rust Belt to defeat Hillary Clinton.
By Alexis Levinson & Tim Alberta — November 9, 2016
New York — Donald John Trump will be the 45th president of the United States, having bested Hillary Clinton in what can be considered the biggest upset in American political history.
The man who has defied the expectations of political observers at every turn delivered his biggest surprise yet Tuesday night, beating Clinton by barreling through the so-called blue wall of states that had not been carried by a Republican in decades. Trump won Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan and also flipped Ohio, which President Obama had carried in each of the past two elections. This clean sweep through the Rust Belt — netting 64 electoral votes, the exact number by which Mitt Romney fell short of the presidency four years ago — clinched the White House for Trump. He also won back the states of Iowa and Florida, and is deadlocked with Clinton in New Hampshire. He will finish with a grand total of at least 305 electoral votes, and with 90 percent of all precincts reporting nationwide, he led Clinton in the popular vote as of 4:30 a.m. ET.
It was a historic end to a campaign between two historic candidates: the first woman to be the presidential nominee of a major party and the first major-party nominee with no political or military experience. They were the two most unpopular candidates in American history, battling it out in an ugly and divisive campaign.
“Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division,” Trump said, taking the stage shortly before 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. “We have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president of all Americans.”
Gone — at least for the moment — was the jeering, jibing Trump of campaign rallies. In his place in the wee hours of Wednesday morning was a magnanimous Trump, congratulating Clinton on a hard-fought campaign and urging Americans of all political stripes to come together. “For those who have chosen not to support me in the past — of which there were a few people — I’m reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country,” he said.
Trump’s unlikely journey to this moment began more than a year ago, when he descended an escalator a lonely figure, not yet fully accepted by the Republican party, his campaign still perceived as a joke. It ended this morning when he descended a flight of stairs, followed by a retinue of nearly 40 people supporting him. His family, his advisers and staff and party leaders who backed his campaign, including New Jersey governor Chris Christie and Republican National Committee chairman Reince Preibus, fanned out behind him as he stood on a balcony, basking in his glory. His campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, gave a joyful jump and waved her hands in the air in triumph as she walked across the balcony.
Trump’s earth-shattering victory will have far-reaching implications for both major political parties, and it signals an immediate reconfiguration of the Republican coalition. The former reality-TV star drove record turnout throughout the GOP primary season by mobilizing millions of white, working-class voters who were invigorated by his populist message, opposition to free trade, and hawkish stance on illegal immigration. Despite deep-rooted skepticism that he could replicate this success in the general election — with a much bigger, more diverse electorate — Trump did exactly that.
more
http://www.nationalreview.com/node/442015/print
