Hillary Clinton wasn't enough, why America voted for Donald Trump
Hail to the chief! Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States.
In this historic election, America had to choose whether to pick Hillary Clinton, the first woman president or Donald Trump, the outsider. They picked the brash, blunt billionaire and his vow to make "America great again."
It was a long night in America. And it was a nail biter as the votes were counted slowly.
Fortunes fell and rose. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump continuously swapped the lead in the tough and tight presidential race.
From coast to coast, the polls closed and millions of voters had the last words in a country that has become increasingly fractured between the two candidates and ideologies in these last 18 months.
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| The nation is on edge. (Photo credit: Reuters) |
Supporters watching anxiously as it became increasingly clear that this was not going to be an early evening decision.
After months of divisive clashes, fundraisers, stump speeches and negative rhetoric, it came down to this unexpected finish.
Political pundits, poll experts and others were stunned by Trump's remarkable performance. He was a wild card who promised to renegotiate trade deals, eliminate NAFTA and stop jobs from going overseas. The voters agreed with him on many on these issues.
He promised to "drain the swamp" in Washington's power corridor and to fix the "rigged systems." He was also the only presidential candidate who did not release his tax returns.
Apparently, the voters agreed with his message of change which included fixing Washington, securing America's border and cracking down on terrorism.
They forgot that he had insulted and mocked Mexicans, Muslims, and the disabled. They forgave his sexist comments about women.
They sent a loud and clear message to the political establishment by propelling Trump to the highest office to the land. It was agonising for both sides as states went to the opposite sides. A clear trend was visible in the voting, just as experts had predicted. The Democratic urban areas went to Clinton and the Republican rural areas went to Trump.
The Trump campaign began celebrating as he scored big wins in the historical red states. They included Indiana, South Carolina, Iowa, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Louisiana, Montana, Missouri and Wyoming.
He won the swing states of Florida, North Carolina and Ohio.
Democrat Clinton won California, Oregon, Maryland, Delaware, Vermont, Maryland, Washington DC, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Mexico, Colorado and Massachusetts, among others.
But in the end, it wasn't enough.
The election was decided now that Trump won 238 electoral votes while Clinton won 215. The magic number needed to win is 270 and Trump has a clear path to victory.
Both Clinton and Trump are in New York City, watching the results and they are only a mile and a half away from each other.
The Clinton campaign was cautiously optimistic while the Trump campaign was openly confident.
The nation is now waiting for both the concession and victory speeches.