Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton to capture the U.S. presidency, leaving America and the rest of the world shocked. He pledged to keep the nation united, vowing to be a "president for all Americans."
"Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division," Trump told a crowd of jubilant supporters early Wednesday in New York.
Here are 6 keys to Donald Trump’s upset victory:
1. Polling failure: Trump’s victory results in a massive failure for opinion polls, which showed Clinton with a comfortable three- to four-point lead until the Election Day. Many pollsters had put her chances of winning at more than 90 percent. Tuesday's results were the latest high-profile predictive failure around the world, notes Bloomberg.
2. Trump voters ignored: Many Trump voters escaped the eyes of pollsters, hence leading to a miscalculation in the margin of votes during surveys and exit polls. The state-by-state polls indicated that she would win at least 300 electoral votes. The main reasons behind the methodologies will be diagnosed in the coming days, says NBC News.
3. Role of FBI Director Comey: The role of FBI Director James Comey in the presidential campaign cannot be underestimated. While Clinton was looking at a double-digit lead two weeks ahead of the election, Comey’s letter to Congress announcing that the FBI was reopening its investigation into Clinton’s State Department emails ruined the race, the Daily Mail explains.
4. Celebrity status beats experience: Despite Clinton’s years of experience as former secretary of state and close ties with the White House, ultimately what triumphed is Trump’s celebrity status. Democrats acknowledge that they were racing against an unstoppable wave, writes Politico.
5. Revolt against immigration: Immigration was an agenda which Democrats assumed would work for them. However, Trump was of the belief that the idea that hostility to liberal immigration programs would propel him to the White House. In his announcement speech, he promised to build a wall on the Mexican border and deport 11 million unauthorized immigrants.
6. America remains divided: The 2016 election is proof that America remains a nation deeply divided along racial, cultural, gender and class lines, according to The Conversation. Trump won the White House by adopting one of the most divisive and polarizing campaigns in American political history.