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The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016.
- Overview
- Background
- Republican primaries
- Democratic primaries
United States Presidential Election of 2016, American presidential election held on November 8, 2016, in which Republican Donald Trump lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton by more than 2.8 million votes but won 30 states and the decisive electoral college with 304 electoral votes to Clinton’s 227 and thus became the 45th president of the United States.
The tumultuous, abrasive 2016 campaign defied established political norms. Clinton’s campaign featured superior organization and fund-raising—and almost every election-eve poll pointed to a comfortable victory for her—but Trump’s anti-Washington appeal to white working-class voters outside major cities in pivotal manufacturing states proved to be the key factor in what several publications called “the most stunning upset in American history.” The election of an outsider with no political job experience represented a major repudiation of business as usual by both parties in Washington, D.C.
As the political parties began their nomination process in 2015, the Republican Party (GOP) looked to be in a solid position. Many voters expressed a desire for change. Moreover, Democrats seemed likely to put forward an uninspiring candidate. Outgoing Pres. Barack Obama had presided over eight years of steady economic expansion following the 2008 worldwide financial meltdown, but many new jobs were not full-time, and the recovery was slow by historical standards. The president’s signature domestic accomplishment, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare,” was failing financially. With Chinese, Russian, and Iranian influence surging, the U.S. appeared to be in retreat from its traditional foreign policy dominance. Republican prospects appeared so promising that an unprecedented 17 presidential candidates, many of them successful governors or senators, threw their hats into the ring, guaranteeing a complicated winnowing-down process.
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By contrast, with her mainstream credentials burnished by four years as Obama’s secretary of state, Clinton enjoyed solid backing from the Democratic establishment. A surprising and spirited challenge emerged, however, from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist. He campaigned on reducing economic inequality, opposing trade agreements, easing student debt, and cracking down on Wall Street interests, a significant source of Clinton support. Sanders, who energized both young and grassroots voters, stayed in the race until the convention, pushing Clinton to adopt more-progressive policies.
Trump’s initial decision to run was greeted with derision by some GOP strategists. He had never held elective office and appeared out of sync with the party’s conservative base. Trump was a onetime supporter of abortion rights who had only recently changed his views, and he openly acknowledged having made campaign contributions to Democrats to buy political influence. He ridiculed opponents in both parties—often in personal terms that were widely viewed as politically incorrect—and made inflated promises and statements whose likelihood or veracity was questioned by major media.
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As the primary process began in 2015, Clinton and former Florida governor Jeb Bush each quickly raised over $100 million in campaign contributions and were strong favourites for their party’s nomination. Trump soon emerged at the top of the crowded GOP field, however, thanks to a brash antiestablishment style that proved irresistible to cable-television news outlets and magnetized middle-income voters. Even as aides and advisers urged caution, Trump was unpredictable and rarely scripted. Remarks that he made about Mexican immigrants (“They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people”) alienated Latino voters. He repeatedly promised to build “a big, beautiful” border wall and to force Mexico to pay for it. He called for a ban on Muslim immigration. He employed unscripted humour, telling one rally, “We’re gonna win, win, win! And we’re gonna make America great again!” “Make America Great Again” became the oft-repeated slogan of Trump’s campaign.
Trump’s use of personal invective was, at times, devastating. The “laid-back” Bush had no effective comeback for Trump’s accusation that he was “low energy,” and he was among the early primary dropouts. Trump’s assaults on Sen. Marco Rubio (“Little Marco”) and Sen. Ted Cruz (“Lyin’ Ted”) were equally telling. Even when he outraged many observers by insulting rival Carly Fiorina’s physical appearance, Trump refused to apologize.
In Democratic primaries Sanders also rode antiestablishment sentiment, leading to grassroots victories in 23 states and 43 percent of the Democratic primary vote. Sanders’s success with progressive voters forced Clinton to adopt several new policy positions, including support for an escalated minimum wage, opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnershi...
2016 Presidential Election Results. Aug. 9, 2017, 9:00 AM ET. In 2016, Donald J. Trump won the Electoral College with 304 votes compared to 227 votes for Hillary Clinton. Seven electors voted...
Nov 29, 2018 · The 2016 election featured unconventional and divisive campaigns and the electoral college results led to a stunning upset victory for Republican candidate Donald J. Trump.
View presidential election results and electoral votes by state to see who will become the next President of the United States. For the latest election news, visit cnn.com/election.
Nov 9, 2016 · Donald Trump will become the 45th US president after a stunning victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Republican Donald Trump is elected US president, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton. His victory came after key wins in the battleground states of Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
