Populist insurgent has taken the controls
Portraying himself as the anti-establishment figure who could drain the stench-filled Washington ‘swamp’, Donald Trump spoke to the mob, writes Adekeye Adebajo
The shockwaves of the election of Donald Trump — a thrice-married, 70-year-old reality TV star with no political experience — as US president are still reverberating around the world. Trump earlier defeated 16 experienced politicians in the Republican primaries, but few gave him a chance of defeating Hillary Clinton. Corporate media, self-absorbed pundits and cocksure pollsters all seriously underestimated him. Trump’s campaign spent more on hats than pollsters, he did not deploy enough "ground troops" to get out the vote, and his campaign had far less funds than Clinton’s well-oiled machine. Few felt it possible that a candidate with a suspect temperament who had alienated Muslims, Latinos, blacks, women and war veterans could win a presidential campaign in such a diverse country as the US. Trump abandoned the dog-whistle of conservative mainstream politicians and instead spewed bile and prejudice openl. He ran a prejudiced, nationalistic campaign that promised to deport millions o...
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