Donald Trump’s victory marks a thunderous repudiation of the status quo. The most powerful nation on earth has elected a real estate developer with no experience in government, a self-styled strongman contemptuous of allies, civil discourse and democratic convention. Barring a protean change of personality, Mr Trump’s victory appears to represent a challenge to the western democratic model.
Mr Trump has succeeded where Huey Long and George Wallace, American populists of the 20th century, fell well short. In storming to the White House, he has rewritten the presidential campaign playbook. He ran against the Republican party establishment and saw off all rivals, many with proven track records in office. Finally, after a campaign long on invective and short on policy, he delivered an improbable victory against Hillary Clinton, the ultimate establishment candidate.
In 2016, Americans preferred a political neophyte with a simple slogan “Make America Great Again” to a candidate who has served as First Lady, senator for New York and secretary of state. Democrats will be tempted to blame their defeat on Mrs Clinton’s soulless campaign, with a mortal blow delivered by the FBI’s late intervention in the saga of Mrs Clinton’s use of a private email server.