2016 Election Overview

On Tuesday, November 8, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, winning 290 electoral votes.

His opponent, Hillary Clinton, won 232 electoral votes, according to CNN Politics.

Trump won key swing states, including Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin, according to Fox News.

The election was called for Trump at 2:30 AM on Wednesday, November 9, by the Associated Press.

Though Trump walked away with the victory, Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 600,000 votes, according to Fox News.

The GOP also held onto their control in the House and the Senate.

Republicans won 238 of the 435 total seats in the House of Representatives, according to CNN Politics.

Though this is a lower majority than their previous 246 seats, it is still well above the 218 needed for control, according to “International Business Times”.

In the Senate, Republicans won 21 seats, leading to a total 51 of the 100 seats.

They kept their majority but lost two seats, according to “The New York Times”.

Republicans can also expect to strongly influence the judicial branch, as there is one definite position to be appointed by the Trump administration and many other possible openings to come, according to National Public Radio.

Due to the controversy that was present throughout the entirety of this election, some voters unhappy with Trump’s victory have participated in protests in New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and other cities, according to USA Today.

Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20th, 2017, according to “Evening Standard”.

Despite the divide, Trump looked towards his future as America’s 45th president with optimism in his victory speech.

“Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential,” said Trump. “The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.”