It all started out as a joke. Donald Trump, he of The Apprentice, of Trump Towers, an owner of failing casinos and other gimmicky enterprises was running for president of the United States. It spawned memes, gifs, slogan t-shirts, trucker hats and Halloween costumes. Too few took seriously the prospect of him actually winning.
At the time of writing, Trump has won with 276 electoral college votes to Hillary Clinton’s 218. America votes state-by-state, to elect a number of electoral college votes which then go into the pot for their chosen candidate. For example, California has 55 electoral college votes and these all went to Clinton, but Texas has 38, which all went to Trump. Trump scored over 270, the halfway point, and therefore won.
Yesterday, America wondered whether it was on the cusp of electing its first ever female president in the form of Clinton, former Secretary of State and First Lady. Today, she has conceded defeat to a man with no previous political experience.
Most polls ahead of the count cast Trump as the outsider with a narrow chance of victory, but, it seems that something about his unique mix of racism, misogyny, Islamophobia, homophobia, a litany of business failures and aggression appealed to voters. Or, perhaps, they just weren’t put off by all the above, the fact that his presidency that is endorsed by the KKK, that he has such close ties to Russia, that he has the temperament of a toddler and that he repeatedly peddled lies and un-truths.
The result? Stocks are down, the Peso and Dollar are down and Trump has not only provided a vehicle for the frustration millions of voters feel towards traditional political systems and establishment figures, but seemingly bolstered those who feel clear hatred towards minorities and women.
Just as Donald Trump costumes outsold Hillary get ups this Halloween, he has beaten her in the polls as America made an emphatic statement about what sort of leader it wants and what sort of country it wants to be.
Not only that, but the Democrats have lost the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Presidency in a brutal night for American politics.
As the news of Trump’s victory sinks in, young American women tell The Debrief how they’re feeling:
Britt Julious, 29, Chicago
‘I have lived my entire life in fear of the reality of this body. But in the back of my mind, I believed we were moving to a place where my humanity would be recognized, accepted and respected. I have always lived in fear of the reality of the people around me. A great failure of American society is how we treat history. In schools, we learn that history is a thing of the past. But in truth, history is cyclical. We learn about it so as not to make the same mistakes as we did in the past. Tonight I’ve learned we are doomed to repeat the moral and ethical failures of this country and countries around the world. We are determined to watch the country burn in pursuit of an idealized past that doesn’t exist. I fear for my friends, my family, my acquaintances and myself.’
Nora Biette-Timmons, 24, New York
‘I am frustrated and disappointed and scared. Frustrated that we put so much faith in pollsters, disappointed that so many millions of people felt comfortable voting for an on-the-record misogynist and racist, and scared for the next two years. I will worry about my safety as a female journalist, and about my own reproductive health rights. Most of all, though, I will worry about those who don’t have the same educational advantages that I do.’
Gabby Miller, 23, Tennessee
‘I'm a 23 year old white, American, middle class, college educated, working woman from a southern state. I've had family members serve in the military. Christianity runs deep. Guns are not uncommon. So naturally you'd think I'd be the classic Trump Supporter, right? NO. Hillary?? Absolutely not.
‘I sat this one out. I said no.’
‘The common phrase among many people I've talked to about this election is "lesser of two evils". TWO EVILS. Are you fucking kidding me?’
‘When it comes to choosing who you support politically, it all comes down to personal opinions, and I'm all about that. We should all have our own thoughts. I happen to think that neither of these shit heads can be the next Reagan. To me, they're. It's miserable choices. So I chose to not vote. How could I walk into that poll, staring at the ballot and not be able to confidently walk out of there? A vote is more than just doing a civic city, its more than an obligation, its more than the excitement of feeling apart of something huge, it's your piece of this huge pie. It's your time to say how you feel and support someone who you think will represent your country well. So, when faced with Trump or Hillary, in my mind, I couldn't give that vote away and pretend to be a supporter of either one.’
Rose Pearson, 25, California
I feel betrayed by a country that has sworn to protect me. I feel heartbroken at the ignorance of the men who put the women they love in danger of being abused by a system that, if Trump wins, gives this country permission to treat women like objects. I feel devastated that women themselves have been blinded so completely as to put themselves in harms way. I want to reach out to all the young girls in America and guide them away from the habits of self-abuse that make this possible.
So, what has happened in America? Strangely enough, Barack Obama is getting a 56% approval rating in the polls, his highest yet. Is it that because people hate Hillary more than Obama? Maybe. Is it because she’s a woman? Maybe. Is it that after eight years of Obama, the far right could not countenance a woman becoming president? Maybe. Did discontented millennials split the vote in key states by voting for third party candidates? It looks rather like it. Is this something we’re all going to spend years fretting over? You bet.
2016 has been a year of unprecedented political news. Britain voted to leave the European Union following the rise of the far-right UKIP, sending waves of disbelief through the political classes. Now America has rejected a candidate with a wealth of experience and elected a dangerously divisive demagogue to the White House whose campaign was built on bigotry.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.