To say that Trump winning the 2016 was a surprise would be an understatement.  We are finally at the end of this electoral season and the results are shocking, even to some Republicans.  I could not have been more wrong in my pre-election prediction.  Most of my prediction was based on fivethirtyeight.com, and like most polling sites, it also was off by a long shot.  When the results first started to roll in, I still assumed that Clinton would pull ahead eventually, winning Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.  This unprecedented result brings to light many questions regarding the role of the media and how it shapes our perception versus reality.

Many of my predictions were entirely incorrect, especially regarding which states would vote Democrat.  I did not even address Pennsylvania, because I simply assumed it would surely be a blue state, along with Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio.  The unexpected behavior of these states cemented Trump’s lead over Clinton, and acted as a buffer, giving him a solid lead even without key swing states such as Florida.  I stated that North Carolina would vote Democrat, pushing Clinton’s territory south of Virginia.  As we know now, North Carolina was decisively won by Trump, with over 200,000 votes in his favor.  Also, given the number of black and Hispanic voters in Florida who were predicted to win the state for Clinton, Trump surprisingly won by over 100,000 votes.  Florida, Pennsylvania and all the Great Lakes states essentially handed victory over to Trump, against all perceived odds.

Voter turnout in the 2016 election was considerably lower than in past presidential elections.  Turnout was indicated as 55% of eligible voters, or 119,425,696 total votes.  In the 2012 presidential election, turnout was 58.6%, and even higher in the 2008 election at 62.2%. This may be a result of the unsavory candidates this election, causing unmotivated voters to stay at home, rather than pick between two unsatisfactory candidates.  A prediction that I more or less accurately posited was a similar situation to the 2000 presidential election, regarding a disparity in which candidate won the electoral votes and the other winning the majority vote.  I noted that Clinton was predicted to win the majority vote, which she did by over 200,000 votes.  Only the actual results differed from my prediction that Clinton won the popular vote, while Trump reached 270 electoral votes first.

The most fascinating result of this election to me was not that Trump pulled off the win, but that it came as such a surprise.  In one way or another, Trump has shown that despite his substantial lack of political experience, he does possess a resemblance of political instinct.  His radical views and resolute promises clearly resonated with a majority of working-class Americans, motivating them to turn out and vote him into office.  Even taking into consideration all of Trump’s questionable behavior and scandals, voters were unfazed and still believed he was the better candidate. In the last five presidential elections, Pennsylvania voted democrat, therefore Trump truly roused significant support that lay dormant in the traditionally blue state.  This is indicative of the disjointed nature of the media and public perception from reality.  It is likely that because of the dominant liberal perspective in the mainstream media, many Trump supporters simply kept their opinions to themselves, unwilling to be associated with Trump’s unpopular public image.  However, on election day we saw these quiet Trump supporters turn out to vote, shocking the left, and even much of the right (such as myself).  This election has been a wake up call for the public’s perception of the actual state of America’s needs, opinions and beliefs.  Trump’s anti-immigration and pro-American industry stances struck a chord, especially in the Rust Belt, and aligned with the motivations of the majority of blue-collar individuals.  On the other hand, the shock of Trump’s victory still resonates through the bewildered media.  On my Facebook feed, there were perhaps one or two pro-Trump posts among a vast majority of vocal liberal posts, regarding the “fear” and “sadness” regarding his victory and how it will impact America’s future.  Following the election results, dozens of my Facebook friends commented on their distraught feelings and utter disbelief, even suggesting that America is doomed going forward.  Even as I type this post, the media is reporting on anti-Trump protests across the country.  How could Trump have won the presidency if there is such strong, universal opposition reported in the media? Either the media is portraying a skewed perception of reality in order to capitalize on post-election excitement, or the electoral college and democratic process is deeply flawed in the United States of America.