Around 49% of the nation didn't vote. The other was split, along the popular vote, more of less even, around 25% (ish)

So arguably the president elect is no one. Just under half the population didn't vote, in whats been billed as a highly contested, decisive election!

Astonishing really, that we (UK included) can call ourselves democratic, when you regularly have half the population not sufficiently engaged to vote.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
[Link]

Plenty of people turn up and "spoil" their paper. In Michigan (which Trump won by less than 15,000), there were over 110,000 papers where no candidate was chosen.

Turnout was the lowest since Bush-Gore (funnily enough the last time a president won without winning the popular vote). But the electoral college was partly set up to try and ensure that the over-populated East and West coasts didn't get to dominate the more sparsely populated middle. It was a way of protecting some minority rights.

Moreover the Democrats have had years to contest it but they have been very happy because they thought that the electoral college generated this unbreakable "wall" that the Republicans wouldn't be able to break.

Unfortunately for them, Trump did (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan).

Hillary was a bad candidate and I suspect she is taking this defeat very very hard. Because to lose to Trump, a man so universally disliked and not respected, with no political or military experience. What does that say about how the majority of Americans feel about her?

"It's almost like a moral decision. Except not really cos noone is going to find out," Jez, Peep Show

Wouldn't you take an outcome like this badly if you polled more votes than the declared winner? And all because of the college voting system....

Mr T said it himself, the voting system is rigged.

Clinton is Clinton. I have known him for a long time, I know his mother... Simon Jordan

Political parties that appeal to them? You have an issue here, and elsewhere, where the number of people who don't vote regularly hit half of the eligible population. In any democracy, that's something of a stain on the system, that half the population could not, would not or couldn't be bothered to vote for the candidate and proposals.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
[Link]

There are far too many political experts on here for me to begin to summise as to the reasons or stats but I wonder what the mix of people that couldn't be ar$ed to vote, spoilt papers due to lack of credible candidate and new voters 'inspired' by what they'd heard from Trump were.

sadly, no one will ever be happy as there is always a better system for someone but it does seem that much in the way of Brexit etc, that the 'little man' has decided they've had enough and want a drastic change. As odious as Clinton is, you cannot say she is any worse than Tango man, there have to be deeper seated reasons behind it.

Clinton is Clinton. I have known him for a long time, I know his mother... Simon Jordan