Donald Trump’s campaign for president was rarely pretty and always implausible — at least that’s what the experts said. Trump always believed otherwise and in stunning fashion proved all the experts wrong. …
Trump succeeded for many reasons, easier to describe in retrospect than many who view politics through traditional lenses saw throughout the campaign. His mistakes always seemed to overwhelm his attributes. What the experts overlooked was how many people were willing to forgive or discount the most controversial aspects of his candidacy — and what no one can measure is just how many agreed with what he said.
This was an uprising by Americans who had lost faith in institutions. Trump gave them a voice they felt they haven’t had in a changing America. Clinton tried to make the campaign all about temperament. As a political strategy, it failed. But that doesn’t negate the questions about whether Trump can successfully translate the style of his campaign to the demands of the Oval Office. CONT.
Dan Balz, Washington Post