Unquestionable Rebuke of Governing Class

Photo By Gage Skidmore

Donald Trump has ridden a wave of identity politics, nationalism, nostalgia, and hunger-for-change into perhaps the biggest political upset in American history. He has stunned urban elites and pollsters who believed his unorthodox campaign stood little chance of dethroning the Clinton dynasty. But what does his election mean for the US and the world?

It is an unquestionable rebuke of America's governing class. Trump broke every rule in the political playbook. In a sign of their rejection of the political establishment, voters chose a man who has never held elected office. Trump's promise of an end to politics as-usual was a key part of his appeal to the majority of voters who had lost faith in the governing institutions and in the elite that has hitherto controlled them.

His election is an extraordinary rejection of President Obama's domestic legacy. Many voters were uncomfortable with the rapid pace of social change during his presidency as well as by the forms of social engineering he championed, including Obamacare. They were angry about the fact that the median household income was flat during Obama's entire term.