WHILE THE POLLS may have doubted him, his supporters never did.
One of the most notable things about Donald Trump’s campaign for president was how he mobilised a base of white, working class voters who had not before been seen as an electoral bloc in the United States.
In a vote that had echoes of the Brexit vote in Britain and Ireland’s general election earlier this year, Trump spoke to the hopes and fears of a huge group of unhappy voters who felt like their voices were not being heard.
Since the outcome of the election became clear in the early hours of this morning, Trump’s supporters have been celebrating a victory which few polls had predicted.
“Tonight we showed the POWER OF THE PEOPLE!”, tweeted Mike Cernovich, who runs a popular alt-right website in the US.
His comments were echoed by thousands of users on Twitter, many using the hashtags #PresidentTrump and #MAGA (Make America Great Again), Trump’s hugely resonant slogan. Both hashtags have been trending all day.
“It’s a new day in America!” wrote one supporter. “Crooked Hillary and the corrupt media failed – woefully! The people won,” wrote another.
The headline on Breitbart.com, one of the most popular websites among Trump supporters, reads:
The headline echoes a common sentiment among many of the posts today from Trump supporters: that an underdog and an outsider who was misrepresented by the mainstream media was able to upend the establishment by speaking the truth.
On Facebook, which has played a key role in the election, the most popular comment under the Breitbart article about Trump winning is from a reader who says:
Against all odds, against all the media bashing, all the hating, all the lies and collusion, the man pulled it off!This is the heart of a true champion, a fighter and a leader! Exactly what America needs!Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump!!!P.S. the House and Senate are now both Republican! Let’s get to work and undo everything Obama has done and return American pride and culture!
Thousands of comments have also been left on alt-right Facebook pages, which have galvanised millions of followers over the election campaign by posting memes, news and occasional misinformation.
Some of these tropes have been echoed in real life. At a number of gatherings overnight and this morning, Trump supporters chanted “lock her up” when Hillary Clinton’s results were shown on screen.
Trump paid tribute to his supporters in his victory speech this morning, saying that he wanted to be ‘a president for all Americans’.
“It’s called a historic event, but for that to be the case we have to do a great job,” he said. “I look forward to being your president, maybe after two, three, maybe even eight years, you will say it was something you were very proud to do, and I thank you very much.”
“While this campaign is over, work on this movement is only just beginning. We’re going to get to work for the American people. We want to do a job that hopefully you’ll be very proud of.”
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