At the moment, Clinton's lead in the popular vote is only about 200,000+ votes. But it will certainly grow as additional votes on the West Coast get counted.
NBC News makes an important point regarding this stunning election result.
- Trump's popular vote loss likely won't constrain his effective power as president, especially with the unified GOP control of Congress — just as it didn't seem to hem in George W. Bush. But if the candidate who got fewer votes wins the White House for the second time in five elections, it could put a new spotlight on the peculiar way that America picks its presidents — one not shared by any other democracy.
The only time a Republican candidate has won the popular vote since 1988 was 2004. Yet the GOP has managed to win the White House two other times -- in 2000 and now 2016.
The biggest takeaway from this election is the furthering of the much-discussed polarization problem between urban and rural voters. It's two countries in one united map. Diverse, educated urban voters in metropolitan areas and less-educated and less-diverse voters in rural areas have enormous differences of opinion.
If President-elect Donald Trump has any ambition to find ways to bridge this gap and solve this threat to our great nation's unity and character, he hasn't exhibited it yet. Let's hope we see signs through staff and cabinet appointments (and public statements going forward) that he is less vindictive and more committed to bringing us together.
Is he at all humbled by the weight of his place in history after losing to Clinton among a majority of Americans? Only time will tell.
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