After a long, tumultuous, and scandalous election season, America has made it official: Donald Trump will be the country’s 45th president.

Nearly all of the political polls and analysts said Hillary Clinton would easily win the election; however, in an unexpected turn of events they were wrong. Trump received 290 electoral votes while Clinton earned 238. However, Clinton did win the popular vote by nearly 500,000 votes.

Trump was able to win crucial swing states like Pennsylvania, Florida, Wisconsin, and Michigan. These states were the key to reaching 270 electoral votes and henceforth winning the election. In 2012, President Barack Obama won all of the aforementioned swing states, which is why it was surprising Clinton could not do the same. Republicans also won the the majority in the Senate and House of Representatives, leaving Washington overwhelmingly conservative.

It is no secret that Trump ran a controversial and divisive campaign, as many accused him of being racist, sexist, and xenophobic. However, his “anti-establishment” persona obviously appealed to many considering he is now our president-elect.

Following the results of the election, protests broke out across the country. In major cities, people took to the streets carrying signs and shouting things like, “he is not my president!” Many African Americans, LGBTQ+ people, women, and Muslims were saddened by the election results and also scared for the future. Trump made bold promises throughout his campaign like deporting 11 million immigrants, punishing women for getting an abortion, building a wall between the US and Mexico, and repealing and replacing Obamacare. There is no telling whether any of the previously mentioned promises will manifest, as almost all of those tasks will be expensive and unprogressive.

Right now the country seems as divided as ever, as the fight between liberalism and conservatism is ongoing, but hopefully the nation will begin to heal. The United States cannot be a successful superpower if it remains divided, and instead the country needs to come together in unification and hope that Trump will be an effective and accepting president.