On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election to become the 45th President of the United States. He had 306 electoral votes, while Hillary Clinton, the Democratic opponent, had 232, according to CNN’s 2016 election coverage. Trump won 46.3% of the popular vote, while Clinton had 48.2%.

Before the November 8th election on October 16, Trump stated on Twitter that “The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing crooked Hillary — but also at many polling places — SAD.” Although the Trump campaign has provided no proof of being involved in such a scandal, Jill Stein of the Green Party has raised money for the recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. However according to the Washington Post, Michigan Republican Party Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel said, “even though Jill Stein’s team raised $1 million dollars for the recount in Michigan, the $4 million dollars it will take to complete the recount will have to come from the Michigan taxpayer’s pocket.”

In 2012, Trump posted on Twitter that “The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.” However, Trump won the election because he won the electoral college According to CNN’s data from the 2016 election, Clinton lost Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania to Trump. This had a big impact on her electoral vote count. Hilary lost a total of 46 electoral votes with Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania combined. In the 2012 election, according to the New York Times, Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama won most––if not all–– of the blue states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania. These states were “battleground states” that turned in favor of Trump this year. .

Allan Lichtman, an American political historian who teaches at American University, has accurately predicted every presidential election since 1984. Lichtman, in October, told the Washington Post that Trump would win. “There are 13 keys. An answer of true on these true/false questions always favors the reelection of the party in power. And if six or more of the 13 keys are false, the party in power, the party holding the White House, is the predicted loser — any six or more.” The “keys” Lichtman mentioned in the article include:

1. Contest: There is no serious contest for the incumbent party nomination..
2. Short-term economy: The economy is not in recession during the election campaign.
3. Long-term economy: Real per-capita economic growth during the term equals or exceeds mean growth during the previous two terms.
4. Social unrest: There is no sustained social unrest during the term.
5. Scandal: The incumbent administration is untainted by major scandal.
6. Foreign/military failure: The incumbent administration suffers no major failure in foreign or military affairs.

In his second interview with the Washington Post, Lichtman stated, “That is, remember, six or more and the party in power is the predicted loser. And for some time, there were five keys out against the incumbent Democrats.” Meaning the Democrats will have some trouble gaining votes from their state districts in this year’s election. The keys that were turned were foreign military failure, scandal, social unrest, short-term economy, long-term economy, contest. Those are the six keys that were overturned and Hillary lost the election.