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N.B.: This will be part of a whole series on an alternate Clinton presidency to the present day, examining changes in foreign and domestic politics of the United States. Please feel free to comment.

2:15, November 9th 2016. Wisconsin is called for Hillary Clinton, pushing her over the 270 required for a majority in the electoral colleague. The moment, coming as an immense relief to those on the left, is hugely symbolic- the first time America has elected a female president. But amidst the smashed glassed ceilings, the election has been hugely divided. America has been split in two, and it's wounds don't look like they are healing. Trump, in his typical bombastic fashion, refused to concede to the result of a 'rigged elections'. The first female president doesn't have an easy path ahead of her.

But first, how did we get to this point? Clinton's victory had seemed sure for a long time. By late October, according to 538, Clinton's lead stood at around 6%. That changed slightly around the last week of the campaign, falling to 5% with around a 75% chance of winning. In the election, it turned out considerably closer. Her lead was around 3% over Donald Trump, securing 66.5 million votes. At some points in the night, her election was held in the balance altogether, especially when the bellwethers of Florida, North Carolina and Ohio called for Trump. But narrow victories in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania of around 1.5% carried Clinton through. It was hardly the landslide she had wanted; Clinton won 278 to Trump's 260, although her lead in the popular vote was larger than that would suggest. A WSJ article reported that Director Comey was investigating Clinton's emails for 4 days during the week before the campaign but did not disclose- Trump cited this as evidence of 'rigging', Clintonites simply claimed that, given the investigation lasted a matter of days, it was not a matter for the public domain.

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All the same, by 4:00am that night, Clinton was ready to make her victory speech. She came out in suffragette white- a symbol of her historic win. Her speech aimed to reconcile those who the election had torn apart:

"I will be the President not just for those who elected me, but for all Americans. This is a moment for our country to unite- to appreciate the majesty of the democratic process, but also to figure out ways of striving to improve the State of our Precious Union, and heal the divides I know cut deep in society. This will not be easy, and the wounds will take time to heal, but as Americans, united in Jefferson's principle that 'all men are created equal'. I reject Trump's notion that 'The American Dream is Dead'. It is not dead. It is alive and kicking in the hearts and minds of all Americans. We must reject defeatism and cynicism- we can solve the problems facing Americans through the Unity of Common Purpose."

The transition, blighted by Trump's alarming rhetoric about "Hillary's government is illegal, crooked and rigged! It is not a legitimate election' was blighted by partisan divisions. Republicans demanded that the Supreme Court overturn the election, although Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell urged against it. There was increasing media intrest in the Trump-Russia connection, with the 'Steele Dossier' alleging close links, although Trump hit back, claiming Clinton links with Russia with the Uranium 1 deal, although it proved difficult to prove.

On January 20th 2017- Hillary Clinton was inaugurated as the first female president of the USA. Huge pro-Trump rallies were held and Trump demanded that the Supreme Court overturn the 'Fake Election', but to little avail. Violence as well as racist themes were common in the so-called 'Day of Anger' that was organised by the Right, the spectre of which worried moderates. And so President Clinton began her troubled Presidency.
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