Donald Trump, the controversial businessman with no political experience, wins the White House.

UNITED STATES

Intro: Donald Trump has risen to the highest public office in America against all the odds. A man with no political experience he is now the leader of the biggest democracy in the world. His election as President is truly historic.

But what will it mean for America and for the rest of the world?

SOME have suggested that Donald J. Trump becoming President will now mean a deeply divided America. But such an enormous protest vote that has seen Mr Trump being returned as America’s next president is a symptom of a country that is already profoundly fractured.

There are some people who believe his narrative that by removing the corrupt political elite and media will herald a new dawn, one which will be a return to the America of the past – by putting power back into the hands of its citizens, and by nurturing a return of its industrial might and economic supremacy.

From those who supported Mr Trump a strong and consistent message of confidence and belief emerged that he could fix what they regard as a failing country. They were as equally as strong in their view that Hillary Clinton and the liberal establishment she is part of had done nothing to help in 30 years. Interestingly, Mr Trump’s support was strong among working class white men, but also among white women.

Mr Trump is a man who ran a venomous and ruthlessly vicious campaign that exploited division. He openly slandered his opponent, and some have said that he has lied his way to power. This is hardly the basis that will instil many with a belief that the divisions will soon be removed.

Mr Trump is also a man that many Muslims and African Americans will have no confidence in, a man notoriously described as a misogynist, and one who is not given to consideration or compassion.

But when the fight of the election was over, the worst in US history, he said all the right things. He made a speech promising unity, and even reached out to those who did not support him for their help and guidance. He was certainly gracious about his opponent, thanking Mrs Clinton for her long dedication to public service. For many, though, the lasting impression of the true Trump will be that of an aggressive and no-holds-barred fighter.

Mr Trump gave his supporters heightened hope and expectations of a changed and better world, but some of the promises he made will never make the light of day.

But what isn’t in doubt is that Mr Trump stands a far better chance than Barack Obama ever did of exercising true and real power. Mr Trump’s Republican colleagues have retained control of both Houses on Capitol Hill.

For the people of the rust belt – those working class white men who have felt ignored and dismissed as being irrelevant – have seen industry decline in their towns, shattering prosperity and any future opportunities. Perhaps the appeal for them in voting for Mr Trump was the pledge of policies in restoring economic might. Whilst he intends to pursue more protectionist trade policies to safeguard and grow American jobs, such policies can create a backlash from countries the US exports to. Putting money into infrastructure to help that economic growth will also be a major issue; Mr Trump will struggle to fund the $1 trillion (£800bn) plan he unveiled in the last days of the campaign.

One of the biggest differences between the two candidates was in energy policy. Mrs Clinton had worn the more environmental and green label and Mr Trump was in favour of coal mining, fracking and oil extraction, again a policy attractive to the working classes in poverty-hit states. President-elect Trump has already promised the cancellation of all payments to UN climate change programmes. The Paris climate-change agreement which took some 20-years to produce must now be in danger of collapse. Without U.S. cooperation climate change treaties face a monumental struggle in dealing with the precipitous levels of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases emitted by industry and large companies.

And, as with Brexit in Britain, a major policy area important for many voters is the linked issues of immigration and security. Mr Trump’s chances of fulfilling a pledge to remove two million criminal illegal immigrants would seem to be doomed to failure from the outset, given that there are only around 178,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records currently in the US. It seems unlikely, too, that the famous wall Mr Trump will build on the country’s southern border, the one that Mexico will pay for, will ever come to fruition.

While countries around the world will have to do business with Trump’s America, a necessarily pragmatic approach will be taken by Washington. This is hardly likely to herald a move towards better global openness and cooperation. Mr Trump’s fastidious stance that European nations should pull their weight and pay more money towards NATO is another indication of what could mark America as becoming increasingly isolationist. True, the U.S. does contribute significant resources to NATO, but without America the military alliance would soon crumble. It exists to protect Europe and the American homeland with Article 5 rendering an attack on one NATO country as an attack on them all. Russia’s belligerence in Crimea, the Ukraine and continued posturing around the Baltic States suggests that NATO is very much needed in helping to provide world peace and stability.

Yet, bizarrely, the country that could see the biggest boost in relations with the U.S. is Russia. Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin have been equally complimentary about each other.

Aside from the so-called special relationship with Britain, which will almost certainly go on in name, for the trading relationship is too important for it not to, and even though Theresa May has been far more measured in her remarks about Mr Trump than her predecessor, it is unlikely that deep bonds will be formed.

And as for the rest of Europe, President Francois Hollande of France has probably set the tone by saying Mr Trump’s victory “opens a period of uncertainty”. Many far-right groups in Europe are expected to surge in the coming months following Britain’s decision to exit the EU and with America’s decision now to pursue similar right-wing policies. European leaders are anxious and concerned at how the transatlantic trading partnership and agreements will now pan out. It would not be unreasonable to claim that the impending Trump administration is another body blow to the continuity of the fragile European Union.

But make no mistake, Donald Trump has pulled off one of the biggest political coups of all time. In doing so he has given millions of people both a means of expressing protest and hope that change is possible. That, at least, has to be worthy of a little respect. We should all hope that Mr Trump can build on that.