Donald Trump's Coalition of White Voters, 'Not Our President' Protests, Trump's Lawsuits and More

On Wednesday, pollsters, data hounds, the media, Democrats (and some Republicans) began to dissect Donald Trump's Election Day victory. What they learned was this: Democrats relied much more heavily on white working-class voters than many believed. Donald Trump took that vote away from Hillary Clinton, in the final analysis, and it was enough to take states away from the Democratic nominee that her party thought were a lock in 2016.

“A lot of stuff he’s talking about is just God-given common sense, which I think both parties have lost,” Tom Kirkpatrick, 51, a Trump supporter who used to work in an industrial laundry plant and is now on disability, told The New York Times. “Let’s put him in. And if he doesn’t do what he says, I’ll help you vote him out.”

But there's another surprise in the data: Clinton couldn't win over white women. More than half of white women, 53 percent, voted for Trump — something that wasn't lost on Clinton as she delivered her concession speech Wednesday morning.

“To all the women, and especially the young women, who put their faith in this campaign and in me, I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion,” said Clinton, as her voice cracked, fighting back emotion.

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Donald Trump’s Victory Was Built on Unique Coalition of White Voters: "Donald J. Trump’s America flowered through the old union strongholds of the Midwest, along rivers and rail lines that once moved coal from southern Ohio and the hollows of West Virginia to the smelters of Pennsylvania. It flowed south along the Mississippi River, through the rural Iowa counties that gave Barack Obama more votes than any Democrat in decades, and to the Northeast, through a corner of Connecticut and deep into Maine. And it extended through the suburbs of Cleveland and Minneapolis, of Manchester, N.H., and the sprawl north of Tampa, Fla., where middle-class white voters chose Mr. Trump over Hillary Clinton." (The New York Times)

‘Not Our President’: Protests Spread After Donald Trump’s Election: "Thousands of people across the country marched, shut down highways, burned effigies and shouted angry slogans on Wednesday night to protest the election of Donald J. Trump as president. The demonstrations, fueled by social media, continued into the early hours of Thursday. The crowds swelled as the night went on but remained mostly peaceful." (The New York Times)

Donald Trump's Next Verdict: Judges And Juries Will Decide: "Before Donald Trump is sworn in as America's 45th president, he's due to appear in court to testify as part of the fraud case against Trump University. And the United States' president-elect could have other legal obligations if he follows through on threats to sue the women who accused him of sexual assault 'after the election is over.' Trump is entangled in dozens of lawsuits — at least 75, according to USA Today — involving him or his companies that likely will demand at least some of his time as he transitions into power and then once he takes office." (Patch)

Gov's Got His Giddy-up: Rick Perry Hints He'll Join Donald Trump Administration: "The dust has yet to settle from Tuesday's election, but former Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday hinted he would be open to accepting a role in a Donald Trump administration while suggesting he's already got a call to serve. 'Just got a call to #makeamericagreatagain Saddle up & ride, bro!!,' Perry wrote on Twitter and Instagram, accompanying his post with a photo of himself being handed a pay phone by former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, a close friend of his." (Patch)

From the Twitterverse

Perhaps everybody just misunderstood Donald Trump:

On the Radar

• President Barack Obama will meet with president-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump at the White House.
• Donald Trump will meet with Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Quote of the Day

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders on working with Donald Trump:

“To the degree that Mr. Trump is serious about pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country, I and other progressives are prepared to work with him," Sanders said. "To the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will vigorously oppose him."

Allen McDuffee is a politics and policy reporter, investigative journalist, blogger and podcast host. He has written for The Atlantic, Wired and The Washington Post. Follow him on Twitter: @AllenMcDuffee

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons