Donald Trump will be the first U.S. president with no government or military experience

Donald Trump is the first president with no government experience — (Image credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

When he is sworn in next year, Donald Trump will be the first modern president with no experience in government or the military. A real estate developer who became a bestselling author and reality TV star, Trump carved a path to victory through the upper Midwest, flipping states that have voted Democratic in the last handful of presidential elections. In exit polls nationwide, only 34 percent of voters said they thought Donald Trump has the temperament to be president, but of the roughly 40 percent of people who cared most about a candidate who will bring change, Trump won more than 80 percent of those votes. Hillary Clinton was heavily favored by voters who wanted a president who has the right experience and good judgment.

Trump will also be the oldest person ever elected to a first term, and the first president in decades who did not release his tax returns.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.