Trying to understand what just happened? Read this oral history of the 2016 election.


What just happened?
It's a question Americans across the political spectrum are asking each other Wednesday morning as Donald Trump emerges the unquestionable winner of the 2016 presidential election. But how did things turn out this way? The Washington Post has compiled quotes from Trump and Hillary Clinton aides and operatives to present a complete oral history of the election, beginning in the early days of May, when Trump's team was already eyeing a general election against the former secretary of state.
"The narrative was already baked in. That was the beauty of her. In most campaigns, you're trying to define a candidate. [Clinton] was defined as someone that people don't like and don't trust, and all we had to do was reinforce the existing narrative," Republican National Committee chief strategist Sean Spicer explained.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
There was early anxiety in Clinton's team, too, about Trump's popularity: "I definitely remember we had a lot of angst around, like, how do we handle Trump? Like, how do you get your arms around this situation? The media runs wild with him. They just set the camera in front of him live and let it roll for as long as he speaks," campaign manager Robby Mook said.
Clinton's team was never fully confident that they could beat Trump, and hiccups like her fainting spell at the 9/11 Memorial shook that confidence even more. "Democrats completely and utterly panicked ... They all say, 'Well, what about Brexit?' 'What if the models are off?' It was really unbelievable, actually, because I was out doing a lot of fundraising and things and it was like therapy sessions," Democratic strategist David Plouffe said.
But whether Clinton's team was aware of how deeply in trouble they were or not, the rest of that story is now history. Learn more about how exactly it became that way at The Washington Post.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Sudoku medium: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants