America's political earthquake and the uncertain future of a Trump regime

THE election of Republican Donald J Trump as the 45th US president is arguably one of the greatest political earthquakes of modern times - and not just for the United States of America.

As a maverick candidate, manifestly inexperienced and temperamentally erratic, he offered the vision of a dystopian world: a border wall with Mexico; the deportation of millions of immigrants; the banning of Muslims from entering the United States; the trashing of long-held alliances with other countries; free rein to the gun lobby; a world in which women, minorities, the media and political opponents were mocked, insulted and threatened.

For many Americans, and people around the world, his triumph yesterday has come as a shock of horrifying proportions. It was viewed as improbable in the extreme. But, come the day, respected pollsters and pundits turned out to be spectacularly off the mark; on the eve of the election, The New York Times put the probability of a victory by Mr Trump's Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton at 84 per cent, based on results from multiple pollsters.