<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The United States presidential election of 2016 was the 58th quadrennial American presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 . In a surprise victory, the Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Senator from Virginia Tim Kaine . Trump took office as the 45th President, and Pence as the 48th Vice President, on January 20, 2017 . Concurrent with the presidential election, Senate, House, and many gubernatorial and state and local elections were also held on November 8 . </P> <P> Voters selected members of the Electoral College in each state, in most cases by "winner - takes - all" plurality; those state electors in turn voted for a new president and vice president on December 19, 2016 . While Clinton received about 2.9 million more votes nationwide, a margin of 2.1%, Trump won 30 states with a total of 306 electors, or 57% of the 538 available . He won the four perennial swing states of Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Iowa, as well as the three "blue wall" stronghold states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, which had not been won by a Republican presidential candidate since the 1980s . Leading up to the election, a Trump victory was considered unlikely by almost all media forecasts . </P> <P> In the Electoral College vote on December 19, seven electors voted against their pledged candidates: two against Trump and five against Clinton . A further three electors attempted to vote against Clinton but were replaced or forced to vote again . Ultimately, Trump received 304 electoral votes and Clinton garnered 227, while Colin Powell won three, and John Kasich, Ron Paul, Bernie Sanders, and Faith Spotted Eagle each received one . </P>

Who won the popular vote in the 2017 presidential election