The year since the 2016 election has been dizzying. But would it have been just as dizzying if Hillary Clinton had won? Just past one year into the scariest experiment the American Experiment has ever experimented with, here's a glimpse at the alternate timeline we barely missed out on.
Nov. 8, 2016: Madam President! The first female president of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton, wins the popular vote by 3 million votes and ekes out a narrow electoral college victory by winning Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, just like the polls all said! On Etsy, a million "Madam President" onesies go up for sale.
After holing up in Trump Tower refusing to talk to anyone except Ivanka, Trump finally concedes at 2:43 a.m. Later, he tweets: "Conceded dumb election to Crooked Hillary. Rigged! MAGA 2020?
Nov. 9, 2016: Clinton pledges to work with the Obama administration for a smooth transition. People are not openly weeping in their workplaces. DNC Chair Donna Brazile graciously accepts compliments about how well the campaign was handled and praises the Clinton campaign as "a great partner" in rebuilding the DNC.
Nov. 10, 2016: In her first news conference as president-elect, Clinton sparks outrage by suggesting that her husband, former President Bill Clinton, might be of help as a special envoy to North Korea, citing his previous diplomatic success there. "We will not tolerate a whiff of nepotism in the White House!" declares Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. In a biting editorial, the Wall Street Journal imagines Chelsea Clinton as a "special adviser to the president, swanning in and out of the West Wing with no qualifications other than being the president's daughter." Fox News cites it on all its programs.
Nov. 22, 2016: In an exclusive interview with the New York Times, Clinton touches on a wide range of issues. The transcript is widely read, and widely understood.
Dec. 4, 2016: Clinton begins speaking with foreign leaders through State Department channels. She declines to speak to the leader of Taiwan. She doesn't cite decades of diplomatic tradition because it's obvious.
Dec. 10, 2016: Clinton selects Joe Biden as her secretary of state, but is criticized for joking that "as Joe would say, it's a BFD." On "Fox & Friends," Steve Doocy criticizes the term as "crass," saying, "The children are listening." On Twitter, Donald Trump Jr. posts a photo of his daughter crying and blames Clinton. Ivanka Trump doesn't retweet it, because she's busy promoting a new line of trench coats, but one of her staffers "likes" it.