Republican Donald Trump captured the White House on Tuesday with a stunning yet convincing win over Democrat Hillary Clinton. The billionaire real estate mogul won by defying the odds and a slew of obstacles, including: Clinton's experience and potent, well-funded political machine; the countless so-called experts and public opinion polls that labeled him a loser; a blatantly slanted and hostile national media; detractors and defectors from within his own party; repeated denunciation and belittling by the sitting president; and mountains of criticism about his gaffes, character, inexperience, policies and past behavior.

True, Trump's campaign frequently invited such criticism. It was often shallow on specifics, unpredictable, chaotic, and mean-spirited, first toward some of his Republican primary rivals and then Clinton. Still, the language resonated, ultimately with 59 million Americans who voted for him, because it had one thing that Clinton lacked — a promise to turn back the economic and cultural forces that threaten to overrun beleaguered middle- and working-class Americans hurt by global economic integration and ruthless corporate profiteering.

As the returns were posted Tuesday night, and upon further reflection in the following days, an army of shocked political reporters, pollsters, consultants and pundits tried to make sense of it all. Some of the reaction was a masterpiece of illogic. Many of those observers said everyone knew that it would be a close race, yet they still were blindsided by the depth of Trump's support, the strength of his appeal and, finally, the outcome.

To the managers of the political and media machines, a Trump victory was inconceivable. Yet they missed it. Badly. The Republicans enjoyed an across-the-board rout.

How? The alleged experts ignored the large and enthusiastic crowds that cheered Trump. They never bothered to understand who these people were and why they were so fired up. They failed to question dubious polls. And when Clinton faltered, they sought scapegoats — Russian computer hackers, Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, FBI Director James Comey, white supremacists — rather than consider her own corrupt, secretive and arrogant behavior.

Trump's mantra was to quit subduing U.S. national interests to those of other nations and international organizations. That, coupled with the pledges to jump-start the economy by repealing President Obama's suffocating and stringent mandates, proved a powerful elixir to dispirited voters who realize their prospects and culture are slipping away.

It only sealed Trump's deal with these folks when Clinton blasted them as "deplorables," "irredeemable," as well as the smears directed at the candidate.

In his acceptance speech, Trump pulled from a reservoir of grace and humility few thought he possessed. Let's hope those who rooted so hard for him to fail can do likewise. They would expect that of Trump supporters had he lost. It won't be easy. There will be mistakes and questionable decisions. But Trump seems sincere about the task at hand. He deserves to be met halfway.

REPRINTED FROM THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA DAILY NEWS