“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

- HL Mencken, political journalist writing in the 1920s and 30s

COMMENT | He is a convicted felon, was found liable for sexual assault, a habitual liar found out many times, and may have incited violence in a riot at The Capitol in Washington DC.

He also provided a platform for speakers to spew racial epithets, repeatedly used threatening language including promising to jail political opponents, promised crippling tariffs on imports, repeatedly said falsely he was denied of victory in 2020, and the list goes on ad nauseum.

But yesterday, this person, Donald Trump, won the presidential election and will become probably the vilest and most reviled president in the history of the US - certainly in modern history.

How did this loudmouth, uncouth, illogical, arrogant, ignorant, insular, swindling, cheating person become the president of the US - again - in the most powerful country and longest-standing large democracy in the world?