after the improbable victory of the quintessential outsider over the consummate insider, donald trump and hillary clinton did the nation a grand service. in his moment of triumph, mr. trump demonstrated humility. in his victory speech early wednesday morning, mr. trump pledged that <u+201c>i will be president for all of americans.<u+201d> he asked for help and guidance from <u+201c>those who have chosen not to support me in the past.<u+201d> the new york businessman was gracious to mrs. clinton, his vanquished foe. <u+201c>hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time,<u+201d> he said, <u+201c>and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.<u+201d> mr. trump spoke in lyrical terms about uniting the country. he said the movement behind his campaign included <u+201c>americans from all races, religions, backgrounds and beliefs who want and expect our government to serve the people<u+2014>and serve the people it will.<u+201d> that graciousness was reciprocated by mrs. clinton in her concession speech midday wednesday. <u+201c>donald trump is going to be our president,<u+201d> she said. <u+201c>we owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.<u+201d> she also said she hoped <u+201c>that he will be a successful president for all americans.<u+201d> these may have been hard words to say, but they were offered with sincerity and goodwill. by contrast, president obama<u+2019>s remarks wednesday afternoon were perfunctory. speaking in the rose garden of the white house, he pledged to <u+201c>work as hard as we can to make sure that this is a successful transition for the president-elect.<u+201d> he added: <u+201c>we<u+2019>re not democrats first. we<u+2019>re not republicans first. we are americans first.<u+201d> all in all, it was a good start. let us hope these are more than merely words. there can be honest disagreements later. but as mr. trump prepares to enter office he needs the goodwill of americans of all parties and opinions. he will inherit terrible difficulties: a weak economy that has left many people struggling without hope and opportunity; a burgeoning national debt; a world made dangerous by islamic terrorism; a bitter and poisoned politics. achieving his agenda will not be easy or quick, as mr. trump has often promised. the founders designed the american system so that government would be restrained and awkward to move. mr. trump should not be tempted to abuse the constitution out of a desire to meet his goals, as mr. obama has been. the new president should focus on strengthening the economy, rebuilding the military, securing the border and making america respected again. this will require discipline, which mr. trump demonstrated in his campaign<u+2019>s final weeks, to his great advantage. it will be difficult to reconcile the inconsistencies between different elements of his agenda. mr. trump<u+2019>s neo-isolationist instincts will conflict with promise to decimate isis. he cannot tackle the national debt unless he fixes entitlement programs, which he promised to leave untouched. a populist lacking a coherent ideology, mr. trump now leads a party dominated by conservatives of various hues, pursuing to varying degrees limited government, free markets and local control. mr. trump was elected with history<u+2019>s lowest favorable ratings. in the exit polls, 38% of voters said they liked him, compared with 44% that found mrs. clinton favorable. only 33% of voters said they found mr. trump honest and trustworthy, compared with 36% for mrs. clinton. but mr. trump was the candidate of change in a year when 62% of voters said the country is on the wrong track. these voters broke 69% for mr. trump to 25% for mrs. clinton. the desire for change was so powerful that it overcame doubts about mr. trump<u+2019>s qualifications and temperament. as martha maccallum of fox news pointed out, 14% of voters felt that neither candidate was qualified to serve as president. they split 69% for mr. trump to 15% for mrs. clinton. the same percentage of voters, 14%, felt that neither candidate had the temperament for the job. they split 71% for mr. trump to 12% for mrs. clinton. mr. trump carried the electoral college by a healthy 306 to 222. but mrs. clinton holds a lead in the popular vote of roughly 200,000, and the often-harsh campaign caused a drop in turnout of roughly four million votes from 2012. none of this reduces mr. trump<u+2019>s presidential powers but it should encourage conciliation and compromise. donald trump will be the next president. may we join in asking god to bless and sustain him and his family in this new chapter of service to our country. may he enjoy success in advancing the prosperity, safety and liberty of the american people. and may god continue to bless the united states, history<u+2019>s greatest nation. mr. rove helped organize the political-action committee american crossroads and is the author of <u+201c>the triumph of william mckinley <u+201d> (simon & schuster, 2015).
america elects the candidate of change - wsj
karl rove