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This carefully crafted ebook is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Melania Trump (born Melanija Knavs , April 26, 1970; Germanized to Melania Knauss) is the current First Lady of the United States. Before marrying future President Donald Trump in 2005, she worked as a fashion model; by 2016 she considered herself a "full-time mom". This book has been derived from Wikipedia: it contains the entire text of the title Wikipedia article + the entire text of all the 358 related (linked) Wikipedia articles to the title article. This book does not contain illustrations. e-Pedia (an imprint of e-artnow) charges for the convenience service of formatting these e-books for your eReader. We donate a part of our net income after taxes to the Wikimedia Foundation from the sales of all books based on Wikipedia content.
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Introduction
Early life
Career and immigration to the United States
Marriage
Role in 2016 U.S. presidential election
First Lady of the United States
References
External links
Melania Trump (born Melanija Knavs[1][mɛˈlaːnija ˈknaːu̯s], April 26, 1970; Germanized to Melania Knauss[2]) is the current First Lady of the United States. Before marrying future President Donald Trump in 2005, she worked as a fashion model; by 2016 she considered herself a "full-time mom".[3]
She was born in the city of Novo Mesto in Slovenia, then known as the Socialist Republic of Slovenia within Yugoslavia. She became a permanent resident of the United States in 2001, and obtained U.S. citizenship in 2006.
Trump is the first naturalized U.S. citizen to become First Lady, and the second one born overseas after Louisa Adams, who had been born in London to an American father.[4]
Melanija Knavs was born in Novo Mesto in the southeast of Slovenia, which was then part of Yugoslavia,[5][6] on April 26, 1970.[7] She is a daughter of Amalija (née Ulčnik) and Viktor Knavs, who managed car and motorcycle dealerships for a state-owned vehicle manufacturer.[8][9] Her father was from the nearby town of Radeče.[8] Her mother came from the village of Raka,[10] and was a patternmaker at the children's clothing manufacturer "Jutranjka" in Sevnica.[8][11] When later working as a model, she changed the Slovene form of her last name Knavs to the German Knauss.[12]
She grew up in a modest apartment in a housing block in Sevnica, in Slovenia's Lower Sava Valley.[1] She has a sister[13] and an elder half-brother, whom she reportedly has never met,[14] from her father's previous relationship.[8][15] As the Communist Party in Slovenia upheld atheism, Melania's father did not sponsor her Christian sacraments of baptism or first communion.[16][17]
When she was a teenager, the family moved to a two-story house in Sevnica,[18] and as a high school student, she lived in a high-rise apartment in Ljubljana. Melanija attended the Secondary School of Design and Photography in Ljubljana,[19] and studied at the University of Ljubljana for one year before dropping out.[20][21][22] She speaks English, French, Italian, and German,[23] in addition to Serbo-Croatian and her native Slovene.[24]
Knauss began modeling at age 5 and started doing commercials at 16,[25] when she posed for the Slovenian fashion photographer Stane Jerko.[26] At 18, she signed with a modeling agency in Milan, Italy.[27] She was named runner-up in the 1992 Jana Magazine "Look of the Year" contest, held in Ljubljana, which promised its top three contestants an international modeling contract.[5][8]
After attending the University of Ljubljana for one year,[28] she modeled for fashion houses in Milan and Paris, and relocated to New York City in 1996.[8][27] Her work began prior to receiving a legal work visa.[29][30] In the United States she appeared on the covers of In Style Weddings,[31]New York Magazine, Avenue,[32]Philadelphia Style,[33]Vanity Fair[34] and Vogue.[35] She modeled for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2000.[36] Her modeling career was associated with Irene Marie Management Group and Donald Trump's Trump Model Management.[37]
Applying as a model of "extraordinary ability", Melania obtained a green card and became a lawful permanent resident in 2001; she gained United States citizenship in 2006.[38]
Melania moved to New York City in 1996[39] and met her future husband, Donald Trump, in September 1998 at a Fashion Week party in New York City. He had been separated from Marla Maples since May 1997, and entered a steady relationship with Melania;[1][40] the new couple gained attention after a 1999 interview on The Howard Stern Show.[41] In 2000 she appeared with Trump while he campaigned for that year's Reform Party presidential nomination.[41] Trump described their long courtship in 2005, and stated: "We literally have never had an argument, forget about the word 'fight' ... We just are very compatible. We get along."[40]
After becoming engaged in 2004, Melania married Trump in an Anglican service on January 22, 2005, at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a reception in the ballroom at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.[42][43] The event was attended by celebrities such as Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, Rudy Giuliani, Heidi Klum, Star Jones, P. Diddy, Shaquille O'Neal, Barbara Walters, Conrad Black, Regis Philbin, Simon Cowell, Kelly Ripa, then-Senator Hillary Clinton, and former president Bill Clinton.[43][44] At the reception, Billy Joel serenaded the crowd with "Just the Way You Are" and supplied new lyrics to the tune of "The Lady Is a Tramp".[43] The Trumps' wedding ceremony and reception were widely covered by the media.[39] Melania wore a $200,000 dress made by John Galliano of the house of Christian Dior.[43]
On March 20, 2006,[45] Melania gave birth to their son Barron William Trump. She suggested his middle name, while her husband suggested his first name.[46]
In November 2015, when asked about her husband's presidential campaign, Trump said: "I encouraged him because I know what he will do and what he can do for America. He loves the American people and he wants to help them."[47] Trump played a relatively small role in her husband's campaign—atypical of spouses of presidential running mates.[48][49][50]
In July 2016, Trump's official website was redirected to Trump.com. On Twitter, she stated that her site was outdated and did not "accurately reflect [her] current business and professional interests".[51]
On July 18, 2016, Trump gave a speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention. The speech contained a paragraph that was nearly identical to a paragraph of Michelle Obama's speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.[52][53][54] When asked about the speech, Trump said she wrote the speech herself "with as little help as possible".[55] Two days later, Trump staff writer Meredith McIver took responsibility and apologized for the "confusion".[56]
In February 2017, Trump sued Mail Media, the owner of The Daily Mail, seeking $150 million in damages over an August 2016 article which falsely alleged that she had worked for an escort service during her modeling days. The Mail retracted the article, apologized, and printed the retraction from the blogger they were quoting, who said: "I had no legitimate factual basis to make these false statements and I fully retract them".[57] The lawsuit stated the article had ruined her "unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to establish "multimillion dollar business relationships for a multi-year term during which Plaintiff is one of the most photographed women in the world".[58] Her claim raised potential ethical questions, but the first lady is not an employee of the government and not a government official.[59] On February 18, the lawsuit was amended, removing the language about her earning potential and focusing instead on emotional distress.[60] In April 2017, the parties settled the lawsuit for $2.9 million.[61][62]
Five days before the election, she told a crowd of supporters in Pennsylvania: "Our culture has gotten too mean and too rough, especially to children and teenagers. It is never OK when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied, or attacked. It is terrible when that happens on the playground. And it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the internet."[63] Regarding the contrast of her platform with her husband's use of Twitter during his campaign, Melania said shortly after the election that she had rebuked him "all the time" but that "he will do what he wants to do in the end".[64]
Melania assumed the role of First Lady of the United States on January 20, 2017. She is the second foreign-born woman to hold this title (after Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, who was born in 1775 in London to an American father and British mother).[65][66][67][68] She is the first First Lady to be a naturalized (rather than birthright) citizen of the United States,[69][70] the first to speak English as a second language,[71] and the first to be fluent in more than two languages (Serbo-Croatian, English, French, Italian, German, and her native Slovene).[23] At 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m), she is also one of the tallest First Ladies to hold the office, tied with Michelle Obama and Eleanor Roosevelt.[72] She continued living in Trump Tower with her son Barron until the end of the 2016–17 school year,[73][74] and moved to the White House on June 11, 2017.[75]
Her Secret Service code name is "Muse" (beginning with the same letter as Trump's code name, "Mogul", per Secret Service tradition).[76]
When asked by The New York Times in 1999 what her role would be if Donald Trump were to become president, Melania replied: "I would be very traditional. Like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy."[9] In 2016, she told CNN her focus as First Lady would be to help women and children. She also said she would combat cyberbullying, especially among children, having quit social media herself due to the "negativity".[77]
The first White House event led by Trump was a luncheon for International Women's Day on March 8, 2017. Trump spoke to an audience of women about her life as a female immigrant, and about working towards gender equality both domestically and abroad, noting the role of education as a tool against gender inequality.[78][79][80]
In March 2017, Slovenia honored her by introducing "First Lady" wine, a red wine produced in the region near her hometown of Sevnica.[81]
In February 2017, at a Florida rally, Melania Trump led the crowd in the recitation of Lord's Prayer.[82][83] Later, during her and her husband's visit to Vatican City in May 2017, Trump revealed that she is a Catholic, the first Catholic to live in the White House since President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie over half a century earlier.[84][85]
This page was last edited on 13 June 2017, at 20:42.
This text is based on the Wikipedia article Melania Trump: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melania_Trump which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License available online at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode List of authors: https://tools.wmflabs.org/xtools/wikihistory/wh.php?page_title=Melania_TrumpFirst Lady of the United States (FLOTUS)[1] is the informal but accepted title held by the wife of the President of the United States, concurrent with the president's term of office. Although the first lady’s role has never been codified or officially defined, she figures prominently in the political and social life of the nation.[2]Melania Trump is the current First Lady.
While the title was not in general use until much later, Martha Washington, the wife of George Washington, the first U.S. President (1789–1797), is considered to be the inaugural First Lady of the United States. During her lifetime she was often referred to as "Lady Washington".[3]
Since the 1790s the role of first lady has changed considerably. It has come to include involvement in political campaigns, management of the White House, championship of social causes, and representation of the president at official and ceremonial occasions. Because first ladies now typically publish their memoirs, which are viewed as potential sources of additional information about their husbands’ administrations, and because the public is interested in these increasingly independent women in their own right, first ladies frequently remain a focus of attention long after their husbands’ terms of office have ended.[2] Additionally, over the years individual first ladies have held influence in a range of sectors, from fashion to public opinion on policy. Historically, should a president be unmarried, or a widower, the president usually asks a relative or friend to act as White House hostess.
There are five living former first ladies: Rosalynn Carter, wife of Jimmy Carter; Barbara Bush, wife of George H. W. Bush; Hillary Clinton, wife of Bill Clinton; Laura Bush, wife of George W. Bush; and Michelle Obama, wife of Barack Obama.
The use of the title First Lady to describe the spouse or hostess of an executive began in the United States. In the early days of the republic, there was not a generally accepted title for the wife of the president. Many early first ladies expressed their own preference for how they were addressed, including the use of such titles as "Lady", "Mrs. President", and "Mrs. Presidentress"; Martha Washington was often referred to as "Lady Washington." One of the earliest uses of the term "First Lady" was applied to her in an 1838 newspaper article that appeared in the St. Johnsbury Caledonian, the author, "Mrs. Sigourney", discussing how Martha Washington had not changed, even after her husband George became president, wrote that "The first lady of the nation still preserved the habits of early life. Indulging in no indolence, she left the pillow at dawn, and after breakfast, retired to her chamber for an hour for the study of the scriptures and devotion".[4]
Dolley Madison was reportedly referred to as "First Lady" in 1849 at her funeral in a eulogy delivered by President Zachary Taylor; however, no written record of this eulogy exists, nor did any of the newspapers of her day refer to her by that title.[5] Sometime after 1849, the title began being used in Washington, D.C., social circles. One of the earliest known written examples comes from the November 3, 1863, diary entry of William Howard Russell, in which he referred to gossip about "the First Lady in the Land," referring to Mary Todd Lincoln. The title first gained nationwide recognition in 1877, when newspaper journalist Mary C. Ames referred to Lucy Webb Hayes as "the First Lady of the Land" while reporting on the inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes. The frequent reporting on Lucy Hayes' activities helped spread use of the title outside Washington. A popular 1911 comedic play about Dolley Madison by playwright Charles Nirdlinger, titled The First Lady in the Land, popularized the title further. By the 1930s, it was in wide use. Use of the title later spread from the United States to other nations.
When Edith Wilson took control of her husband's schedule in 1919 after he had a debilitating stroke, one Republican senator labeled her "the Presidentress who had fulfilled the dream of the suffragettes by changing her title from First Lady to Acting First Man."[6]
The wife of the Vice President of the United States is sometimes referred to as the Second Lady of the United States, but this title is much less common.
Several women[ specify] (at least thirteen) who were not presidents' wives have served as First Lady, as when the president was a bachelor or widower, or when the wife of the president was unable to fulfill the duties of the First Lady herself. In these cases, the position has been filled by a female relative or friend of the president, such as Martha Jefferson Randolph during Jefferson's presidency, Emily Donelson and Sarah Yorke Jackson during Jackson's, Mary Elizabeth (Taylor) Bliss during Taylor's, Mary Harrison McKee during Benjamin Harrison's presidency, upon her mother's death, Harriet Lane during Buchanan's, and Rose Cleveland prior to Cleveland's marriage.
The position of the First Lady is not an elected one and carries only ceremonial duties. Nonetheless, first ladies have held a highly visible position in American society.[7] The role of the First Lady has evolved over the centuries. She is, first and foremost, the hostess of the White House.[7] She organizes and attends official ceremonies and functions of state either along with, or in place of, the president. Lisa Burns identifies four successive main themes of the first ladyship: as public woman (1900–1929); as political celebrity (1932–1961); as political activist (1964–1977); and as political interloper (1980–2001).[8]
Martha Washington created the role and hosted many affairs of state at the national capital (New York and Philadelphia). This socializing became known as "the Republican Court" and provided elite women with an opportunity to play backstage political role.[9] Both Martha Washington and Abigail Adams were treated as if they were "ladies" of the British royal court.[7]
Dolley Madison popularized the First Ladyship by engaging in efforts to assist orphans and women, by dressing in elegant fashions and attracting newspaper coverage, and by risking her life to save iconic treasures during the War of 1812. Madison set the standard for the ladyship and her actions were the model for nearly every First Lady until Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1930s.[7] She traveled widely and spoke to many groups, often voicing personal opinions to the left of the president's. She authored a weekly newspaper column and hosted a radio show.[10]Jacqueline Kennedy led an effort to redecorate and restore the White House.[11]
Many first ladies became significant fashion trendsetters.[7] Some have exercised a degree of political influence by virtue of being an important adviser to the president.[7]
Over the course of the 20th century it became increasingly common for first ladies to select specific causes to promote, usually ones that are not politically divisive. It is common for the First Lady to hire a staff to support these activities. Lady Bird Johnson pioneered environmental protection and beautification.[12]Pat Nixon encouraged volunteerism and traveled extensively abroad; Betty Ford supported women's rights; Rosalynn Carter aided those with mental disabilities; Nancy Reagan founded the Just Say No drug awareness campaign; Barbara Bush promoted literacy; Hillary Clinton sought to reform the healthcare system in the U.S.; Laura Bush supported women's rights groups, and encouraged childhood literacy.[7]Michelle Obama has become identified with supporting military families and tackling childhood obesity.[13]
Near the end of her husband's presidency, Clinton became the first First Lady to run for political office. During the campaign, her daughter, Chelsea, took over much of the First Lady's role. Victorious, Clinton served as U.S. Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, when she resigned in order to become President Obama's Secretary of State. Clinton was the Democratic Party nominee for President in the 2016 election.
The Office of the First Lady of the United States is accountable to the First Lady for her to carry out her duties as hostess of the White House, and is also in charge of all social and ceremonial events of the White House. The First Lady has her own staff that includes a chief of staff, press secretary, White House Social Secretary, Chief Floral Designer, etc. The Office of the First Lady is an entity of the White House Office, a branch of the Executive Office of the President.[14] When First Lady Hillary Clinton decided to pursue a run for Senator of New York, she set aside her duties as first lady[15] and moved to Chappaqua, New York to establish state residency.[16] She resumed her duties as First Lady after winning her senatorial campaign,[17] and retained her duties as both first lady and U.S. Senator for the seventeen-day overlap before Bill Clinton's term came to an end.[18]
Despite the significant responsibilities usually handled by the First Lady, the First Lady does not receive a salary. This has been criticized by both Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama.[19]
Established in 1912, the First Ladies Collection has been one of the most popular attractions at the Smithsonian Institution. The original exhibition opened in 1914 and was one of the first at the Smithsonian to prominently feature women. Originally focused largely on fashion, the exhibition now delves deeper into the contributions of first ladies to the presidency and American society. In 2008, "First Ladies at the Smithsonian" opened at the National Museum of American History as part of its reopening year celebration. That exhibition served as a bridge to the museum's expanded exhibition on first ladies' history that opened on November 19, 2011. "The First Ladies" explores the unofficial but important position of first lady and the ways that different women have shaped the role to make their own contributions to the presidential administrations and the nation. The exhibition features 26 dresses and more than 160 other objects, ranging from those of Martha Washington to Michelle Obama, and includes White House china, personal possessions and other objects from the Smithsonian's unique collection of first ladies' materials.[20]
Some first ladies have garnered attention for their dress and style. Jacqueline Kennedy, for instance, became a global fashion icon: her style was copied by commercial manufacturers and imitated by many young women, and she was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1965.[21][22] Michelle Obama has also received significant attention for her fashion choices: style writer Robin Givhan praised her in The Daily Beast, arguing that the First Lady's style has helped to enhance the public image of the office.[23]
As of January 20, 2017, there are five living former First Ladies, as seen below.
This page was last edited on 1 June 2017, at 02:28.
This text is based on the Wikipedia article First Lady of the United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Lady_of_the_United_States which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License available online at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode List of authors: https://tools.wmflabs.org/xtools/wikihistory/wh.php?page_title=First_Lady_of_the_United_StatesThe incumbent is the current holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent(s). For example, in the 2012 United States presidential election, Barack Obama was the incumbent, because he had been the president in the previous term while the election sought to determine the president for the current term. A race without an incumbent is referred to as an open seat.
The word "incumbent" is derived from the Latin verb incumbere, literally meaning "to lean or lay upon" with the present participle stem incumbent-, "leaning a variant of encumber,[1] while encumber is derived from the root cumber,[2] most appropriately defined: "To occupy obstructively or inconveniently; to block fill up with what hinders freedom of motion or action; to burden, load."[3]
In general, incumbents have structural advantages over challengers during elections. The timing of elections may be determined by the incumbent instead of a set schedule. For most political offices, the incumbent often has more name recognition due to their previous work in the office. Incumbents also have easier access to campaign finance, as well as government resources (such as the franking privilege) that can be indirectly used to boost a campaign. An election (especially for a legislature) in which no incumbent is running is often called an open seat; because of the lack of incumbency advantage, these are often amongst the most hotly contested races in any election.
In the United States, incumbents traditionally win their party's nomination to run for office. Unseating an incumbent president, governor, senator or other figure during a primary election is very difficult, and even in the general election, incumbents have a very strong record. For instance, the percentage of incumbents who win reelection after seeking it in the U.S. House of Representatives has been over 80% for over 50 years, and is often over 90%.[4] However, this rate may be artificially inflated, as incumbents that feel unlikely to win may decline to run for reelection. Additionally, shifts in congressional districts due to reapportionment or other longer-term factors may make it more or less likely for an incumbent to win re-election over time. For example, a Democratic incumbent in historically conservative rural Texas would have less chance of winning than a Democratic incumbent in historically liberalNew York City, because Texas has shifted away from the Democratic Party in terms of voting while New York City has shifted toward the same party (see also Congressional stagnation in the United States).
When newcomers look to fill an open office, voters tend to compare and contrast the candidates' qualifications, issues positions and personal characteristics in a relatively straightforward way. Elections featuring an incumbent, on the other hand, are as Guy Molyneux puts it, "fundamentally a referendum on the incumbent."[5] Voters will first grapple with the record of the incumbent. Only if they decide to "fire" the incumbent do they begin to evaluate whether the challenger is an acceptable alternative.
A 2017 study argues that the incumbency advantage stems from the fact that voters evaluate the incumbent's ideology individually whereas they assume that the challenger shares the party's ideology.[6] This explains why higher-profile Senate races have less incumbency advantage than low-profile races in the Senate and the House of Representatives.[6] This also means that the incumbency advantage gets more significant as political polarization increases.[6]
Political analysts in the United States and United Kingdom have noted the existence of a sophomore surge in which first term representatives see an increase in votes in their first election. This phenomenon is said to bring an advantage of up to 10% for first term representatives, which increases the incumbency advantage.
However, there exist scenarios in which the incumbency factor itself leads to the downfall of the incumbent. Popularly known as the anti-incumbency factor, situations of this kind occur when the incumbent has proven himself not worthy of office during his tenure and the challenger demonstrates this to the voters. An anti-incumbency factor can also be responsible for bringing down incumbents who have been in office for many successive terms despite performance indicators, simply because the voters are convinced by the challenger of a need for change. Nick Panagakis, a pollster, coined what he dubbed the incumbent rule in 1989—that any voter who claims to be undecided towards the end of the election will probably end up voting for the challenger.[7]
This page was last edited on 12 May 2017, at 17:22.
This text is based on the Wikipedia article Incumbent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incumbent which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License available online at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode List of authors: https://tools.wmflabs.org/xtools/wikihistory/wh.php?page_title=IncumbentPresident of the United StatesIncumbent
ElectionTransitionInaugurationPresidencytimelinefirst 100 daysexecutive actionstripsopinion pollingAppointmentsCabinetjudgesJustice GorsuchSupreme CourtDismissals Sally YatesJames ComeyPolicy positions
EconomyEnvironmentwithdrawal from Paris AgreementForeign policy as candidateas presidentImmigrationSocial issuesmarijuanaInternational trips
Riyadh Summit 2017arms deal2017 Brussels summit43rd G7 summit2016 presidential election
CampaignRalliesPrimariesConventionEndorsementsDebatesNever TrumpSexual misconduct allegationsRussia controversies
Business projects in RussiaElection interferencetimelineSteele dossierComey memosClassified information disclosureLinks of associates with Russian officialsDonald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is the 45th and current President of the United States. Before entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality.
Trump was born and raised in Queens, New York City, and earned an economics degree from the Wharton School. Later, he took charge of The Trump Organization, the real estate and construction firm founded by his paternal grandmother, which he ran for 45 years until 2016. During his real estate career, Trump built, renovated, and managed numerous office towers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses. Besides real estate, he started several side ventures and has licensed the use of his name for the branding of various products and properties, including Trump Entertainment Resorts. He was the founder of Trump University. He produced and hosted The Apprentice, a reality television series on NBC, from 2004 to 2015. His net worth was estimated to be $3.5 billion as of 2017, making him the 544th richest person in the world.
Trump first publicly expressed interest in running for political office in 1987. He won two Reform Party presidential primaries in 2000, but withdrew his candidacy early on. In June 2015, he launched his campaign for the 2016 presidential election and quickly emerged as the front-runner among seventeen candidates in the Republican primaries. His remaining opponents all suspended their campaigns by the end of May 2016, and in July he was formally nominated at the Republican National Convention along with Indiana governor Mike Pence as his running mate. Many of his campaign statements were controversial or false, generating much free media coverage.
Trump won the general election on November 8, 2016, in a surprise victory against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and commenced his presidency on January 20, 2017. He became the oldest and wealthiest person ever to assume the presidency, the first without prior military or government service, and the fifth to have won the election while losing the popular vote. His political positions