<P> Data scientist Azhar Hamdan , explained the paradoxes of the 2016 outcome compared Trump 's 30 states against Clinton 's 20 states and the District of Columbia , saying `` chief among them the discrepancy between the popular vote , which Hillary Clinton won by 2.8 million votes , and the electoral college , where Trump won 304 - 227 '' . He said Trump outperformed Mitt Romney 's 2012 results , while Clinton only just matched Barack Obama 's 2012 totals . Hamdan also said Trump was `` the highest vote earner of any Republican candidate ever , '' exceeding George W. Bush 's 62.04 million votes in 2004 , though neither reached Clinton 's 65.9 million , nor Obama 's 69.5 million votes in 2008 , the overall record . He concluded , with help from The Cook Political Report , that the election hinged not on Clinton 's large 2.8 million overall vote margin over Trump , but rather on about 78,000 votes from only three counties in Wisconsin , Pennsylvania , and Michigan . </P>
<P> Data scientist Azhar Hamdan , explained the paradoxes of the 2016 outcome compared Trump 's 30 states against Clinton 's 20 states and the District of Columbia , saying `` chief among them the discrepancy between the popular vote , which Hillary Clinton won by 2.8 million votes , and the electoral college , where Trump won 304 - 227 '' . He said Trump outperformed Mitt Romney 's 2012 results , while Clinton only just matched Barack Obama 's 2012 totals . Hamdan also said Trump was `` the highest vote earner of any Republican candidate ever , '' exceeding George W. Bush 's 62.04 million votes in 2004 , though neither reached Clinton 's 65.9 million , nor Obama 's 69.5 million votes in 2008 , the overall record . He concluded , with help from The Cook Political Report , that the election hinged not on Clinton 's large 2.8 million overall vote margin over Trump , but rather on about 78,000 votes from only three counties in Wisconsin , Pennsylvania , and Michigan . </P>
who won the popular vote for president in 2016
who won the popular vote for president in 2016
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton