Donald Trump has retaken the White House, and sweeping Republican victories give him significant space to deliver on the hardline agenda he has campaigned for. The president-elect told supporters in the early hours of Wednesday he is governing on a key principle: “Promises made, promises kept.” These include mass deportations of illegal immigrants, the abandonment of climate-related regulations, sweeping new import tariffs and a reimagined vision of the US on the world stage. Many of us in the media, and around Washington, were not anticipating a quick victory for either candidate on Tuesday night. But Americans delivered a decisive mandate, including Mr Trump's first win on the popular vote. Democrats have much to reflect on. Kamala Harris's campaign focused more on the Republicans it hoped to sway away from Mr Trump and less on energising a younger, more diverse base that had for months demanded the Vice President and the Biden administration work towards a ceasefire in Gaza, speak more directly to working-class economic struggles - and that she should distinguish herself from an unpopular President. The contours have changed, but this is largely what could have been said of the party in 2016, when the media and political elites were shocked by Mr Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton. Here we are again, writing about the same outcome, apparently surprised. In this edition of View From DC, our team at <i>The National, </i>reporting from across the country, discuss what we saw on this consequential election night – and what the future might hold. <b>Adla Massoud in New York </b>On election night in New York City, I watched the results come in at home with my children with growing disbelief. As a Lebanese American, I felt a mix of hope and trepidation, fully expecting Kamala Harris to win. Throughout the evening, I followed the data closely, zeroing in on swing counties. But as Donald Trump emerged victorious, a sense of shock settled over our household, echoing the blow of 2016, when Hillary Clinton lost her bid for the Oval Office. The stark gap between polling predictions and reality was also astounding. I couldn’t help but think about what Mr Trump’s win would mean for Lebanon and the wider Middle East, a region shaped by American policy. Would a Trump presidency give Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a free hand to pursue his aims, destabilising Lebanon further? Or would Mr Trump fulfil his promise to end the conflict, keep Lebanon intact and nudge the region towards peace? The questions lingered as I thought about the precarious balance Lebanon relies upon, and how a Trump administration could tip the scales, for better or worse. <b>Jihan Abdalla in Dearborn, Michigan </b>Dozens of Arab Americans in Dearborn, Michigan, flocked to a community watch party held at a trendy food hall on Tuesday night. Many were draped in Lebanese flags and keffiyehs. The mood was subdued. People chatted with one another as they listened to speeches. Very few were looking at the large screens showing the results. As they began pouring in and it became likely that Donald Trump would win, some shrugged. Many had wanted to punish Kamala Harris for refusing to move away from Joe Biden on the wars in the Middle East, and voted for third-party candidates. Others said they believed Mr Trump when he said that he would bring peace to the region. The next morning, it felt like business as usual in Dearborn. People said they felt vindicated, others that they were disappointed by the Democratic Party for not listening to them over the past year. <b>Willy Lowry in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania </b>I spent election day criss-crossing Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs speaking to Pennsylvanians as they exited the polls. It became clear that the state was split and the economy was of the utmost importance to many, but I would be lying if I said I could have predicted the outcome. What was expected to be a tightly contested race ended up being a fairly comfortable victory for Donald Trump. At the Young Republicans watch party I attended in downtown Philadelphia, the mood was light and joyous from the earliest of returns and, as Mr Trump’s victory became more apparent, the cheers grew louder. <b>llie Sennett in Maricopa County, Arizona </b>In the sole swing state on the US southern border with Mexico, the implications of a sweeping Trump victory were clear. I spent election day between the tabulation office, where fears of Republican-fuelled unrest proved false, as well as spending much of the day driving around Arizona with activists working on one of the state's most important issues – immigration. I landed with them for an election night party that was defiantly joyful, even as many of these predominantly Latin and Hispanic community members' fears were realised in the passing of a state measure that emboldens law enforcement to arrest undocumented people. It was an emotional night, beginning with children running around and chanting “Si se puede” with their excited parents, and then that joy slowly dimmed as state after state was called for the man who has threatened mass deportations for many of their fellow community members. It's important to note, though, that Donald Trump managed to make significant gains this year with the Latino electorate. One Hispanic-American woman told me: “Trump did a great job with the economy, he was a great president.” <b>Cody Combs at Howard University, Washington </b>Few moments will ever rival the chasm between hopes and dashed dreams than what I witnessed on election night. I was reporting from Howard University, the alma mater of Vice President Kamala Harris, who was returning with hopes of announcing that she had just been elected the 47th president of the United States. More importantly, Howard University is one of the country's oldest historically black universities. You could see the excitement building on the faces of countless students who attended the watch party. Yet methodically, as the results came in showing tepid numbers for Ms Harris and significantly stronger ones for Donald Trump, excitement took a back seat to crushing disappointment. Ms Harris didn't attend the election night event, instead addressing gathered students, and for that matter, much of the US, one day later as she gave her concession speech from the much more subdued venue that had been so boisterous the night before. <b>Sara Ruthven in Washington </b>I spent election night in our offices in DC, sitting alongside my colleagues as – stale fries suspended somewhere between plates and mouths – we watched Donald Trump swiftly sweep up electoral votes. I feel like a dollar store Nostradamus here, but I have to say I had been fairly confident he would win (though I couldn't have imagined how quickly). I'd felt that way since he was shot over the summer – that image of blood-spattered near martyrdom being dragged off the stage will go into the history books. Myself and my husband, a recent immigrant from Mexico, had discussed the possibility at length over the past few months, with growing trepidation. This election, Democrats underestimated Republican mobilisation efforts, the strength and influence of the Evangelical Christian right, and how strongly many Republicans feel about party over person. Many of my conservative friends and family members have voiced strong disdain for Mr Trump himself, but expressed steadfast belief he will jump-start the “ailing” economy, ensure energy independence and fix the migrant crisis. Whether or not he will deliver on these – and other much less savoury promises – remains to be seen. <b>Thomas Watkins in Washington</b> In the run-up to this election, I had been thinking the results would mirror 2016, when Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote while Mr Trump eked it out on the margins to secure an electoral college win. I’d been preparing myself and the team for a long and anxious wait for results to come in dribs and drabs and lawsuits to be filed while Mr Trump filled the void with misinformation. In the event, he only bothered to make one or two bogus claims about “cheating” in Pennsylvania before he realised results were going his way. It was clear by midnight that Mr Trump was on his way to a landslide win, winning a majority of votes for the first time. I’ve covered US politics long enough to know that this Red Wave will in time inevitably be replaced by an equal and opposite force from the Democrats, but first they must endure some years in the wilderness reflecting on how they messed it up so badly once again.