Why is the world so surprised at the success of Donald Trump? He is a dishonest salesman adhering to the salesman's greatest maxim: “Find out what the people want, and sell it to them!” The fact that the “product” is at best unknown and at worst a pup is not the point – he has sold a dream to millions of voters.

Alan Greenspan recently said that Trump was an actor, playing a part; actors are another kind of salesman. Like all snake-oil salesmen, we need to be wary and question any promises that come out of his mouth, be they about our special relationship or our future trade deals. Question, question, question!

Adrienne Fitzwilliam

Tunbridge Wells

Trump is the product of an archaic voting system

It has already been widely forgotten that, 16 years ago, George W Bush became President against the wishes of the American people, losing the popular vote. It should not be forgotten that, on Tuesday, the majority of the American people voted against fascism. Trump has become President-elect not because of the “will of the American people”, but through the peculiarities of an archaic and undemocratic electoral system.

Mike Wright

Nuneaton

Donald Trump is a product of our social media society

Our social media obsession leads us to construct an alt-reality where we are constantly bombarded with news and views similar to our own therefore trapping ourselves in ideological segregation. The danger of such a framework is that we lose touch with the wider community around us. When the bubble we live in bursts, we are mystified because we cannot explain the success of someone like Donald Trump becoming President.

The Trump phenomenon has been explained through various avenues such as identity, culture and race. All critically important however, one avenue which has been overlooked is society and media’s obsession with fame. The road from celebrity to presidency is not uncharted territory à la Reagan.

However, the course Trump took was unprecedented. He utilised Twitter and by frequently making outlandish ludicrous comments kept himself in the spotlight. This coupled with his constant media presence even when they were laughing at him kept him relevant. Unfortunately, it is President-elect Trump who is having the last laugh now when he should have been disqualified to run many months ago.

Omar Mesba

London

America's funeral will be televised

Most of the planet is mired in disbelief, aghast at the thought of Donald Trump ascending to the White House throne. How can it be that voters would pass the baton from the first African American President to one supported by the Ku Klux Klan, calling Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists, proposing a total ban on all Muslims entering the United States, mocked his opponents and the disabled?

How can it be that such a man escaped serious charges for allegedly assaulting more than a dozen women and boasting of such assaults? How did Melania Trump escape deportation or a jail term by violating the law by earning modelling jobs before she became a lawful resident (AP & New York Times report).

Trump used Hitler’s propaganda minister’s playbook, repeating lies to vanquish his Republican opponents and then bullied Clinton with the dreaded label “crooked Hillary.”

Under a Trump presidency (oh mercy!), the Supreme Court will make a hard right turn with the appointment of a Scalia clone.

Will his faithful lapdog Rudy Giuliani be appointed Attorney General, pardon Chris Christie (embroiled in “bridgegate”) and then put Clinton in jail? Will he organise a giant posse and round up all the Hispanics and build a giant southern wall? American voters proved they were no more immune to the lies of a dangerous demagogue than other democracies that succumbed to hate and cowardice to their eventual shame.

Funeral services will be held on 20 January.

Jagjit Singh

Los Altos, California

A letter to Donald Trump

Let me introduce myself. I am a white woman who was married to a black man and had two children. I now have grandchildren – three of whom are female. I did not vote for you. You put my amygdala in a tizzy because of your statements and actions of intolerance toward the very people you wish to govern. You scare me. Since you cannot read my mind, bear with me as I try to explain.

I was sexually abused as a young child, and to actually hear your voice speaking so cavalierly about which is equal to sexual harassment sent me spiralling back to the unwanted advances made in my youth. It disgusted me to think that a man who wishes to be my President thinks so little about the amount of damage done – not just to me, but also to millions of females around the world. Life-long damage, Mr. Trump. Had a man treated any of the females in your life that way, I can only imagine what form your indignation might have taken, and I sincerely doubt you would still carry the current attitude toward women that you seem to have today.

As for your various statements and actions regarding people who are non-white, I can only say, I would like to see DNA results for you. We all come from the same place, Mr. Trump, and you can’t always see it in skin colour, customs or religion. If you are Christian, then you have to believe that we are all God’s creation and have equal standing. If you are not Christian, then I imagine you still must believe we started from some thing: ONE thing.

As a leader of a diverse nation, intolerance toward any human beings, regardless of your personal beliefs, should be vanquished in your actions, language and your thinking. Supremacy of any race should never be connected to you. The constant warring around the world based on colour and/or religious beliefs should serve as a reminder of what is possible here if we, as a nation, do not heed and embrace our diversity. Be astute, Mr. Trump. We cannot afford to let ego reign.

You’re asking me to trust you, and trust excludes fear. In ten weeks, we will be in a relationship. I can choose to view it as a shotgun wedding and fight it the whole way, or I can put my trust in you and believe you when you say you want the best for me. Your actions will make it clear, soon enough, whether you are truly for US or if you are mere talk. As with any relationship, the possibility exists you will treat me horribly and I will regret I ever knew you. I dislike being vulnerable, but there is only one way to find out if this relationship will work – we both must be willing. That being the case, I choose to trust.

We are One, Mr. Trump. All of us. I’m not talking about being an American citizen; I’m talking about being human. You are as much a part of me as I am of you. Disregarding you would be tantamount to ignoring my arm or my leg. It can’t be done. Let us strive to make this relationship work. Be kind. Be loving. Be One.

Pagan Jackson

Address supplied

The political dream team has finally been formed

So finally, all those disengaged, disenfranchised, angry and often poor in our society, ignored for years, have had their revenge. We now have “The Dream Team”: Boris in the Foreign Office, Trump in the Oval Office.

Serves us right.