Voters like being told what they want to hear and Donald Trump is only guilty in so far as he reflected back exactly what US voters wanted to hear.

Politifact fact-checked statements made by Trump during his campaign and they identified him as lying 70 per cent of the time. Yet voters never bothered to discover if there was any truth behind his statements. Instead, voters fell into two camps: The 'gullible voter' - those who believe everything they read or heard without applying any critical thought and the 'rabid partisan' - those who sought out ‘facts’ that reinforced their own opinion.

Worse still, many didn’t even have the knowledge or skills to think critically about his claims. A 2014 study by the University of Pennsylvania, found that two-thirds of Americans could not name all three branches of the federal government, more than one-third could not even name one, and that 60 per cent could not correctly identify which political party controlled the US House of Representatives or Senate.

US Election: New president Donald Trump in numbers

To secure their support, all Trump supporters needed to hear was someone echoing their concerns surrounding immigration. The billionaire made it the centrepiece of his campaign, promising to build a wall to keep out Mexican migrants, and ban all Muslim migration.

Before the election poll by ABC News/The Washington Post found that 37 per cent of his supporters strongly believed that white Americans are being economically disadvantaged because of a perceived preference for Hispanics and African Americans. In June 2016, a study by the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Stanford University, found that many white Americans were more likely to support Trump when they are reminded that according to the US Census Bureau by 2044, non-white ethnicities will comprise the majority of the population. The proof was in the exit poll pudding: According to The New York Times 64 per cent of voters felt that immigration was their main concern.

President Donald Trump life in pictures Show all 16 1 /16 President Donald Trump life in pictures President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump poses in a rocking chair once used by President John F. Kennedy at his New York City residence Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump with his new bride Marla Maples after their wedding at the Plaza hotel in New York Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Celina Midelfart watch the match between Conchita Martinez and Amanda Coetzer during U.S. Open. She was the date whom Donald Trump was with when he met his current wife Melania at a party in 1996 Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas serving as the grand marshal for the Daytona 500, speaks to Donald Trump and Melania Knauss on the starting grid at the Daytona International Speedwa Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump talks with his former wife Ivana Trump during the men's final at the U.S. Open Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and his friend Melania Knauss pose for photographers as they arrive at the New York premiere of Star Wars Episode : 'The Phantom Menace,' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump talks with host Larry King. Trump told King that he was moving toward a possible bid for the United States presidency with the formation of a presidential exploratory committee Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump answers questions as Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura looks on in Brooklyn Park. Trump said on Friday he 'very well might' make a run for president under the Reform Party banner but had not made a final decision Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump makes a face at a friend as he sits next to Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso before the start of the 2003 Miss Universe pageant in Panama City Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Entrepreneur Donald Trump is greeted by a Marilyn Monroe character look-a-alike, as he arrives at Universal Studios Hollywood to attend the an open casting call for his NBC television network reality series 'The Apprentice.' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Simon Cowell present an Emmy during the 56th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Megan Mullally perform at the 57th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump, poses with his children, son Donald Trump, Jr., and daughters Tiffany and Ivanka Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump told Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner on Tuesday she would be given a second chance after reported misbehavior Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump holds a replica of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as his wife Melania holds their son Barron in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. property mogul Donald Trump stands next to a bagpiper during a media event on the sand dunes of the Menie estate, the site for Trump's proposed golf resort, near Aberdeen, north east Scotland Reuters

The National Socialist Movement, various factions of the Ku Klux Klan, and the white nationalist American Freedom Party are ardent supporters of Trump. Last week, a US federal judge announced a judicial hearing into claims that the Trump campaign had violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 in Nevada, Arizona, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Today a former KKK leader congratulated Trump on his win.

In his 1964 book, Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, Richard Hofstadter described how the dismissal of the science, arts, and humanities have been infused into America’s political and social fabric. We are living through the paradox of existing in the Information Age where to be an educated thinker is viewed by many as a bad thing. We shouldn’t blame politicians for taking the path of least resistance by telling us what we want to hear – it is our job to be better informed and critical in our choices. Today is a consequence of our intellectual laziness.