Ahead of Election Day, the once-venerable Newsweek had sent copies of its latest issue to stores with a cover photo Clinton under the headline “Madame President.”

Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell, anticipating a loss by Trump, said Monday, “Farewell, dear Donald Trump. At least, I hope this is farewell.”

Paul Krugman, columnist for the New York Times, said the same day, “It’s almost over. Will we heave a sigh of relief, or shriek in horror? Nobody knows for sure, although early indications clearly lean Clinton.”

That was true. Most national polls said Trump lose the election by a large margin to Clinton. Some even showed Trump losing to Clinton by a margin of more than 100 electoral college votes.

But as voter results poured in, Trump swept up the states he needed to win, flipping many of the counties within the states that President Obama had won in 2012.

Trump won after more a year of campaigning through a seemingly endless series of scandals, controversies and even bucking traditional GOP orthodoxy on some policies, including immigration and international trade.

In a sorrowful message on Twitter, liberal Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent said, “Why would readers ever believe anything those of us who write about politics say ever again?”