>> I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear...

>> As Donald Trump begins his presidency...

>> We had won the election that no one thought we could win.

>> The inside story of how he got there.

>> Once I understood that he was willing to double down and be

a fighter for what he believes in, I'm all in.

>> They'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks.

>> It felt like a box of matches even before he took the stage,

and they were just waiting for Donald Trump to come

and light it.

>> From his closest advisors...

>> I had said to Mr. Trump one day, "Are you ready to win?"

>> And his rivals.

>> Director Comey's letter...

>> Just got smacked by a two-by-four.

And it came out of nowhere.

>> The provocative campaign...

>> Nobody knows the system better than me.

>> ...to the presidency.

>> Which is why I alone can fix it.

>> Tonight on Frontline...

>> So help me God...

>> "Trump's Road to the White House."

>> Tonight's program contains graphic language.

Viewer discretion is advised.

>> Today is finally the day.

The presidential nominees have made their final...

>> Today is decision day in America and we are taking a look

at the presidential race...

>> After a long, contentious presidential race...

>> NARRATOR: On Election Day,

Donald Trump and his senior campaign team were huddled

at Trump Tower.

>> They went into election night

believing that they were going to lose.

>> ...as the polls close across the country...

>> NARRATOR: At 5:00 they received the first exit polls.

>> We're counting down to the first poll closings right now...

>> When we got those early returns, the exit polls,

and I actually got it about 5:01, we all had

a little bit of a gut punch.

>> If Trump wants to win,

he's got to hold onto Florida and North Carolina...

>> In state after state he was so far behind that I knew

that he was going to lose,

because the exit polls don't get it wrong.

>> We were getting crushed in like Michigan, Pennsylvania.

I mean just... and so, from like 6:00 on, you know,

we're all like, "Oh, my God."

>> And look at all these wins we're projecting

for Hillary Clinton right now.

Take a look at the electoral map now...

>> NARRATOR: It seemed to confirm what the media

and political establishment had been saying for months:

Donald Trump never had a chance.

>> Every senior Republican that I talked to,

with only one exception, thought that Trump was going to lose.

>> NARRATOR: But as the votes were counted in Florida,

a surprise.

>> And CNN projects Donald Trump will carry the state

of Florida.

With its 29 electoral votes, Donald...

>> NARRATOR: Florida was just the beginning.

>> There's a big ole call to make right now.

Donald Trump has won the state of Wisconsin

and there goes her blue wall.

>> Late on election night

one of his senior campaign officials emailed me

and just said, "Can you type President Trump?"

>> Fox News has called Pennsylvania for Donald Trump.

>> Our communications director, Jason Miller, held up and said,

"A.P. just called."

And I said, "Just called what? Which state?"

And he said, "The whole race."

>> This means that Donald Trump

will be the 45th president of the United States.

The most unreal, surreal election we have ever seen.

>> Chris Christie's son said,

"Kellyanne, your phone is ringing."

And I looked down and it said Huma Abedin.

And she said, "Secretary Clinton would like to speak

with Mr. Trump."

And I said, "Right now?"

And she said, "If he's available."

And I said, "He's available."

And I said, "Sir, Secretary Clinton."

>> NARRATOR: She had been first lady, a senator,

and secretary of state.

She conceded to an entrepreneur, reality TV star,

and novice politician.

The call lasted about a minute.

>> In an electoral college

victory that virtually no one saw coming a year ago,

a few months ago...

Even a month ago, even yesterday...

>> It was an "Oh, my God" moment.

It was euphoria that we had won the election

that no one thought we could win.

>> NARRATOR: Not long after,

to the music from Harrison Ford's movie Air Force One,

the president-elect arrived at his victory celebration.

>> Even for him, it was an overwhelming feeling

to see yourself be elected president of the United States.

>> You're never going to see anybody like this again.

He is somebody that defied every political rule that existed

in a way that nobody has ever done before.

>> It's my honor.

It's an amazing evening.

It's been an amazing two-year period.

And I love this country.

Thank you.

>> NARRATOR: It was an unprecedented outcome.

Over 17 months, Donald Trump had broken nearly every rule

of American politics.

Then came the question whether the way he had campaigned

would be the way he would govern.

>> Trump is going to be Trump.

This idea that you can make him into something else, that's not

what the people voted for.

They voted for Trump as he is.

That's the way they want him to be.

And nobody is going to remake him.

He will either succeed or fail being Donald Trump.

>> The sheer unpredictability of a President Donald Trump...

>> ...how unpredictable the new terrain here in Washington is...

>> ...is this our new normal, is there reason for concern?

>> It's the creation of a new reality.

>> Donald Trump has broken the rules of what it means

to be president-elect.

>> What Trump are we going to see, do you think?

>> We're going to constantly have rules that are broken,

and my way or the highway...

>> A President Trump is very much a wild card...

>> We'll call it a political earthquake, an unraveling

of the system, or even a revolution...

>> NARRATOR: The seeds of Donald Trump's presidency are

embedded in his path to power.

He redefined what it meant

to be a serious presidential candidate,

starting with his announcement.

>> I remember watching the announcement, and laughing

at the entertainment value, the way a lot of people did.

>> In Washington you could almost just hear people

around town laughing at the... at the... at the idea

that this person was going to be a credible threat.

He seemed like a cartoon character.

>> He did the exact opposite of what every candidate has done

before him.

It was like extending the middle finger

to the political establishment.

And in doing that in that very first moment, people took a look

at him and said, "You know what, he really is different."

>> That is some group of people, thousands...

>> I wrote what was supposed to be his announcement speech,

and that speech was supposed to clock in at about seven minutes

and 43 seconds.

>> We got to make the country rich.

It sounds crass.

Somebody said, "Oh, that's crass."

It's not crass.

We got $18 trillion in debt.

>> Probably three or four minutes into his remarks,

I could clearly tell that these were not the prepared remarks,

which I had drafted.

And then he had gone on to make an announcement speech

which lasted somewhere around 45 or 48 minutes.

>> When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best.

They're bringing drugs.

They're bringing crime.

They're rapists.