It made it easy to believe the polls this week that extended Clinton's lead and assurances that Trump didn't have a path to the White House through the blue "firewall" and the swing states.
In fact, in the 18 months since Donald Trump declared, there hasn't been a single New Zealand politician who publicly supported Trump.
Not even Winston Peters, the populist New Zealand First leader, who shares a similar style of political belligerence that has been so successful for Trump.
To give Peters his due, however, he predicted in a recent speech that Trump would win.
He associated himself, not with Trump personally, but with his "guts" to talk about immigration.
Exactly what Trump will do with immigration is not known.
Between now and January 20 when Trump is sworn in, Government advisers all over the world will be trying to decipher his promises from just one of those things you say on the campaign.
On the campaign, for example, he said he would deport 11 million immigrants living illegally in the United States.
Trump's official website, however, comprises only 16 policy positions and his position on immigration is less clear. He does commit to building a wall on the border with Mexico but mass deportation is not spelled out.
Rather it says "all immigration laws will be enforced".
The immediate big issues for the New Zealand Government will be trade and ISIS.
On the issue of trade, the concern is not just whether the Trans Pacific Partnership can be given the kiss of life but Trump's threat of trade hostilities with China and the potential to spark a new era of protectionism.
Trump's views on defence and the Middle East where 143 New Zealand Defence Force troops are part of the coalition in the fight against ISIS will be of major and early concern to the Government.
Again what he has said on the hustings is different to what his formal promise says.
The answers to these and many questions may not be some time off but at least we have more than two months to work out the questions.
