In history there have only been five US presidents who were elected without the consent of the population, most recently of course Donald Trump in 2016. Trump prevailed against Hillary Clinton in the key battleground states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan and won the election even though he received 2.8 million fewer votes statewide than his Democratic rival.

Here are the other four presidents who took similar, somewhat unconventional paths to victory:

John Quincy Adams: In 1824, Adams lost both the popular and electoral votes to Andrew Jackson, a member of the same party and one of four candidates vying for the presidency. Jackson had secured a majority of the electoral vote, but not an absolute majority. The top three candidates were then sent to the House of Representatives for a final vote, which preferred Adams over Jackson.

Rutherford B. Hayes: Like Adams, Hayes' victory over Democrat Samuel Tilden in 1876 was decided by Congress after Republicans challenged the results of three state elections. The dispute led Congress to create a bipartisan commission that ultimately ruled in favor of Hayes and his constituents. Hayes won with 185 electoral votes.

Benjamin Harrison: In 1888, Harrison lost the popular vote to Democratic President Grover Cleveland by an estimated 90,000 votes, but won the Electoral College votes by a strong majority of 233 to 168. Cleveland then ran against him again and won in 1893, making him the only one US president who served two non-consecutive terms – subject, of course, to the results of the 2024 election.

George W Bush: In 2000, Texas Governor George W. Bush lost the popular vote by 500,000 votes to Democratic Vice President Al Gore but secured the presidency in a notoriously heated election that hinged on the state of Florida. Map election and ultimately a US Supreme Court ruling. The Supreme Court ruled in Bush's favor and he ultimately defeated Gore by a vote margin of 271 to 266.