Donald Trump has been elected president of the United States. . . again. It was a historic political comeback for a candidate rejected by the people just four years ago. But this time, Trump took almost every coveted state: Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin. And he leads in Nevada and Arizona. The entire blue wall. . . turned red. And unlike 2016, this was not just an Electoral College victory. Surprising pollsters and betting markets alike, Trump also won the popular vote. To top it off, Republicans took control of the Senate, gaining four seats, and maybe more by the time this episode airs. Simply put, it was a red landslide.
It is extremely rare in our history for a president to come back after losing a reelection bid so badly. In fact, Trump's rebound is bigger than Nixon's—bigger than Napoleon's in 1815.
And yet it happened on Tuesday night with the most flawed candidate American politics has ever seen. How did he do it?
If you were only watching cable news over the last few years, you would be shocked by the outcome. But if you had been reading The FP, you probably were not surprised. Yes, Kamala had the support of Beyoncé, Oprah, Taylor Swift, and almost every A-lister with a pulse. She outraised Trump by around $600 million. She was endorsed by industry leaders in science and economics. But it’s been clear for some time now that the Democrats do not have the buy-in or trust of the American people. FP senior editor Peter Savodnik said it best: “They didn’t lose because they didn’t spend enough money. They didn’t lose because they failed to trot out enough celebrity influencers. They lost because they were consumed by their own self-flattery, their own sense of self-importance.”
Still, in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, CNN and MSNBC tried to explain away Trump's appeal, and the profound failure of the left, with accusations that the American people are the ones to blame.
But those explanations are not right.
As exit polls came in, Trump showed strength with black and Latino voters. CNN exit polls showed he won about 13 percent of black voters (up from 8 percent in 2020) and 45 percent of Latino voters (up from 32 percent last election). It shows a massive pickup. He won among voters who make less than $100,000. And compared to 2020, Trump improved in cities, in rural areas, in suburbs. . . . as CNN's John Berman put it: “It’s kind of an everywhere improvement.”
Here today to make sense of it all is FP contributor and Newsweek opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon, pundit and political powerhouse Brianna Wu, and FP Senior Editor Peter Savodnik.
We reflect on why Democrats lost so dramatically and decisively; how Trump’s comeback happened, despite an impeachment, being found guilty of sexual assault, and 116 indictments; how Trump found success with black and Latino voters; what the next four years might look like with Trump returning to the White House; and if this will be a wake-up call for Democrats.
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I give more credence than the excellent panel to the consequences of Biden’s decrepit state. For four years he was rarely seen in an unguarded situation. And when he did appear, it wasn’t pretty. This had ramifications for democrats. 1)Dem Leaders knew of his condition but failed to get him to step aside early enough for others to seek the nomination and be vetted through the primary crucible. Harris would not have survived that process. 2) Because they waited they were stuck with Harris. Woke politics had much to do with the unwillingness to dump her. 3) they were left with an empty vessel as the democratic nominee. I guess that matters little when the primary campaign mantra of my democratic friends is “Trump has to be defeated at all costs.” 4) Dems tried to hide how empty she was by hiding her as they did Biden in 2000. Persuadable voters, however, weren’t snookered this time. 5) Many persuadable voters were not swayed by claims that Trump is a ”threat to democracy” especially when they witnessed the democrats undemocratic method of presenting their “choice.” I guess when your only campaign platform is “she’s not Trump” it matters little who you run as a candidate.
Relatedly, I am amazed at how many of my democratic friends had no issue with how they ended up with Harris foisted upon them. They deny being lied to about his condition. They excuse the delay moving him out and provide some interesting excuses (e.g. despite his presently low approval rating “he’s the only one to have defeated Trump.”)
Thank You Bari well put together and it even sounds like hyperbole/Trump…even “better than Napoleon” :)!!