So ... What Happened?

"We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible and it is now clear that we've achieved the most incredible political thing, look what happened, is this crazy? But it's a political victory that our country has never seen before, nothing like this."

"I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honour of being elected your 47th president and your 45th president."

"And every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future, every single day I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body. I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve."

Former President/President-elect Donald Trump, 6 November 2024

President-elect Donald J. Trump with Susie Wiles at an election watch party in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Tuesday.    Credit...Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

He is a man of impeachable coarseness, vain and intractable, convinced of his unerring ability to make the right choices in any situation. He is a felon, a braggart, a bully, a sexual predator and an adversary of anyone who might criticize him, his lifestyle, his personality, his business acumen, his lack of diplomacy, his belief that he is America's saviour. The world winced when he was first elected president of the United States of America; he was critical of all Western international organizations, and no one could predict how he would react to any given situation. And now, he's back.

 

He's back promising more of the same, but perhaps not quite more of the very same. The truth is, Americans -- enough American voters -- were fed up with the Democratic penchant to cater to those within their party steeped deep in Critical Race Theory, DEI and the wokeness that targeted the average American who got tired of accusations that being white was a crime against humanity and failing to believe that biology was out and LGBTQ-2 was very well established, despite which it needed constant catering to. 

The tide against a resurgent Trump presidency stumbled on the shoal of a replacement Democratic candidate to the incumbent Biden. There was an instant frenetic buzz and flyaway spirits of rejoicing when Kamala Harris was placed front-and-center in a campaign that raised an astonishing $1 billion electioneering war chest in a sweep of jubilant admiration for the new candidate. Airwaves and screens featured ebullient campaign ads partnered by a frenzied travel schedule throughout the nation.

Celebrities staged support for Vice-President Kamala Harris. Two social media giants joined the fray; Bill Gates gifted $50 million to the Harris campaign, while Elon Musk used  his social media platform to plump for Donald Trump. And Kamala Harris chirped happily about the ills of society that she was prepared to address and set on another, winning track. She promised the electorate that she would, as president, represent all Americans, 'even those who did not vote for me'. Isn't that the primary function of any chief executive in political power?

 

Trump Campaign Homepage

 

And, then ... a Republican victory, Kamala Harris fully rejected by an America that worried about the economy, about the never-ending surge of illegal migrants, about rampant crime. about involvement in foreign conflicts; none of which fundamental issues were ever seriously addressed by Kamala Harris. Three in ten voters expressed a wish to have the country's priorities undergo deep change, to address their real concerns. A survey of over 120,000 voters nationwide by AP VoteCast illustrated that voters were looking for substantial change.

Economic conditions, inflation and the illegal immigration file trumped abortion access and concerns over a sense of dwindling democracy. Trump supporters were convinced that candidate Trump was more likely to be capable of successfully tackling these challenges than his Democratic challenger. Three in ten voters  agreed that their financial situation was "falling behind". Although close to 50% of voters were "very concerned" another Trump presidency would bring with it authoritarianism, within that group one in ten voted for him.

 

Of the six in ten voters who felt Trump is dishonest and untrustworthy, two in ten in the group nevertheless voted for him.  Nine in ten voters responded very or somewhat concerned with the cost of food while eight in ten felt concerned about health-care costs, housing costs, and the cost of energy.  Almost half of voters under 30 cast their vote for Trump, a reversal from the past pattern. Young men and women differed on which candidate they would vote for; six in ten women aged 18 to 29 voted for Harris; over half of men in that age category backed Trump

Immigrants living illegally in the United States, according to four in ten voters, should be deported back to the country they emanated from. Trump's isolationist attitude found a corresponding echo in the general public. Four in ten voters support the U.S. taking a "less active role" in involvement in the world's problems. Discontinuing U.S. aid to Ukraine in its struggle against the Russian invasion is supported by most of Trump's backers. On the other hand, Trump voters in the majority favoured a continuation of aid to Israel in its war with Hamas and Hezbollah. 

So, that's what happened...