Donald Trump won due to a strong coalition of black and Hispanic voters, particularly black men, and a shift in Hispanic demographics favoring Republicans. His appeal extended beyond traditional Republican bases, while Kamala Harris failed to outperform Joe Biden in any demographic or district, despite significant media and celebrity backing.
Kamala Harris's campaign struggled due to her inability to connect with key demographics, poor performance in interviews, and failure to address critical issues like the economy, crime, and immigration. Her radical positions from 2019, such as taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries for illegal migrants, alienated moderate voters, and her running mate choice, Tim Walls, reinforced perceptions of a hidden progressive agenda.
Hispanic voters significantly shifted toward Republicans, with Ted Cruz winning Hispanics by 6 points in Texas, a 35-point swing from 2018. This change reflects broader trends of Hispanic voters moving away from Democrats, driven by policy priorities and dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party's focus on cultural issues over economic concerns.
The media's overwhelming support for Kamala Harris, including endorsements from celebrities and cultural figures like Taylor Swift, failed to sway voters. Legacy media outlets like CBS News were criticized for being out of touch with Trump voters, while tech industry figures like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg backed Trump, reflecting a broader cultural shift away from Hollywood's influence.
Trump must address high inflation, energy costs, and foreign policy challenges, including an exit strategy from Ukraine and managing relations with Iran. He will need a strong team to implement policies that deliver economic relief and maintain global stability, while balancing the expectations of his diverse coalition.
Choosing Tim Walls as her running mate reinforced perceptions of a hidden progressive agenda, alienating moderate and swing-state voters. Walls's lack of alignment with key demographics, compared to alternatives like Josh Shapiro, contributed to Harris's inability to build a broad coalition.
Almost, four years ago, President Trump's political career looked dead in the water. Now he is the first President since Grover Cleveland to return to the White House after losing his reelection bid.
Ben pontificates on how President Trump pulled it off, and how despite some of the nervousness among Republicans during the last week of the campaign after comedian Tony Hinchcliffes's Puerto Rico joke and Ann Selzer's Iowa poll, the fundamentals of this election were always in favor of 45, now 47.
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