This is an article that I had neither expected or wanted to write in the first place. In an alternative reality where things might have gone in another direction, a different kind of article would have been published instead with the title “Madame President”, “Kamala Wins”, “Kamala-In-Chief”, or “The Prosecutor Triumphs Over The Felon.” Another idea would have been to evoke Sam Cooke’s famous song “A Change Is Gonna Come” by calling the piece “A Change Has Come.”

But alas, this did not take place in our timeline, and we are living in the real world.
On November 5th, 2024, Donald Trump won another term as President of the United States of America over Vice-President Kamala Harris. After winning back in 2016, he lost the 2020
Presidential election to Joe Biden and left office amid waves of protests and a storming of the U.S Capitol building in Washington D.C. Trump is once again poised to occupy the White House as the U.S Commander-in-Chief for the next four years. He will leave office for the second and final time in January 2029.

So, what just happened? How did it all come to this?

ABC News

Please note, this article is not an anti-Trump hate piece. Nor is it a conspiracy theory-laden
article about foreign governments or wild rumors. Rather, this writer aims to explore exactly how Vice-President Harris lost the election and what issues played a role in the outcome. Needless to say, the election was the result of many contributing factors rather than one overriding thing. Let us face the facts and examine them in full.

First, there is the issue of voting and non-voting. It is true that Trump did win the election and popular vote, but he did not do so in a projected landslide sweep that he was claiming to have done. According to confirmed sources, the final count reveals Trump amassed 76, 931,700 votes while Harris earned 74,450,916 votes. Ultimately, Trump had 50 percent of the vote while Harris gained 48.4 percent, as well as landing the popular vote with 49.83 percent. The president-elect’s win was by 2.5 million votes, which is not a very large margin. A large number of Republican voters came from many of the southern and middle regions of America, especially in Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Florida. A lot of Midwestern states like Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Wisconsin voted in favour of Trump. Yet it is hardly a landslide victory when certain states like California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia and Washington voted in favour of Harris. Trump’s victories in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania were by a very narrow margin between one to five percent, and he won in Wisconsin by less than one percent. Obviously, Trump has gotten the numbers wrong as to how big of a win his triumph at the polls actually was.

Voter apathy is also a significant reason as to why Harris lost the election. Evidence shows there were approximately ten million Americans who chose not to cast a vote at all. There are ten million people who did not vote in the election, and this is a cause for great concern. Apathy or disinterest in civic and political matters means that people are woefully indifferent to what is going on in their country, whether it be intentional or unintentional. Some believe they won’t be affected by what is going on around them, so it isn’t necessary to vote. Others feel their voices won’t be heard or listened to anyway. Had they actually bothered to cast a vote, there is a chance that things could have gone very differently on November 5th, 2024. Maybe the election could have gone in Harris’ favour if those ten million bothered to vote. Or perhaps not. But I digress.

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The second factor as to why Harris lost is due to her predecessor’s initial attempt to run for a second term. Joe Biden’s age and ability caused a lot of doubts among voters as to whether to elect a Democrat as President for the second time in a row. Granted, Harris had nothing to do with this, but it is worth noting that age is a primary reason as to why Biden stepped down. During the first televised debate with Trump, Biden appeared to be flustered, stumbled with a few of his answers, and seemed confused. Almost immediately, millions of Americans urged for him to step down, citing his age and questioning his ability to lead the nation for another term. This, however, does not suggest or imply that the outgoing President is suffering from memory loss or dementia. As a result of Biden withdrawing from the election, Harris only had a mere three months to gear up and campaign in the election, which is arguably not a lot of prep. To be fair, Harris did gain a lot of support in a limited period and caused a lot of unease among the Republican and Trump fanbases, but she would have been better served if given more time.

Thirdly, it is apparent that many people dislike the idea of a woman serving as President.
Although Harris scored well in polls and in the televised debate, she struggled in rural Southern areas and in the Midwestern states. The idea of a “red belt” block proved to be prophetic across the U.S., because many of those states voted in favour of Trump. Note that this is not an unprecedented event, since Hilary Rodham Clinton also faced similar challenges during her 2016 presidential race against Trump. While there were the factors of false information and the Russian hacking, Clinton faced the ire of many voters who disliked her for being a woman, being educated, her marriage to former President Bill Clinton, and serving as Secretary of State to Obama. It is now known that Clinton did not have any involvement whatsoever in the Russian hacking or leaking of information, but her presidential bid was rocked by smear campaigns, rumours, and blatantly false information. Maybe there will be a female President someday, but America still has a long way to go before that can become a reality.

Finally, there is a climate of fear amongst Americans. Several people bought into the fear and hate campaigns spread by Trump and his cronies. Many do not like the concepts of growth and change. A lot of men, especially white males between 18 to 55, hate the possibility of minorities coming into the country, and they feel threatened by diversification. Yet there are also women who dislike the idea of women in positions of power. Immigration was a factor that Trump used to inspire people to vote for him, and he played on the fear of illegal immigrants during the campaign. Despite the fact that border crossings are much lower these days, the fear of illegal immigration leads to Americans harbouring feelings of displacement and being robbed of opportunities that they feel belong to them. It does bring to mind the infamous “They took our jobs” joke from the South Park television series. Due to those feelings of fear and resentment, they are spurred by the “Make America Great Again” rhetoric of Trump’s team and accept said ideology as pure gospel. It is also worth noting that the assassination attempts on Trump last July and September caused him to gain a lot of support. Thankfully, the attempts were not successful, but the president-elect used this to his advantage in the campaign. His claims of being spared by God worked up Trump supporters into a reverie. It almost brings to mind the 1981 near assassination of Ronald Reagan, who used it to his advantage when running for a second term as President in 1984.

Julia Nikhinson/Associated Press

In addition, a number of working-class Democrat supporters felt abandoned by the Democratic Party. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont cited this as a reason why many of those said voters chose not to vote for Harris. There is an element of truth to Sanders’ words, because some feel the Democrats are outdated and out-of-touch with Americans. Harris did meet with union leaders to drum up support, but the Teamsters ultimately chose not to give endorsement to her campaign. It stands to reason that the Democrats can’t really connect to a lot of voters in today’s age, which suggests that several changes ought to be made going forward.

To her credit, Harris conceded the results on November 6th. In her concession speech, she
acknowledged the loss and congratulated Trump on his victory. Harris did not insult the
President-elect or spout off various conspiracy theories. “The outcome of this election is not
what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” she said. “But hear me
when I say, hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as
long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.” If anything, Harris held her own
and did fairly well in gaining supporters. Nor did she stoop to Trump’s level and blame everyone for her not winning. “But here’s the thing, here’s the thing, sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is don’t ever give up. Don’t ever give up”, she said. “Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. You have power. And don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before.” Nobody can deny that Harris remains a class act. There is a possibility that Harris could run in another presidential election, such as 2028 or 2032, but it remains to be seen whether or not she will do so.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Barack Obama voiced what a lot of Americans felt in his official response to the election results. “This is obviously not the outcome we had hoped for”, he stated. “But living in a democracy is about recognizing that our point of view won’t always win out, and being willing to accept the peaceful transfer of power.” The former President is correct that things don’t always go the way one hopes, but whether the transfer of power will lead to peace or chaos remains to be seen.

Perhaps the most poignant reaction to the 2024 election comes from Bill and Hillary Clinton. When the couple put out an official statement, they urged Americans to consider the following: “We must remember that America is bigger than the results of any election, and what we as citizens do now will make the difference between a nation that moves us forward or one that falls back. We need to solve our problems and seize our opportunities together. The future of our country depends on it.” These words highlight the issue facing Americans of today, and it remains to be seen what the next four years will bring.

In his 1796 farewell address, George Washington voiced several opinions to the public as he prepared to step down as the first U.S President. While he mostly focused on the danger of foreign alliances, Washington urged for national unity, and he warned citizens against one group trying to dominate or oppress others. “The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism,” noted Washington. “But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.” These words seem even more relevant now, because Trump is threatening to go after various opponents, lawyers, and journalists who have dared to criticize him in the past. Another thing Washington advocated for was “the general diffusion of knowledge”, so that the public could be informed and knowing about what was going on in their country. Clearly, the true message of Washington’s words have not registered with the soon-to be-elected president, and it is unlikely that they ever will.

(Charly Triballeau/AFP)

Looking back at events of the past few years, it does make one recall a certain politician who took Germany by storm in the mid-1920s and was elected Chancellor in 1933 on a platform of fear, hatred, anti-Semitism, and spreading false information. Along the way, he gathered a following of sycophants, narcissistic followers, and hateful individuals looking for someone or something to be the recipient of their anger. That man was Adolf Hitler, and he led Germany into barbarism and savagery long before defeat in World War II brought him and his empire of Nazi thugs down for good in 1945.

As for Americans themselves, it is clear that changes will need to be made. Yes, they can survive another term of Trump serving as President, but the current status quo requires growth and change. The Democrats will require three years to regroup and prepare their strategy for the 2028 election. It is also possible that Americans could embrace populism, which argues the common people should unite against the established elite. Who knows what the future will hold?

Either way, the next four years are going to be a rough ride. Anything can happen at this point.