Trump again!
A decisive number of Americans — more than 71 million — apparently are not ready for a woman to lead the nation, and certainly not a Black one. Like Grover Cleveland in the 19th century, Trump appears to be set to become a re-elected former president, and his victory led to a tsunami of red that overwhelmed the blue wall. Although his margin of victory over Vice President Kamala Harris was narrow in the vital battleground states, an inch was as good as a mile in this highly contested race.
According to several exit poll reports, the economy was a deciding factor for most voters. Of course, we know that few are ready to list race as a factor in their determination, and at no point was there any disavowal of the humiliating attacks on Harris, right down to J.D. Vance calling her trash. Nor are they willing to concede that gender governed their choice; like the misinformation and lies that permeated this absolutely unconventional bid for the White House, it will take a few weeks to sort out the complexity of the outcome.
The overall count is still not official, but as we went to press, Trump had a commanding lead across the board with 276 Electoral College votes to Harris’s 223. Even more troubling, the Republicans appeared to have gained control of the Senate and be on the verge of keeping the House. Red was the dominant color on the maps posted by various television stations.
In his victory speech, Trump stated, “This is a movement like nobody’s ever seen before, and, frankly, this was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time … America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate. We have taken back control of the Senate … And I want to thank [Speaker of the House] Mike Johnson. I think he’s doing a terrific job.”
Van Jones, a Democratic strategist, was tearful on the air during his commentary, noting that “People are going to be terrified … There are going to be people who are going to clean your teeth tomorrow who don’t have papers. And they are terrified tonight.”
Jones’s comments were in reference to Trump’s promise to deport immigrants, imprison his enemies, and become a dictator on day one. He promised a bloodbath if he lost and the fear factor might have been motivation for both his loyal base and Democrats troubled but another Jan. 6 uprising.
What lies ahead for the nation is on the minds of many Americans as Trump returns to the Oval Office with vengeance.
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