Trump’s Election victory
By Jason Sherpa ‘25
On January 20, Donald Trump's inauguration took place, and he was sworn in as the president of the United States. Two months ago, during the election, despite many sources predicting a close race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, Donald Trump won a decisive victory with a significant lead in the electoral college; Trump won both the electoral college and popular vote. He collected 312 electoral college votes to Harris's 226. The popular vote was much closer, with Trump receiving around 77 million votes and Harris receiving 74 million votes. This shocked many, and Trump's wins in all seven battleground states- Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin- was an even bigger surprise. Many wonder how Trump's victory was possible.
One of the many factors that gave Trump the edge over Harris in the 2024 election was his ability to drive up his numbers among young male voters: "Trump won a greater share of the under-30 vote than any Republican presidential candidate since 2008" (Hawkins and Fischer). Trump went on podcasts with influential figures for the young male demographic, such as Barstool Sport's Bussin with the Boys, Theo Von, Adin Ross, and the Joe Rogan Experience, which combined have a following of over 33 million on social media. He also collaborated on more lighthearted videos with figures like Bryson Dechambau, the 2020 and 2024 golf U.S. Open winner, with about 1.7 million followers on YouTube. In contrast to Trump, Harris did not partake in as many interviews, especially during crucial moments, like the short time period after she replaced Joe Biden as a presidential candidate, which was when many Americans were still developing their opinions (Seitz-Wald et al.).
Additionally, there has been a significant shift to the right in the young male demographic, particularly among those without a college degree. Issues such as high inflation, rising employment costs, and general economic uncertainty pushed many younger voters toward Trump, who heavily emphasized his economic agenda. Trump promised to make America a "manufacturing superpower" and to significantly increase fossil fuel production within the United States, as seen with his "drill baby drill" slogan. Many of these voters believed Trump would "run America like a business" (Pettypiece and Traylor), a sentiment that resonated with their desire for a change from the Biden-Harris administration's handling of the U.S. economy.
In hindsight, despite Kamala Harris's strong performance in the popular vote, Trump's calculated targeting of younger voters, especially young men, and strong promises regarding the economy played a crucial role in his victory.
Works Cited
Hawkins, Eleanor, and Sara Fischer. "How Trump's election win was driven by targeted communications." Axios, Axios Media, 7 Nov. 2024, www.axios.com/2024/11/07/trump-election-win-target-audiences. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
Pettypiece, Shannon, and Jake Traylor. "Young men's economic prospects are shifting, along with their politics." NBC News, NBCUniversal Media, 13 Oct. 2024, www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/young-mens-economic-prospects-are-shifting-politics-rcna174384. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Seitz-Wald, Alex, et al. "How Trump won — and how Harris lost — the 2024 election." NBC News, NBCUniversal Media, 7 Nov. 2024, www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/how-trump-won-harris-lost-2024-election-rcna178840. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.