Hot Off the Press: This isn’t a political endorsement; rather, it’s a reflection on an epoch-turning moment in history.
Tl;dr: This is Trump’s America or rather more prosaically Trump has triumphed.
300 Electoral Seats and winning the popular vote by a margin of 5mm | Control of the Senate, House, Supreme Court & Majority of State Governors.
Thatcherism – BREXIT- Now Trumpism. The Anglo-Americann Empire Strikes Back.
I deliberately slept through the elections to avoid the hysteria, but now that I’m awake, the reality is undeniable. Trump has accomplished what few in political history have managed to achieve.
Just as Barack Obama served as a counter to the excesses of Bushism, we now see Trumpism as the definitive response to Obamism. This raises the question: Is this phenomenon rooted in white supremacy, anti-imperialism, populism, reactionism, or simply patriotism? Historians will unpack this epoch-making victory for generations to come. It’s hilarious how in the early millennium we were wondering about the Bush-Clinton domination of US politics for decades to come and now the paradigm is unimaginably different (except for the Simpsons).
Key Victories:
1. Trump has won the popular vote (this is BREXIT).
2. Trump successfully flipped key swing states—Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin—that he lost in the 2020 election, securing over 270 electoral votes. Will he hit 300?
3. Trump garnered increased support from Black, Muslim, and Hispanic Americans, contributing to his broad-based coalition.
4.Trump has secured every swing seat (echoing Boris’s 2019 victory).
5.His victory coincided with Republicans regaining control of the Senate, enhancing his legislative influence & perhaps more importantly ensuring a conservative Supreme Court for a generation.
7.Trump has taken the House (with absolute control of the legislative apparatus).
8.Trump won Miami-Dade County in Florida, marking the first Republican victory there since 1988. Does that mean identity and voting don’t align?
9.Trump has retained governorships (signaling a future of Republicanism at the state level).
10.Despite surviving two assassination attempts during the campaign, Trump maintained his candidacy and achieved victory.
The magnitude of this victory, achieved in an era where elections are often too close to call, challenges the cultural narrative & expectations (were people lying to pollsters?). It signifies:
•The end of the Obama-Clinton straitjacket on the Democratic Party, paving the way for populist figures like AOC. The political end of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, who represent the last remnants of a 32-year era that began with Bill Clinton.
•An increase in progressive activism; movements like BLM have thrived even amidst Trump’s presidency.
Expect a shift in legislation towards the right, with debates over guns and abortion likely settled for the foreseeable future. Assimilation pressures will intensify, compelling Black and Indigenous communities to solidify their identities while immigrants will face expectations to assimilate into white America. We may witness a reconfiguration of Hispanic identities into distinct blocs (similarly with Asians & Muslim ethnicities), reminiscent of previous ethnic group dynamics in America (some will become white or white-adjacent and the others solidly BIPOC, presumably mirroring socio-economic divides).
Trump is only the second man in U.S. history to be elected president after losing a prior election; Grover Cleveland won the presidency in 1884, lost in 1888, and then won again in 1892, serving two non-consecutive terms (making him both the 22nd and 24th president). I had initially thought it was Theodore Roosevelt but I was wrong.
With Trump as a pivotal figure in this political landscape, his heirs, such as Vance and Musk, are poised to influence future directions (Musk has money but Vance has birthright & a South Indian wife). Post-Trump, the Republican Party may splinter, mirroring how RFK Jr. transitioned to the GOP. UK-US politics (and that of the 5 Eyes) are vibrant two-party blood sports.
America is set to embrace multipolarity and potentially less military intervention—policies that serve the interests of the “deep state” but not the populism Trump represents.
Global Reactions: World leaders, including Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, extended congratulations, indicating potential shifts in international relations but of course Nigel Farage stole the moment.
This reflection aims to encapsulate the shifting tides in our political landscape. Your thoughts?