THE ELECTORATE OF the United States has voted in tens of millions to return former President Donald Trump to the White House. This election was always going to be close but the realisation that their fellow citizens, their neighbours, friends and even family, have voted for a convicted felon who ran a campaign on division is a body blow for supporters of Kamala Harris. They are despondent, depressed and in disbelief.
The day before the election, there was a quiet, hopeful expectation that America was on the verge of making history, electing the first woman to the office of president.
Harris did not run on breaking the glass ceiling like Clinton did in 2016, but a woman in the Oval Office resonated with many of the voters I spoke to on the ground in Illinois and Indiana regardless. That hope has given way to a question; is it that any man is preferable to a woman? How deep-seated is misogyny in America?
There is no shortage of emotionally charged videos of women voting for Kamala Harris, but it wasn’t just about the symbolism of a woman holding the top job; it was the importance of protecting women’s rights.
Abortion rights were on the ballot in several states at the same time passing in Arizona, Montana, Nevada, Missouri, Colorado, New York and Maryland. In Nebraska a vote to further ratify the state’s 12-week abortion ban passed, in Florida efforts to amend abortion law are set to fail despite a projection of 57% in favour, 60 percent is required to pass.
Many women are scared, they know that women are at risk of being disproportionately impacted by a second Trump term with expectations that Republicans will bring forward a national abortion ban and other Project 25 – a far-right blueprint for deconstructing long-established norms, rights and governance in the US – aspirations including bans on contraception and access to IVF treatment. Instead of waking up to the first woman president, women face a potential erasure of their rights that will literally put their lives in danger.
Trump ran on ideology – we know how identity politics can resonate with an electorate that feels disconnected from the political system, Brexit being a prime example. His campaign benefited from inflation; the cost of goods and services are higher than they were four years ago – explaining that this is due in large part to global factors is not going to reach a disenfranchised voter.
The success of populism as a political vehicle is in its simplicity; all of your ills and problems can conveniently be attributed to one person or community. There is a slide towards populism in America today, and some analysts believe the environment is now ripe for dictatorship. The new president-elect has repeatedly heaped praise on authoritarian leaders, calling President Xi a “brilliant man”, Russia’s Vladimir Putin “very smart”, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un a “tough, smart guy”, and Hungary’s Viktor Orban “one of the strongest leaders anywhere in the world”.
This was another election that pitted American against American, the impact of which will continue to be felt within communities and families. People know the US is becoming more polarised – they feel that polarisation, but don’t know how to stop it.
Accepting that the Democrats have lost and that millions of voters sat out of this race will take a long time to sink in. An autopsy of what went wrong has already begun, but there isn’t only one smoking gun. There will be some who will seek to pin blame on those who voted for the 3rd party candidate in protest over Israel’s war in Gaza, but Jill Stein’s vote would not have changed the outcome.
At play here was the economy, immigration, ideology, misinformation and disinformation online, social media, Biden’s late drop-out which limited Harris’ campaign and Harris’ inability to distance herself from Biden’s administration, as well as sexism and racism.
Trump will take office with a Republican majority in the Senate, a conservative Supreme Court, and as we await results, an outside chance of a Republican House. He will have almost unchecked power, and fear is palpable among those who do not support him that he will action on some of his most alarming campaign pledges, including mass deportation and threats to prosecute and imprison political opponents.
This isn’t going to be the same as 2016; more moderate voices have long left the Trump camp and in their place, the American people will have shapeshifter JD Vance as vice-president and a cabinet that includes conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr and the ego-driven, unpredictable billionaire, Elon Musk.
The landscape of America is shifting, and its seismic impact won’t only be felt in the United States but globally.
Emma DeSouza is a writer and campaigner. She is in Chicago for the US election results.
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