Donald Trump Won as the Champion of Working-Class Discontent

Donald Trump won the 2024 election because he was the change candidate who championed working-class discontent.

He also successfully branded Kamala Harris , so voters worried about the kind of changes she would bring.

Trump won a mandate on immigration, prices, and anti-woke policies, but he’s can’t maintain all of those priorities.

Julian Zelizer : Biden ’s upbeat economic message was a drag.

Zelizer says he thought “ Bidenomics ” had produced a strong economy that was “the envy of the world” He says price rises early in Biden 's presidency was the biggest single factor in this election.

Biden 's deep commitment to racial justice evolved into a pervasive identity politics.

Ruben Gallego : In a normal presidential primary, potential nominees would have contested all these issues and Democratic voters would have chosen the candidate best suited to defeat Trump .

He says the candidate with the best chance of winning would have been strong on taking on big corporations and bringing down prices most of all, while advancing credible positions on crime, respect for police, the border, and woke policies.