Why Trump Won and Harris Lost

President-elect Donald Trump was named the victor in the U.S. presidential election around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. What motivated Americans to vote for Trump?

From the Right: Daniel McCarthy (Right bias) said that the election "should compel [Democrats] to take a close look in the mirror. They lost this election as much as Mr. Trump won it." Adding, "The real choice before voters was between Mr. Trump and everyone else... Mr. Trump’s victory amounts to a public vote of no confidence in the leaders and institutions that have shaped American life since the end of the Cold War 35 years ago."  Robby Soave (Lean Right) argued the mistake of the Harris campaign was "assuming that a simple candidate swap would be sufficient. This was egregiously wrong. Biden was not merely unpopular because he was too old to serve as president. He was unpopular because the American voters dislike his policies."

From the Left: A Vox (Left bias) writer argued, "Harris inherited a tough situation from Biden – and ultimately could not overcome it," naming global trends about incumbent governments post-pandemic, Biden's unpopularity, and Harris distancing herself from past progressive positions. In the New York Times Opinion (Left bias), Nate Cohn said, "Despite his victory, most voters found Mr. Trump to be an unappealing candidate," and "Kamala Harris herself probably helped give Democrats a chance." But, in the end, "many of the voters whom Democrats viewed as the bedrock of their coalition grew so frustrated with the status quo that they decided to back Mr. Trump instead."