Donald Trump’s victory isn’t just about reclaiming power — it’s a scorching rebuke of the Democratic agenda that, for four years, has been more obsessed with identity politics, woke mantras, and foreign entanglements than with the crushing economic realities facing Americans.
The numbers paint a seismic shift: Trump drew substantial support from Black men and Hispanic voters, two groups long considered Democratic strongholds. While Democrats clung desperately to race and gender narratives, demonizing dissenters as “garbage” or worse, Trump zeroed in on kitchen-table issues — jobs, the border, spiralling inflation, and a fading American dream slipping further from reach.
Over four million low-skilled workers have crossed into the US in the past four years, a surge Trump argues depresses wages and puts the squeeze on America’s most vulnerable. Once a mainstream economic concern, immigration has become taboo for Democrats, even for Kamala Harris — the supposed self-styled “border czar”.
Trump’s stance on NATO and Ukraine is simple: Why should America bankrupt itself defending allies who won’t pay their share?
Trump’s unapologetic stance on NATO and Ukraine also struck a nerve. His question is simple: Why should America bankrupt itself defending allies who won’t pay their share, the requisite 2% of GDP? When Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany’s bold move was to send helmets — hardly the show of solidarity Americans are asked to finance with their tax dollars. Trump’s vow to end the war “on day one” might rattle Europeans leaders, but it offers a glimmer of relief for Americans weary of endless expenditures abroad.
The real pivot point came when Joe Biden derided Trump’s supporters as “garbage” in the campaign’s closing days. Instead of demoralizing his opposition, the insult predictably galvanized Trump’s base, handing him a made-for-social media moment that will no doubt live well beyond this campaign.
The truth is that despite an unprecedented war chest, a raft of Hollywood endorsements and the obvious support of most of the media, the Democrats went down hard. The country’s silent majority finally found its voice, putting the brakes on what is woke to choose what is sane.
It’s hard to escape a sense of déjà vu — both in rhetoric and electoral outcome — when comparing this race to that pivotal 2016 election. Once again, the vast majority of media underestimated Trump’s connection to voters, framing this election in terms of race and gender rather than a repudiation of four years of failed policies that have seen the cost of living skyrocket and America’s credibility abroad deeply diminished.
Trump’s victory is more than a rebuke of Harris and Biden; it is a call for the Democratic Party to recalibrate, refocus, and reconnect. The electorate is demanding a government that prioritises economic wellbeing and national security over divisive labels and ideological grandstanding. They are choosing the bread-and-butter issues that unite rather than divide.
Hadley Gamble is a broadcaster and TV presenter
