With 34 felony counts, one conviction, two pending cases, two impeachments, six bankruptcies, and two assassination attempts, former president Donald Trump takes the 2024 U.S. election despite all odds.
The U.S. Presidential Election has been a tumultuous but riveting battle between the Democratic and Republican parties. As Trump savors his win, it’s important to consider how this result came to be (through the support of White, uneducated men, Harris’s campaign failure and Leftist policies that many do not resonate with).
Following the election results, there has been much backlash and disappointment, particularly amongst young Democrats, and it calls into question whether the Trump administration represents all Americans, or just a few of the many American demographics.
Racial Differences
As of November 8th, exit polls indicate that 57% of White people voted for Trump, while 41 % voted for Harris. Comparatively, 85% of Black people voted for Harris and 13% voted for Trump. There was surprisingly high support for Trump amongst Hispanic/Latinx voters despite his strict anti-immigration policies and crude comments against them, with 46% voting for Trump and 52% voting for Harris. Lastly, 54% of Asian Americans voted for Harris and only 39% voted for Trump.
Explicit and Implicit Bias
With these results, it is clear that White Americans favor Trump, while other ethnic minorities favor Harris. This voting pattern could be influenced by various race-related mechanisms, such as implicit and explicit bias and socioeconomic differences.
Implicit biases: unconscious attitudes that influence our behavior and decisions without our awareness.
Explicit biases are conscious attitudes that individuals are aware of and actively express towards a person or group.
Psychologists at MIT have conducted experiments that proved “White Americans report little in-group preference on the explicit measure, but strong in-group preference on the implicit measure.” This demonstrates that they have inherent preferences for those of the same race. Meanwhile the results read, "Black Americans show a strong in-group preference on the explicit measure, but no in-group preference on the implicit measure,” showing that Black Americans do not implicitly have any preference for their own group, but will show explicit bias towards their own race.
Certain White Americans who support Trump could have voted for him under the influence of implicit bias without even realizing it. For instance, this bias could have led Republican voters to believe he is more capable or qualified compared to Harris. According to the MIT study, Black voters could have voted for Harris based on the explicit bias for their own group and not because they perceived one candidate to be stronger than the other. The future of American democracy depends on voters’ ability to question their perceptions and look beyond biases, both explicit and implicit.
Differing Communal Priorities
Another explanation of why Trump garnered more support from White Americans than any other racial group lies in the different priorities each community holds. America is intricately diverse and each group carries unique experiences, shaping their worries and consequent priorities when voting.
Ethnic Americans face higher poverty levels than White Americans, making their daily struggles different than others'. They must prioritize social policies concerning access to adequate healthcare, a clean environment, employment with fair insurance and other social rights that remain unsatisfied. White Americans on average have more access to quality healthcare, adequate private insurance, and better living conditions. As a result, this shifts their priorities towards the economy and border security rather than policies they resonate less with. With that said, political support aligns not just with ideology, but also with personal experiences shaped by different realities communities face.
Gender and Education
Concerning gender, 55% of men voted for Trump, while 42% voted for Harris, whereas 45% of women voted for Trump and 53% voted for Harris. One way to explain why more women voted for Harris than Trump could be due to her policies that fight for women’s reproductive rights. However, Harris’s campaign failed to advertise what people cared about the most: the economy. National Republican Strategist Kristen Davidson explains, “At the end of the day [women’s] concerns for the economy and the safety of their community outweighed anything else that Trump has said against them." More women were unsatisfied with Biden’s economy, which potentially motivated them to vote for Trump.
There is also an education gap in the demographics who voted for each respective candidate. Of those who have never attended college, 63% voted for Trump, while 35% voted for Harris. 53% of those with a Bachelor's degree voted for Harris and 45% voted for Trump. Lastly, 59% of Americans with an advanced degree —such as a J.D., M.A., M.B.A., M.D. or Ph.D.— voted for Harris, while 38% voted for Trump.
One explanation for why those with higher college education vote for the Democratic party is their increased political attention, meaning they are more likely to consume political content, engage in discourse and formulate their own conclusions about each candidate. Conversely, uneducated individuals are “ more likely to be followers” than to create political discourse. This could explain why Trump has more non-educated supporters as he is a charismatic leader. Furthermore, there has been a surge in college-educated liberals since the mid-2000s, and the Democratic party appeals to this demographic, resulting in higher support.
Implications:
A president is supposed to represent the people. Trump historically does not focus on providing social reforms that many Americans need, failing to represent them. However, Harris was no better. If elected, she was prepared to implement Leftist policies that many do not resonate with. Polarization has caused both the Republican and Democratic parties to diverge in extreme directions, forcing Americans to choose between the "lesser of the two evils."
These are critical times, especially for Gen Z’s future. We must reflect on the challenges faced by all Americans in order to unify and support each other. Only by acknowledging and addressing these different struggles can we bridge the gaps that divide America. The future of our nation and democracy depends on these principles.
Acknowledgment: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual author and do not represent Our National Conversation.
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