By Lisa Lerer
Donald Trump outlined his intentions to the American public unambiguously.
He pledged to deploy military action against his political adversaries. He would dismiss thousands of long-serving civil servants. He would carry out mass deportations of immigrants in a military-style operation. He would undermine the autonomy of the Department of Justice, use the government to propagate public health theories, and forsake America’s allies around the world. He would convert the government into an instrument of his grievances, utilizing it to retaliate against his detractors while generously rewarding his backers. He would act as a “dictator” — at least on the very first day.
And when voters were asked to grant him the authority to enact all of this, they agreed.
This marked a conquest of the nation not through force, but through consent. Now, the U.S. inches closer to a mode of governance characterized by authoritarianism never before encountered in its 248 years of existence.
After defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, who would have made history as the first female U.S. president, Trump will enter the White House bringing his own historic firsts: the only president found guilty of numerous crimes, accused of many more, and twice impeached.
Unlike in 2016, when he achieved a surprising electoral win but lost the popular vote, Trump will head to Washington with a robust mandate to claim. Over his four years out of the office, he reshaped the Republican Party in his likeness, cultivating a movement that appeared to gain strength with each accusation. He will commence his second term restrained by few political conventions, following a campaign where he seemingly flouted them all.
He excelled in crucial battleground states, winning at least five out of seven, and looked poised to secure the popular vote — the first Republican candidate to accomplish that since George W. Bush in 2004. His party gained control of the Senate and was on the brink of retaining the House of Representatives. Regions typically leaning blue gravitated toward him, with Trump enhancing his performance in areas such as New York City by significant margins. Suburbs, rural communities, and even college towns followed suit.
“America has bestowed upon us an extraordinary and powerful mandate,” Trump declared to enthusiastic supporters at a victory gathering in West Palm Beach, Florida, even before the result was officially announced. “I will lead with a simple principle: promises made, promises fulfilled.”
That mandate, he asserted, came not solely from the American populace.
“Many individuals have told me that God spared my life for a reason,” he stated. “That reason was to rescue our nation.”
His triumph served as a clear rejection of some of his top advisors, military leaders, and Republican officials from his first administration. They had publicly cautioned that his leadership would not save the country but lead to its downfall.
Despite this, the electoral environment was favorable for Trump — although he contributed to creating the prevailing atmosphere.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, which critics say his administration mishandled, public skepticism towards government increased. Trust in traditional institutions such as the media, science, healthcare, and the judicial system plummeted as more voters internalized the doubts Trump had been cultivating for years.
Public sentiment shifted in his favor on issues central to his political agenda. Even Democrats began advocating for tougher immigration and crime policies in the 2024 election, highlighting the resonance of his unyielding focus on border security.
Following his earlier defeat, Trump spent four years consolidating his power over the Republican Party, to the extent that both lawmakers and voters seemed to embrace his fabrications about the 2020 election being stolen. The number of Americans identifying as Republicans slightly exceeded those identifying as Democrats for the first time in decades.
The very essence of democracy faced scrutiny. A recent poll conducted by The New York Times/Siena College revealed that nearly half of voters expressed doubts about whether the American system of self-governance was functioning effectively, with 45% stating that democracy fails to represent ordinary citizens well.
Democrats did not directly address these worries. Instead, Harris’ reduced campaign largely endorsed the status quo of the Biden administration, rallying around the defense of democracy without providing specific solutions to the issues many viewed as flawed — none more so than Trump himself.
Surveys consistently indicated that the economy remained the top concern, followed by immigration and frustrations regarding rising grocery and housing prices. Trump campaigned vigorously on commitments to lower costs and secure the southern border, while proposing to eliminate entire categories of taxes, tapping into economic worries to widen his support base.
However, these economic promises were intertwined with an unwavering refusal to temper his rhetoric. With a torrent of insults and conspiracy theories, Trump risked that a nation unsettled by a lethal pandemic and soaring inflation, along with profound dissatisfaction with the incumbent, would be ready to reaccept him as a blunt-spoken, imposing figure who could restore order.
Rather than retract his false claims of a stolen 2020 election, he leaned even deeper into them. In Trump’s reinterpretation of events, those convicted of storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021, were deemed “political prisoners.” The assault, which resulted in at least seven fatalities and 150 injuries, was reframed as a “day of love.”
Instead of softening the coarse rhetoric that has long defined him, he became more vulgar, even mimicking a sexual act at a rally in the closing week of the campaign. He courted Black and Latino voters with dubious claims that immigrants were usurping their jobs and inciting a surge in violent crime.
Trump hurled insults at Harris and other notable female politicians that once would have been unthinkable to express publicly. Even his overtures toward women, a demographic he struggled to win over, were infused with a sense of intimidation: In the final weeks, he pledged to protect women — “whether they like it or not.”
He unabashedly celebrated the backlash against one of his hallmark achievements — the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling ensuring a constitutional right to abortion — and seemingly faced little consequence at the polls.
And he concluded the campaign by disparaging Puerto Rican voters, a group his campaign had spent months trying to court.
Throughout the campaign, Trump’s most devoted backers showed minimal discomfort with this abrasive demeanor. Regarding his policies, they accepted some while ignoring others. When questioned about his most polarizing proposals — such as mass deportations and a radical reevaluation of America’s commitment to NATO — many of his supporters shrugged, expressing skepticism that such extreme actions would ever materialize despite his repeated assurances.
For these supporters, Trump’s success signifies both the emergence of a new era and a justified restoration. However, whether Americans — including some of those who voted for him — will embrace the reality of Trump’s agenda remains to be determined.
What is ultimately clear is that Americans sought change. And now, that change is undoubtedly on the horizon.
