Ex-President Bill Clinton recently conveyed his lack of surprise at Donald Trump’s win in the 2024 presidential race. Clinton noted that he had foreseen the consolidated voting pattern across swing states that played a pivotal role in determining the election’s result.
During a conversation with Jonathan Capehart on MSNBC, Clinton recognized the substantial shift in the American political landscape. He observed that unlike in 2016, Trump’s win in 2024 encompassed both the popular vote and the Electoral College, a distinction from when Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton.
The election results highlighted Trump’s success in winning all seven battleground states: Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Nevada. These states, commanding a total of 93 electoral votes, were crucial in deciding the presidency.
Data analysis revealed that Vice President Kamala Harris faced formidable hurdles during her campaign, losing approximately seven million votes compared to President Biden’s 2020 results. The downturn in Democratic turnout, attributed to various factors such as inflation and party discontentment, played a significant role in the election’s outcome.
Clinton discussed the influence of broader societal factors on the election results, stating, “There’s been a lot of change for people to digest, a lot of economic adversity and upheaval, a lot of political upheaval, a lot of social developments.” He further stated that some voters were “just exhausted by uncertainty and tired of carrying it around,” adding that such sentiment “always helps the right.”
Clinton also drew parallels between the 2024 election and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. Hillary recently stated that Vice President Harris seemed to have had better initial prospects than she did, noting the absence of FBI Director James Comey “waiting in the wings to kneecap her.” Bill Clinton posited that Comey’s probe into Hillary’s private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State influenced the 2016 election results.
Despite facing a series of legal obstacles, including two presidential impeachments and numerous criminal charges, Trump’s win marked a significant political rebound. His campaign effectively appealed to a diverse voter base, gaining increased support from Latino and African American men, as well as young adults.
The Harris campaign encountered several significant hurdles, including the struggle to distinguish herself from President Biden’s policies and mobilize crucial voter demographics effectively. Her campaign’s emphasis on abortion rights failed to generate enough voter turnout to counter Trump’s extensive coalition building.