Trump Has Defeated His Opponents
We are entering a new phase of Trump's career, marking a significant development in the history of the American presidency.
TroibNews 
Donald Trump has not stolen the 2024 election; he has decisively won it.
While Democrats have warned that Trump and his allies are ready to undermine democracy, they now face a different reality: the Trump movement, which may disturb many, is a strong representation of democracy itself.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who may not have been an ideal candidate — as discussions regarding her performance are already underway — articulated a crucial Democratic argument: The Trump Era is something to be discarded. Instead, the nation is set for another round of Trump. His detractors don’t have to feign enjoyment of it; for now, they must accept it.
Harris isn't the only one facing the truth that Trump resonates more authentically with a significant portion of the American electorate than she has. Trump is particularly divisive among many college graduates and a substantial number of conservatives and traditional Republicans, who send their kids to universities where disdain for Trump is deeply ingrained. The media have largely agreed that the severity of Trump’s threat to American norms — including his criminal conviction — necessitated abandoning euphemisms like “misled” in favor of clear declarations that he is a liar and aspiring despot.
Tuesday’s results revealed how much the politics of condemnation can undermine Trump’s support. They also raised a crucial question for his opponents: What’s next?
The 2024 election should clarify a point that was evident to Trump supporters since he first announced his presidential aspirations in 2015: he is not merely a celebrity politician but a leader of a political movement.
This distinction is vital. While conventional politicians can see their careers collapse in the face of controversies, movement leaders — exceptional figures in U.S. history — gain strength from cultural identity, grievances, and aspirations. Like a hurricane over warm waters, they often become more powerful amid controversy.
To illustrate, Trump lost the 2020 election and faced impeachment due to his actions regarding the transfer of power, yet he maintained his hold over the Republican Party. In contrast, Harris is on the cusp of having to concede her loss in the 2024 election. Currently, it seems she will struggle to secure any of the seven primary swing states. How many Democrats who backed her two days ago would support her if she chooses to run again in 2028? Likely, she will be seen as a one-time candidate.
The fact that Trump signifies a movement — as opposed to a mere chance occurrence — is a misunderstanding shared by astute politicians like former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“He put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger,” McConnell expressed regarding Trump shortly after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. This quote from “This Will Not Pass” by journalists Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns underscored McConnell's belief that Trump was finished and that establishment Republicans like him didn’t need to intervene; “The Democrats are going to take care of the son of a bitch for us.”
Well, not quite.
I won’t mock McConnell. A month after the 2020 election, just prior to the Capitol riots, I penned a column titled “Relax, A Trump Comeback in 2024 Is Not Going To Happen.” After January 6, a political operative I respect who had initially disagreed with my column later awarded me praise: “Well, that was one of the smarter columns you will ever write.” In retrospect, it will be remembered as one of my least intelligent.
However, I did have a rationale for my opinion. I viewed Trump as a specific type of American politician — akin to George Wallace, Joe McCarthy, or, in a more benign light, Ross Perot. These figures tap into genuine discontent against elites and the political establishment. They often have fleeting moments of prominence that cause mainstream politicians to feel threatened, yet they typically fade away, failing to connect with the deeper aspects of American identity.
In this perspective, support for such leaders resembles a weekend in Las Vegas — a brief period of excitement and reckless behavior, followed by a return to normalcy.
What this election illustrates, contrary to what McConnell and I once believed, is that Trump deeply resonates with the fundamental elements of American character.
A central aspect of this character, which I describe as the Contempt Paradox, is that people are attracted to Trump and the disdain he expresses toward his opponents, particularly liberal figures and the mainstream media, precisely because of the reciprocal contempt he receives. This connection is central to his political approach.
The consequences of this are significant. For many of his supporters, his victories in 2016 and 2024 are not despite his controversial remarks or election denialism but in part because of them — fueled by the outrage they incited.
Yet, Trump now faces a new challenge. Much of his political momentum is grounded in a victim narrative — the notion that he is valiantly resisting established powers. How does this narrative hold up when he has clearly triumphed over those forces? A movement leader has returned to the White House after losing it, a feat not accomplished since Grover Cleveland's 1892 election, who was distinctly not a movement figure or a cult of personality.
We are entering a new chapter in Trump's career and a new era for the American presidency.
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
While Democrats have warned that Trump and his allies are ready to undermine democracy, they now face a different reality: the Trump movement, which may disturb many, is a strong representation of democracy itself.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who may not have been an ideal candidate — as discussions regarding her performance are already underway — articulated a crucial Democratic argument: The Trump Era is something to be discarded. Instead, the nation is set for another round of Trump. His detractors don’t have to feign enjoyment of it; for now, they must accept it.
Harris isn't the only one facing the truth that Trump resonates more authentically with a significant portion of the American electorate than she has. Trump is particularly divisive among many college graduates and a substantial number of conservatives and traditional Republicans, who send their kids to universities where disdain for Trump is deeply ingrained. The media have largely agreed that the severity of Trump’s threat to American norms — including his criminal conviction — necessitated abandoning euphemisms like “misled” in favor of clear declarations that he is a liar and aspiring despot.
Tuesday’s results revealed how much the politics of condemnation can undermine Trump’s support. They also raised a crucial question for his opponents: What’s next?
The 2024 election should clarify a point that was evident to Trump supporters since he first announced his presidential aspirations in 2015: he is not merely a celebrity politician but a leader of a political movement.
This distinction is vital. While conventional politicians can see their careers collapse in the face of controversies, movement leaders — exceptional figures in U.S. history — gain strength from cultural identity, grievances, and aspirations. Like a hurricane over warm waters, they often become more powerful amid controversy.
To illustrate, Trump lost the 2020 election and faced impeachment due to his actions regarding the transfer of power, yet he maintained his hold over the Republican Party. In contrast, Harris is on the cusp of having to concede her loss in the 2024 election. Currently, it seems she will struggle to secure any of the seven primary swing states. How many Democrats who backed her two days ago would support her if she chooses to run again in 2028? Likely, she will be seen as a one-time candidate.
The fact that Trump signifies a movement — as opposed to a mere chance occurrence — is a misunderstanding shared by astute politicians like former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“He put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger,” McConnell expressed regarding Trump shortly after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. This quote from “This Will Not Pass” by journalists Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns underscored McConnell's belief that Trump was finished and that establishment Republicans like him didn’t need to intervene; “The Democrats are going to take care of the son of a bitch for us.”
Well, not quite.
I won’t mock McConnell. A month after the 2020 election, just prior to the Capitol riots, I penned a column titled “Relax, A Trump Comeback in 2024 Is Not Going To Happen.” After January 6, a political operative I respect who had initially disagreed with my column later awarded me praise: “Well, that was one of the smarter columns you will ever write.” In retrospect, it will be remembered as one of my least intelligent.
However, I did have a rationale for my opinion. I viewed Trump as a specific type of American politician — akin to George Wallace, Joe McCarthy, or, in a more benign light, Ross Perot. These figures tap into genuine discontent against elites and the political establishment. They often have fleeting moments of prominence that cause mainstream politicians to feel threatened, yet they typically fade away, failing to connect with the deeper aspects of American identity.
In this perspective, support for such leaders resembles a weekend in Las Vegas — a brief period of excitement and reckless behavior, followed by a return to normalcy.
What this election illustrates, contrary to what McConnell and I once believed, is that Trump deeply resonates with the fundamental elements of American character.
A central aspect of this character, which I describe as the Contempt Paradox, is that people are attracted to Trump and the disdain he expresses toward his opponents, particularly liberal figures and the mainstream media, precisely because of the reciprocal contempt he receives. This connection is central to his political approach.
The consequences of this are significant. For many of his supporters, his victories in 2016 and 2024 are not despite his controversial remarks or election denialism but in part because of them — fueled by the outrage they incited.
Yet, Trump now faces a new challenge. Much of his political momentum is grounded in a victim narrative — the notion that he is valiantly resisting established powers. How does this narrative hold up when he has clearly triumphed over those forces? A movement leader has returned to the White House after losing it, a feat not accomplished since Grover Cleveland's 1892 election, who was distinctly not a movement figure or a cult of personality.
We are entering a new chapter in Trump's career and a new era for the American presidency.
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
