Donald Trump secured a win in the 2024 US presidential election Wednesday. With a historic win in key battleground states, the Republican nominee has paved the way for his triumphant return to the White House. In the days leading up to Election Day, Democratic supporters showed confidence in maintaining a stronghold over the swing states, only to face sheer disappointment as the former president flipped them into red. Despite the polls and early voting numbers suggesting a close battle, Trump won by a landslide. With the Associated Press finally calling his victory, one can’t help but wonder – where did it all go wrong for Harris? Here are five factors that may have strongly contributed to her loss.
Failed to prove her accomplishments
Throughout her campaign, which began after Joe Biden’s exit from the race in late July, Harris paid more attention to proving why Trump was the wrong choice than presenting herself as the worthy candidate. While Democrats actively likened the ex-prez to Adolf Hitler, calling him a “fascist,” they failed to highlight Harris’ accomplishments. Her glitzy rallies relied more on appearances from celebrities than Harris herself.
Recently, conservative activist Charlie Kirk left a Democratic supporter flustered after asking them to name one of Harris’ achievements. “Just tell me, what is Kamala Harris’ greatest accomplishment,” Kirk asked a student in the now-viral TikTok video. Despite vouching for the vice president, the student stumbled while answering, “The greatest accomplishment…oh, I can’t definitively say…. it sort of…”
Seen as weak by many
Dodging questions, spewing “word salad,” and avoiding interviews were a constant in Harris’ 2024 presidential run. The vice president’s inability to lay out detailed plans about her future policies and explain how a Harris presidency would differ from the Biden administration wrecked her case in front of the voters.
On multiple occasions, her Republican rival, Trump, called her “weak” and “incompetent,” further forcing voters to second-guess what Harris would bring as president. In the days leading up to Election Day, a New York Post opinion piece claimed Harris’ “greatest enemy is herself,” adding that “her most notable weakness is her inability to convey sincerity in her messaging to the public.”
Joe Biden’s dodgy legacy
Unlike Trump, the Democratic nominee had a rough start to her campaign as she built her entire run on what was left after Biden’s highly anticipated exit from the race. Back in July, following his first presidential debate debacle, Biden finally conceded (Read More: Biden admits Democrats pushed him to drop out of presidential race). With the Democrats’ image in the public eye already facing a dent, Harris had no choice but to build her case on Biden’s dodgy legacy that was marred by on-air gaffes and shaky public speeches.
Illegal immigration
One of the most significant issues in the 2024 race has been the debate over illegal immigration. The Democratic nominee and the Republican candidate, now the president-elect, continually sparred over the situation of migrants in the country. On one hand, Harris criticised Trump’s “mass deportation” strategy; the latter blamed the Biden-Harris government for allowing illegals to freely enter the US.
During his final address ahead of Election Day, Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, called out Harris for prioritising illegals over actual American citizens. “The number of criminal migrants we have in this country, thanks to Kamala Harris’ failed border policies, is more than twice the size of the United States Marine Corps,” the vice president-elect said. (Read More: JD Vance takes brutal swipe at Kamala Harris during Arizona rally: ‘You’re fired!‘)
High inflation
While America saw a sharp decline in inflation this year, it remained one of the key issues in the election. The “2022 inflation shock” has been one of the most important topics of discussion during the presidential campaign, according to a recent Reuters report. Despite Harris pledging to address issues like “price gouging” and rising real estate rates, Trump had an edge among voters.
According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, 68% of respondents in seven swing states said the cost of living was “on the wrong track,” and 61% said the same about the economy, per the outlet. Meanwhile, half of them noted that Trump had “a better plan, policy or approach” to managing the economy compared with 37% for Harris. Meanwhile, on inflation, Trump was favored 47% to 34%
