US Election 2024

On November 5, 2024, US citizens voted for their next president for the upcoming four years. And the result was quite loud and clear as they elected Republican nominee Donald J Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America by a wide margin. Republicans also gained control of the Senate and will likely win the House of Representatives as well. Meanwhile Democrats were left utterly disappointed as they had been rooting for Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee who was aiming to make history. 

And Harris did have the election campaign going for her. Major celebrities like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Oprah and Charlie XCX had endorsed her. The Guardian, an independent newspaper, too, endorsed Harris. So did the former US President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. Harris appealed to the young female voters through her opposition to the overturning of Roe v. Wade as she championed women’s reproductive rights. By the end of her quite short but formidable campaign, she had garnered a tremendous support.

Harris happens to be the first Black and Asian female Vice-President and if she had won she would not just have been the first female President of US but also the first Asian-American President. In other words, she would have made an unprecedented history. And her stances, policies and plans were solid and feasible. Overall, she was inclined to a ‘comprehensive reform’ in immigration system and was in favour of providing an ‘earned pathway to citizenship’ with an increase in legal immigration through employment-based and family visas. She also planned to cut taxes for more than 100 million working and middle-class Americans to bolster their finances. And she seemed to be a crowd favourite who won major endorsements. So what went wrong? Why did Americans instead vote for Trump who is a convicted felon? 

November 2024 US election was reminiscent of the 2016 election when Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced-off in a highly contested election. Although Hillary won the popular vote, she lost to Trump in the electoral vote. Fast forward to 2024 and Harris lost to Trump, painfully reminding the Democrats of the 2016 loss. 

Once the 2024 presidential race had been called, Trump spoke to his supporters and credited the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement for the victory. Millions of American citizens voted for Trump this time around and the main reason seemed to be the economy. Many Americans believe that the four years in Trump presidency (2016-2020) was economically more successful than the Biden presidency (2020-2024). Trump also saw a rise in support after two attempted assassinations. It didn’t help that Trump had a longer leeway at the election campaign than Harris who was nominated only after the incumbent President Joe Biden stepped down from his Democratic nomination. 

Harris’ defeat despite a spectacular campaign with huge backings from the young and female supporters has resulted in a shock. Her victory would have meant a victory for all girls and women globally. Instead, she had to concede defeat even after a solid campaign. It goes on to show how unpredictable elections can be particularly in the US. As such, November 2024 US Presidential election turned out to be one of the most contested elections in American history.