Sitting both inside and later a few yards from my neighborhood café a few days after Trump’s melancholy and painful triumph, I watch students blithely pass by listening to music on their earphones and carrying their knapsacks and lattes. I wonder how much they care about his victory, despite their having to endure more of the consequences of his four years in office than I ever would at 85. They are young, and what happens now in the public world could feel much less significant for most of them than their next exam or relationship, though it is hard to conceive that he won’t have a destructive impact on their lives.
I decide to intrude and ask them a few questions about what the election has meant to them.
However, the few NYU students I ask what feelings they have regarding the election surprise me with the similarity and passion of their responses. They almost all feel disheartened and devastated by the results—seeing them as much worse than 2016 when Trump defeated Clinton. One student spoke about Trump’s lack of character—his corruption, pathological lying, and aggressive bigotry—clearly something the mass of voters cared little about. None of the students are cavalier about the results. However, the NYU students fit the profile of Harris supporters; she had a seven-point edge among white college-educated voters and did the same or better than Biden in white liberal strongholds like Park Slope and the Upper West Side. But Harris faced a precipitous decline of support from non-college educated voters.
In fact, Trump made inroads among groups that opposed him in past elections. In blue New York, he made gains from cities to suburbs, in blue and red neighborhoods, among white people, Asians and Latinos—all with a message disparaging Biden’s handling of the southern border and inflation. (One of New York City’s sharpest rightward shifts came in Hispanic North Corona, Queens, where Harris received 2,810 votes to Trump’s 2,505, eking out a six-point win where Biden had won by 55 points in 2020.) Harris may have won New York City with 67.70 percent of the vote, but Donald Trump won 30.45 percent of the vote—providing a smaller margin for Harris than Clinton and Biden had in 2016 and 2020 respectively over Trump.
After speaking to these students, I continue trying to make some sense of why that beacon of cruelty and narcissism won relatively handily over a much more intelligent, articulate woman who, whatever her flaws (too many generalities promoting the politics of unity and joy and a lack of real discussion of policy), ran a smart, skillful campaign. How does one explain her defeat? We can talk about all sorts of faulty tactics and that Harris should have gone on the Joe Rogan podcast that reaches millions. Or that Harris’ delayed campaign start after Biden dropped out of the election on July 21 clearly hurt her, making her the only nominee in modern history to avoid participating in primaries. Or we can talk about the racism and sexism of the Trump campaign that likely influenced some voters.
However, I am more interested in how the Democratic Party can wage the next election. How can it make a modest dent in the non-college-educated and white working-class’ support for the Republican Party, which has existed for many decades? And how can the Democrats regain the heavy support they once enjoyed from Hispanic men and Asian Americans. Obviously, talking about preserving democracy, abortion rights, or saving the environment will not do it. The main concern, with about 85 percent of Hispanic voters, was the economy. So, despite the recent recovery of the U.S. economy, low unemployment, and a record-setting stock market, high gas and food prices did powerfully sway voting patterns. Clearly, the Democrats must find a way to reach them again. It could be something as simple as putting up a charismatic male (I know that can feel cynical, but it seems imperative) and not having to run against a compelling entertainer like Trump again. Or finding a way to make economic issues and the plight of the working class central without engaging in crude sexism and racism. I hope a strategy is in place by the time the 2026 and 2028 elections are run and that at least the young can look to a possibly more hopeful future.
