By Nassim Haris, Year 10
The long awaited results for the 2024 US presidential election have finally been announced, and Donald Trump has once again been elected as president. Kamala Harris, his opponent, has accepted defeat and openly announced that she is ready to work with Donald Trump. But what made the balance tip in these elections?
One major reason Trump gained a lot of support is because of his strict policy regarding immigration. Since Bidens 2020 election, the USA has seen a major increase in immigration, with many starting to worry about their safety. This caused great discontentment for citizens who wanted stricter rules concerning the entrance facility of immigrants into the US. Trump argued that under his presidency this problem would be rapidly solved, and illegal immigrants would not have the ability to enter into the US. Additionally, Trump insisted that the majority of rape cases in the country are due to the immigrants, using the immigrants as scapegoats to further emphasize his policy. He argued that if the US-Mexico border was closed off, the rape rate would drastically decrease. This reassured many afraid citizens, ultimately securing their vote.
Another factor resulting in Trumps victory is the high percentage of sexism in the US. Even though not all Trump voters have this belief, many perceive women as incapable of running the country. Furthermore, despite Kamala Harris’s efforts to attract as many women voters as possible through her promotion of abortion rights, she was still missing votes. Indeed, Kamala Harris expressed that women should be entitled to do whatever they want with their own bodies, and have the complete choice of abortion. Trump, contrastingly, said that under his governing, women would not have the right to abort. This debate caused massive disagreements throughout the country, but ultimately, most people took a more similar stance to Trump.
A further reason that Trump received more votes is because of Elon Musks promotion and support. It has been reported that Elon Musk has given Trump more than 100 million dollars toward his electoral campaigns. Moreover, Elon Musk has an immense following: including many Tesla enthusiasts or SpaceX fanatics, which gave him the ability to urge his political beliefs onto a huge crowd. Trump accordingly showed his appreciation towards Elon Musk by saying that the United States needs to protect its great minds. Trumps collaboration with a famous internet persona definitely aided him in expanding his audience.
Finally, Trump’s assassination attempt also influenced the elections. During one of his campaign rallies in Pennsylvania, Trump tragically got shot on his right ear. However, that did not stop Trump from raising his fist as a way of showing perseverance to his audience. This phenomenon placed great attention onto Trumps candidacy, potentially securing him some more supporters.
To conclude, these elections were a tight call, but Trump was able to obtain his position as president once again. Through his unfiltered persona, and strict principles, he was able to bring the country on his side. The question now is, did the US citizens make the right decision? Or, will they be paying for this mistake over the next 4 years?
