What Makes Trump’s Victory So Historic?
Virginia Allen / Kristen Eichamer / Crystal Bonham /
This story was co-authored by Virginia Allen, Kristen Eichamer, and Crystal Bonham.
Donald Trump is now president-elect again. The polls predicted a close race with Kamala Harris, and many Americans believed the winner would not be called for multiple days.
Instead, Trump won a historic victory that became clear shortly after midnight. The 2024 presidential election was filled with surprises, historic firsts, and political shifts.
Trump is only the second president in U.S. history to win two nonconsecutive terms. Democrat Grover Cleveland served as president from 1885-1889 but lost reelection to Benjamin Harrison. He went on to run again, win, and serve as president from 1893-1897.
Trump, however, becomes the first Republican president to be elected to nonconsecutive terms.
Early Wednesday morning, Americans not only learned that Trump had won the electoral vote but the popular vote, which eluded him in 2016 and 2020. A Republican has not won the popular vote since George W. Bush did it in 2004.
The political Left may be likely to remind Americans that Trump is the first convicted felon to win the presidency. At age 78, Trump also becomes the oldest president to be elected.
Trump’s victory also represents a historic shift away from the traditional Republican Party. Endorsements and support from figures such as entrepreneur Elon Musk, activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and comedian-podcaster Joe Rogan apparently attracted voters to Trump who otherwise might have chosen to back another candidate, or not vote at all.
Although Musk, Kennedy, Rogan, and Trump himself promote many conservative policies, they are a far cry from the Republican Party of 50 or 60 years ago.
On this week’s episode of “Problematic Women,” we discuss the historic nature of the 2024 presidential election and reflect on the biggest moments of the campaign season.
Listen to the podcast below: