From Trump's victory, a simple, inescapable message: many people despise the left | John Harris

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

49% : But given the remarkable spread of votes for Trump - into Latino and black parts of the electorate, and states considered loyal Democratic heartlands, from California to New Jersey - that hardly explains the entirety of his win.
49% : The same kind of fracturing now seems to be affecting many ethnically based political loyalties: as Trump well knows, there are now large numbers of voters from minorities - and immigrant backgrounds - who largely accept rightwing ideas about immigration.
48% : Because the cutting edge of left politics is often associated with institutions of higher education, ideas that are meant to be about inclusivity can easily turn into the opposite.
41% : Trump leads the movement that was responsible for the January 6 insurrection, has made less-than-subtle noises about his affinity with the far right, and makes absolutely no bones about any of it.
41% : That story has deep roots, partly bound up with the decline of political loyalties based around class: compared with 2008, 2024's Democratic coalition was skewed towards the higher end of the income range, whereas Trump's tilted in the other direction.
36% : The next time you see someone on the left combusting with self-righteous fury on the hellscape now known as X, it's worth remembering that its current owner is Elon Musk, who may be about to assist Trump in massively cutting US public spending, while cackling at the weakness of the president's enemies, and their habit of walking into glaring traps.
29% : Meanwhile, the widening political gap based around people's education levels - voters without college degrees supported Trump by a 14-point margin, while Harris had a 13-point advantage among college-educated people - creates yet more problems.
25% : "In its own ugly way, that line highlights what might have been Trump and his supporters' strongest asset: the idea that, because they are so distant and privileged, modern progressives would rather ignore questions about everyday economics.

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