Trumpers are claiming a highly debatable national mandate, but there is no debate about his “mandate” from Washington County voters. Donald Trump got 68.6% of the votes in Washington County, making it the reddest large county in the state. Waukesha County was close at 66.7%. Give Washington County credit for consistency. Trump won it by 69.3% in 2020. There was just a slight falloff in percentage.
Trump flipped the state as a whole to a win after losing it in 2020, both times by very narrow margins. He defeated Democrat Kamala Harris by less than a point Nov. 5.
Three elections ago, his margin of victory in 2016 for his first term was also thin in Wisconsin. Trump beat Hillary Clinton here by less than a point.
Most reports on the national tallies give him just under 50% of the U.S. popular vote. Nevertheless, it was a clear win, especially in the electoral college – 312 Trump votes, including Wisconsin’s 10 – to 226 for Harris.
Still, at a plus 1.6%, it was way short of a mandate. His victory was the fourth smallest percentage margin since 1960.
Trump’s instinct for carnival rhetoric played well with some new segments of voters. His populist ramblings helped him retain and expand his base by just enough to carry the day, especially in the seven purple swing states. Wisconsin is the most purple.
His biggest advances were with black and brown men, a shock to Democrats.
His main populist messages on bread-and-butter economics and cracking down on immigrants played better than the main Democratic attacks on his strong-man disregard for constitutional niceties and the norms of a democracy.
As vice president, Harris could not separate herself from President Biden’s record. Biden had the inglorious job of just getting the country back on track from the killer Covid pandemic and its devastating impact on the economy. He accomplished that turnaround.
She neither had the time nor the opportunity to offer a grand vision for the country. She didn’t have a grand theme, like FDR’s New Deal, Truman’s Fair Deal, JFK’s New Frontier, LBJ’s Great Society, George H.W. Bush’s Thousand Points of Light or George W. Bush’s Compassionate Conservatism. No compelling slogan or vision attached to Harris.
Trump had “Make America Great Again,” which was first articulated by Abraham Lincoln. Trump adopted it. You would think he would want to expand the “MAGA Party” (no longer anything resembling the traditional Republican Party – he’s a true RINO) to be more inclusive. But his appointments to his cabinet and other high offices demonstrate the opposite. Instead of a big tent, Donald Trump is happy with a narrow, divisive minority.
On the side of “mandate,” he has both houses in congress to pass his agenda, if he can keep the old-time Republicans in tow.
You would also think he would want to be more broadly respected. His job approval ratings have never hit 50% and dropped as low as 35% during his first term. You would be wrong. Trump is only interested in power, money that flows from that power and the center stage spotlight. The loyalty of his believers, a minority, is good enough for him.
As with his reality show, “The Apprentice,” he enjoys putting down people.
He thrives on having enemies.
In many ways, his enemies define him. He is more about what he is against than what he is for.
