Americans prefer politicians who deal with practical, daily realities over the abstract, idealized notions of academics and activists

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Donald Trump’s victory on Tuesday can’t help but challenge long-held views on American values. Abraham Lincoln, often identified as the greatest of U.S. presidents, warned in the shadows of the Civil War that “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” There’s fear in many corners of the world that it may be doing just that.

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Trump’s triumph wasn’t accidental. His defeat of Hillary Clinton in 2016 may have been a fluke, an expected Democrat victory fumbled away by hubris and bad campaigning, but this outcome was deliberate. Americans know exactly who and what Trump is based on years of experience, and they chose to hand him a clear win over Kamala Harris.

White males with limited educations may still be his firmest fans, but he couldn’t have won without making gains among ethnic voters, particularly Hispanics, and Black men who for whatever reason couldn’t be persuaded to support a Black candidate. Younger voters mostly backed Joe Biden in 2020; this time they voted for Trump. He even won many Arab-Americans upset about America’s role in Israel.

He didn’t succeed all on his own. A critical element of his remarkable comeback lies in the Democrats’ failure to deliver on the promises made four years ago to heal the country and narrow the divides that have been increasingly tearing at its core. Among the uncertainties rising from Tuesday’s result is a critical one for Democrats: will they finally get the message?

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