The 2024 presidential election ended with Americans electing former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump was able to flip crucial swing states like Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, giving him an Electoral College victory of 312-226. Trump also gained a victory in the popular vote as well, winning a majority of American voters. What were the key issues in this election?
Democracy
In an NBC News exit poll, 34% of voters ranked the state of democracy as their most important issue going into the election.
For years, former President Trump has denied that he lost the 2020 presidential election. He has also tried to downplay the events of January 6, 2021, when pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol Building, resulting in several injuries and deaths. At a Univision town hall on October 16, he continued to do so. When an audience member asked a question and mentioned Trump’s actions on January 6 as a “little disturbing,” Trump answered by describing January 6 as “a day of love.”
However, many Americans who support Trump believe that Harris is a threat to democracy. Many Trump voters agreed that Harris would make the US more authoritarian. They also believe that the judicial system had been rigged against Trump, who has faced multiple criminal charges this year. “If they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone,” Trump had remarked after his conviction this May.
Now that Trump is president elect, it remains to be seen if or how he will affect America’s democratic system.
Economy
32% of voters labeled the economy as their most important issue in the NBC News poll.
Since the start of Biden’s presidency in January 2021, inflation, or the increase in prices and decrease in the value of money, has hurt American consumers. According to Moody’s Analytics, the typical American household must spend $1,120 more than in January 2021, for the same goods and services. Food inflation has surged 22%, and gas is still up 16% since early 2021.
Many Americans support Trump due to inflation, and compared the current economy to the relative stability of Trump’s first term when inflation was not a problem. As part of his economic policy, Trump has proposed increasing tariffs, which are taxes imposed on imports coming from other countries.
Abortion
14% of voters labeled abortion as their most important issue.
In June 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in a 6-3 decision, returning the issue of abortion to the states. Since then, over 10 states have imposed full bans on abortion. 3 of the justices who overturned Roe were appointed by Trump.
Kamala Harris made reproductive rights a key issue in her campaign. At an October 25 rally in Houston, Texas, Harris brought pop star Beyoncé on stage. Beyoncé described herself as “a mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in. A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies.”
While Harris lost the election, 7 states voted to protect abortion rights, changing their state constitutions to recognize the right to abortion.
Immigration
11% of voters labeled immigration as their most important issue.
Immigration took center stage at the September 10 debate when Donald Trump claimed that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were “eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats.”
Although false, this claim has brought attention and disorder to the community of Springfield, Ohio. After the debates, Springfield City Hall and two schools in the city were targeted with bomb threats. Springfield, Ohio’s mayor, Rob Rue, mentioned that “it would be helpful if they understood the weight of their words and how they could harm a community like ours.”
There have been over 8 million encounters with migrants at the US southern border since Biden took office in January 2021, compared with 2.4 million during the Trump administration. Many voters, concerned with such a high number of migrants, supported Trump based on his promises to crack down on illegal immigration, including his intent to carry out the “largest deportation effort in American history.” While Trump may face challenges doing this, it represents a major contrast with Biden’s more lenient policies.
Concluding Thoughts
This election was certainly eventful for many reasons. Joe Biden’s decision to drop out, Kamala Harris’s decision to step in, the two assassination attempts against Donald Trump, and all the conflicts in between contributed to an American population more divided than ever.
Also, this election represents a major political comeback for Donald Trump – despite his 2020 election loss, he gains another term in office. Will he try to unite the country, or divide it even more? Americans will find out over the next four years.
