ANGELO LYNN

President-elect Donald Trump ushered in a new era of politics with his sweep of the seven swing states to win the electoral college and also the national popular vote. In what is a change election, Republicans also took control of the U.S. Senate, as widely expected, even as the House majority remains in contention pending several close elections. 

Trump’s dominance in the swing states reflected voters’ dissatisfaction with high inflation and the high cost of living that had followed the Covid 19 pandemic. Even as the economy remained strong and pulled off what economists called an unlikely “soft landing” without going into recession, and inflation has come down to under 3%, prices have remained high and a nationwide housing shortage has made housing difficult to afford. Those twin pocketbook issues outweighed voters’ concerns about Trump’s anti-democratic campaign promises and his verbal attacks on immigrants and minority groups even as he made gains in their support. 

For Democrats it was a gut-wrenching election. Women didn’t support Harris in the numbers Democrats had hoped; Black men and Latinos supported Trump in higher numbers than in previous elections, and the party’s platform of progressive politics has garnered more detractors than supporters. A major retooling of their platform is needed if Democrats are to regain the public’s majority support.

Republicans, on the other hand, have found in Trump a politician unlike no other who has chartered a new style of politics — crass, demeaning, mean-spirited, untruthful, vindictive and more about entertainment than substance — that will likely change how campaigns are run for the foreseeable future. That his style of campaigning worked will likely mean others will embrace it in years to come. 

For the voting public, the challenge is figuring out how to pursue political discourse when truth has no foundation. That misinformation, conspiracy theories, outrageous claims and outright lies dominated Trump’s campaign, as well as his first term in office, makes it difficult for the public to separate fact from fiction, what’s serious from what’s an off-color comment, insult or threat, or what’s senile gibberish from the president or a clown-act to entertain. 

Moreover, Trump has said repeatedly he wants to govern more like an autocrat with unlimited powers, and Americans can expect him to use the tools of his office, and his iron-fist control over the Republican Party, to make that happen. 

To counter that inevitability, the Senate and House must stand up to Trump’s impulses that go against the Constitution and the principles of our democracy, as should members of Trump’s own administration as they often did during his first term. Trump’s team must remember he can serve only one more term, so if their long-game is to earn the trust of the American people, they’ll have to keep his worst instincts in check.

Voters have a role, too. As the New York Times said in today’s editorial: “The final responsibility for ensuring the continuity of America’s enduring values lies with its voters. Those who supported Mr. Trump in this election should closely observe his conduct in office to see if it matches their hopes and expectations, and if it does not, they should make their disappointment known and cast votes in the 2026 midterms and in 2028 to put the country back on course. Those who opposed him should not hesitate to raise alarms when he abuses his power, and if he attempts to use government power to retaliate against critics, the world will be watching.

“Benjamin Franklin famously admonished the American people that the nation was ‘a republic, if you can keep it.’ Mr. Trump’s election poses a grave threat to that republic, but he will not determine the long-term fate of American democracy. That outcome remains in the hands of the American people. It is the work of the next four years.”

Angelo Lynn