[New York Diary] Trump’s Landslide Victory... 'Trumpism' Becomes the American Zeitgeist

The choice of the American people was Donald Trump. While mainstream American media outlets predicted a razor-thin contest between Trump and Kamala Harris based on polling data, the result was a landslide victory for Trump. In fact, every time I spoke with locals in the United States, I sensed the formidable momentum behind Trump. This was true even though my main sphere of life was in New York and New Jersey, both considered Democratic strongholds. While I personally hoped for the more predictable outcome of a Harris victory, I wrote several articles suggesting that preparations for a "second Trump administration" were necessary. A senior official from the Ministry of Economy, who visited New York just before the presidential election, also noted that all three experts he met on Wall Street predicted a Trump win, saying that the Trump era was likely to return. What was the "blind spot" that so-called mainstream media failed to notice?

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First, there was a strong backlash against the "political correctness (PC)" championed by the Democratic Party. In 2021, President Joe Biden proclaimed "Transgender Day," stating that an individual's chosen gender identity was more important than biological sex. In California, a Democratic stronghold, public schools are allowed to use textbooks that include content related to homosexuality, effectively permitting education on the subject. Similarly, in New York, another Democratic stronghold, "gender-neutral restrooms" accessible to both men and women are widely available in public facilities. While California and New York are often seen as symbols of American diversity, this election revealed that a significant number of voters in these regions were uncomfortable with PC culture. In California, 39.6% of voters chose Trump, a 5.3 percentage point increase from four years ago. In New York, Trump's share of the vote jumped by a remarkable 7 percentage points to 44.8% over the same period. Considering that Trump's nationwide vote share rose by 3.7 percentage points compared to four years ago, the increase in support for Trump in these two states far outpaced the national average.

Widespread resentment toward "elitism" in the United States was also a major driver of Trump's victory. Mainstream media outlets such as ABC News gave extensive coverage to Trump's so-called "outrageous remarks," quickly framing him as a "strange person." President Biden even went so far as to call Trump supporters "trash." It is true that Trump's characteristic off-the-cuff and rough rhetoric is widely seen as unbecoming of a U.S. president. However, Trump responded by donning a sanitation worker's uniform and climbing onto a garbage truck, satirizing Biden's remarks with his trademark showmanship. In contrast to the Democratic Party, which emphasized human rights and took a lenient stance on immigration, Trump prioritized Americans above ideals and took a hardline position on immigration issues.

Analysts also say that Trump's efforts to break down entrenched elitism within the Republican Party helped broaden his base of support. On issues such as the Middle East conflict, Trump approached them from a thoroughly pragmatic perspective, setting himself apart from the traditional Republican mainstream, which is committed to U.S. hegemony based on overwhelming military strength. The fact that former Vice President Dick Cheney, once called the "hidden president" during the George W. Bush administration and a symbol of neoconservatism, supported Harris is also seen as a reflection of his opposition to Trump, who challenged the Republican establishment.

In addition, the severe inflation and widening polarization that worsened under the Biden administration amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine are cited as major reasons for Trump's landslide victory. The worst inflation in 40 years has made life increasingly difficult for ordinary Americans. Meanwhile, Big Tech and Wall Street elites have profited from the flood of money in the market, either through investments or by lending at high interest rates. The deepening polarization, hidden beneath the outward indicators of a booming U.S. economy, ultimately paved the way for Trump's return to office.

As discussed above, it seems that mainstream American media may have ignored the underlying public sentiment in the United States, choosing instead to focus on the reality they wanted to see: a Harris victory. Trump fully exploited Americans' fatigue with PC culture and elitism. He prioritized immediate economic and immigration issues, and his campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again (MAGA)," resonated with voters. Trump became the first president in 132 years to reclaim the White House, with more than half of Americans voting for him (a vote share of 50.5%). "Trumpism," led by MAGA, has now become the prevailing spirit of the times in America. The next leader after Trump may be an even stronger "second Trump." As the United States shifts away from PC culture and its role as the world's problem solver, placing national interests first, it is time for us to devise a new long-term strategy for dealing with this changed America.