Was Donald Trump’s Victory a “Mandate”?

Let’s discuss some details of the 2024 election.

Photo by Pau Casals on Unsplash

There is no denying the importance of this past election.

Regardless of what you believe politically, we all know the ramifications and the potential for this election to shape the course of American and by extension global history for decades. Given the outcome and what lies ahead, it’s obviously worth examining the dynamics and the underlying aspects of it that led to the outcome. In the weeks and even years to come, it’s certainly worth asking if this election was a “mandate” for Donald Trump.

NBC News examined that very idea, and Steve Benen writes:

“On the surface, the argument, such as it is, might seem unnecessary. Trump won, fair and square. He’ll have power and the ability to pursue his goals.

But the details matter. As things stand, according to the latest tally from the Cook Political Report, Trump won 49.86% of the popular vote — a margin of 1.6% over Vice President Kamala Harris. (The Democratic nominee, interestingly enough, came up short while winning a higher percentage of the popular vote than Trump received in 2016 or 2020.)

The bottom line is unambiguous: As a matter of arithmetic, the 2024 contest was a close race in which more Americans voted against…