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The Lessons of Trump’s Election Triumph

The DailyYou’re reading The New Yorker’s daily newsletter, a guide to our top stories, featuring exclusive insights from our writers and editors. Sign up to receive it in your in-box.In today’s newsletter, Trump surges back to power, and then:At Trump’s victory party in FloridaThe winding tale of a shipwreck detectiveQuincy Jones had something for everyonePhotograph by Charly Triballeau / AFP / GettyIan CrouchNewsletter editor“What a night in America. A long, long night,” Vinson Cunningham wrote, as what seemed set to be a tight contest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris rapidly revealed itself to be a dominant victory for the former President and his fellow-Republicans. As results came in, our writers tried to make sense of what was happening, and predict what might be yet to come.How had so many election analysts misjudged Trump’s popularity? As Isaac Chotiner explained, “polls appear to have been more accurate than they were in 2016, and especially more accurate than they were in 2020. Still, they underestimated Trump’s support.” Trump’s posturing, as much as his economic promises, seemed to break through in a major way. “When people are alienated, and still clawing their way back from the COVID era (a period that clearly deserves more political analysis than it has received), the most comforting solution, for many, turned out to be snarling strength,” Evan Osnos noted. The Democrats, he added, face a chasm ahead: “One thing we can say for sure: the Democratic Party will not be the same a year from now.”Harris’s fund-raising and ground game had earned wide coverage ahead of the election, while Trump’s preparations appeared haphazard. Yet it was his voters who surged. “One thing I’m thinking about,” Cunningham wrote, “is whether this election foretells a radical shift in campaign tactics, away from the ‘ground’ and even more ardently toward the Internet and whatever it is we mean when we say ‘television’ now.” In other words, he asked, “Are podcasts and social feeds and Twitch broadcasts the political battlegrounds of the next few decades?”As for what else the future of politics might look like, the elevation of tech leaders—notably Elon Musk, the billionaire in Trump’s orbit who could play a role in the future Administration—will set the country on an uncharted path. “Whatever role Musk wants to play in the years to come, we’ve never had an oligarchic arrangement like this,” Osnos wrote. “Not only his wealth but also a social-media machine at his disposal, and now, it seems, a direct line to the world’s most powerful military. The mind reels.”Thinking about the larger question of the coming Administration, the scope of the threat stretches to the existential. “We can look forward to the next four years with a lot of worry,” Benjamin Wallace-Wells wrote of the coming Trump Presidency. “His party will be unified behind him, and the guardrails will be off.”Read more from last night’s coverage:Good and Bad News for Democrats in New York\Minimal Disruptions Despite Russian Bomb Threats\Florida’s Abortion-Rights Ballot Initiative FailsEditor’s Pick“You get to know whether you’re right or not,” Nigel Pickford said, of identifying wrecks. “That doesn’t often happen with history.”Illustration by Owen PomeryThe Shipwreck DetectiveNigel Pickford has spent a lifetime searching for sunken treasure—without leaving dry land.Lost ships are lost knowledge, waiting to be regained. In the course of fifty years, the British researcher Nigel Pickford’s efforts have led to the discovery of dozens of shipwrecks, containing more than two hundred million dollars’ worth of recovered cargoes. His work encompasses every ocean and a time span of roughly five centuries. But, because of a medical condition, he has made these findings from libraries and maritime archives—not from the sea floor. “He’s not an adventurer,” his wife said. “He’s a detective.” In a delightful feature for this week’s issue, Sam Knight explores the “dangerously tantalizing” world of searching for sunken treasure. Read or listen to the story »More Top StoriesDonald Trump’s West Palm Beach Victory CelebrationDonald Trump’s Second Term Is Joe Biden’s Real LegacyDonald Trump’s RevengeCover Story: Barry Blitt’s “Back with a Vengeance”Quincy Jones Had Something for EveryoneDaily CartoonCartoon by Ali SolomonCopy link to cartoonCopy link to cartoonLink copiedShopShopMore Fun & GamesPlay today’s beginner-friendly puzzle. A clue: The Ace of Cups and the Ten of Swords, for two. Ten letters.P.S. Want to keep busy, and then eat something sweet? Ruby Tandoh offers a recipe for a good-natured pastry for bad-tempered cooks.

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Nov 7, 2024 - 04:12

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The Daily

You’re reading The New Yorker’s daily newsletter, a guide to our top stories, featuring exclusive insights from our writers and editors. Sign up to receive it in your in-box.

In today’s newsletter, Trump surges back to power, and then:

An overhead view of a person and a flag.

Ian Crouch
Newsletter editor

“What a night in America. A long, long night,” Vinson Cunningham wrote, as what seemed set to be a tight contest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris rapidly revealed itself to be a dominant victory for the former President and his fellow-Republicans. As results came in, our writers tried to make sense of what was happening, and predict what might be yet to come.

How had so many election analysts misjudged Trump’s popularity? As Isaac Chotiner explained, “polls appear to have been more accurate than they were in 2016, and especially more accurate than they were in 2020. Still, they underestimated Trump’s support.” Trump’s posturing, as much as his economic promises, seemed to break through in a major way. “When people are alienated, and still clawing their way back from the COVID era (a period that clearly deserves more political analysis than it has received), the most comforting solution, for many, turned out to be snarling strength,” Evan Osnos noted. The Democrats, he added, face a chasm ahead: “One thing we can say for sure: the Democratic Party will not be the same a year from now.”

Harris’s fund-raising and ground game had earned wide coverage ahead of the election, while Trump’s preparations appeared haphazard. Yet it was his voters who surged. “One thing I’m thinking about,” Cunningham wrote, “is whether this election foretells a radical shift in campaign tactics, away from the ‘ground’ and even more ardently toward the Internet and whatever it is we mean when we say ‘television’ now.” In other words, he asked, “Are podcasts and social feeds and Twitch broadcasts the political battlegrounds of the next few decades?”

As for what else the future of politics might look like, the elevation of tech leaders—notably Elon Musk, the billionaire in Trump’s orbit who could play a role in the future Administration—will set the country on an uncharted path. “Whatever role Musk wants to play in the years to come, we’ve never had an oligarchic arrangement like this,” Osnos wrote. “Not only his wealth but also a social-media machine at his disposal, and now, it seems, a direct line to the world’s most powerful military. The mind reels.”

Thinking about the larger question of the coming Administration, the scope of the threat stretches to the existential. “We can look forward to the next four years with a lot of worry,” Benjamin Wallace-Wells wrote of the coming Trump Presidency. “His party will be unified behind him, and the guardrails will be off.”

Read more from last night’s coverage:

Editor’s Pick

A man searching through a pile of paper that opens up into a sea with a ship underwater.

The Shipwreck Detective

Nigel Pickford has spent a lifetime searching for sunken treasure—without leaving dry land.

Lost ships are lost knowledge, waiting to be regained. In the course of fifty years, the British researcher Nigel Pickford’s efforts have led to the discovery of dozens of shipwrecks, containing more than two hundred million dollars’ worth of recovered cargoes. His work encompasses every ocean and a time span of roughly five centuries. But, because of a medical condition, he has made these findings from libraries and maritime archives—not from the sea floor. “He’s not an adventurer,” his wife said. “He’s a detective.” In a delightful feature for this week’s issue, Sam Knight explores the “dangerously tantalizing” world of searching for sunken treasure. Read or listen to the story »