Monday On Tuesday night, Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States, having previously served as the 45th - Grover Cleveland is the only precedent for serving two non-consecutive terms in the White House - and in the first 48 hours there were new norms and proprieties to get straightened out. For example: was it productive, in the aftermath of the election, to call the 72 million Americans who voted for Trump a bunch of idiots?
Plenty of people thought this approach was strategically and morally faulty. On X, timelines divided between Democrats losing their minds and Democrats bowing their heads in attitudes of concern, like saints in a church window. These were the whispery ministrations of people who like to use the word "liminal" and who, before the ink had dried on the ballot papers, got to work enumerating all the ways in which it is possible to be "part of the problem". (Surprisingly, this list does not include use of the phrase "you are part of the problem".)
What had happened? The simplest answer was that wealth inequality had driven widespread resentment that had been brilliantly exploited by Trump, but around that basic fact there were details to haggle over. It was about the price of groceries. It was about girls' sports. It was about coastal elites who make people in the heartland feel bad for wearing flannel and getting spooked by words like liminal.
It was about racism and sexism, internalised or otherwise. This explanation drew intense resistance from right and left, with howls of indignation from people who said, "72 million Americans can't be racist and sexist". To which one could only smile and say, have you met America?
This story is from the November 09, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 09, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Money hacks How to use your Christmas gift vouchers wisely
The first thing to do is read the small print (it could be very small if it is squeezed on the back).
'It's not job done' More change to come as M&S gets its spark back
M&S menswear, above, is starting to compete for style with specialist rivals while the company's menswear has successfully caught the attention of younger buyers
Taken to court ... as a victim of identity theft
A fraudulent phone contract has been taken out in my husband's name and he is now threatened with court action.
New start Is 2025 the right time to become your own boss?
Going freelance is not without risk but if you want to shed the shackles of your 9-5, then Suzanne Bearne can help you plan it properly
Feeling the heat British Gas hit by 400,000 complaints
It has been both astonishing and appalling in equal measure,\" says Jonathan Hattersley, 66, from Cambridgeshire.
Biden Blocks Japanese Firm's $15bn Bid for US Steel Over Security Fears
Joe Biden blocked a $14.9bn (£12bn) bid by Japan's Nippon Steel for US Steel yesterday, citing concerns the deal could hurt national security and following through on a pledge to keep the company domestically owned as he prepares to depart the White House.
We're like snipers' Lethal and cheap, drones dominate the frontline now
Denys, a soldier with Ukraine's Khyzhak brigade, describes a new kind of war. Standing in a barracks workshop with piles of basic Ukrainian first-person view (FPV) drones behind him, he says: \"There are fewer gunfights because there are more drone fights.\" Frontlines that were once a gunshot apart are now a killing zone several miles deep as Russian and Ukrainian drone squads hidden behind the frontlines target each other's forces with aerial attacks. \"Back in 2022, we were still running around with machine guns from the tree lines,\" Denys says, almost with nostalgia.
Profits at GB News owner's hedge fund plunge 64%
Profits at the hedge fund co-founded by the GB News and Spectator owner Sir Paul Marshall plunged by almost two-thirds last year, resulting in significantly reduced payouts for its partners.
Call to stick to tougher green targets amid record EV sales
Carmakers sold a record number of electric cars in the UK last year, prompting environmental groups to urge the government to stick to tougher green targets even as the industry argues they are unsustainable.
Handbags and watches help take Thailand PM's declared worth to £322m
Thailand's prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has declared £322m in assets, including a collection of 217 designer handbags and 75 luxury watches in submissions on her wealth to a government body.
