Trying to understand how this happened (again)

Donald Trump was just elected to become the President of the United States. He is elected for the second time. The first time - 8 years ago - it seemed highly unlikely that somebody with little sense of diplomacy, morale and political insight would be selected to one of the most powerful positions in the world. Since then, he has been found guilty of evading taxes, for blackmailing and bullying. He has insulted women and Latino's at large. And yet, they all voted for him. Many of us wonder how that could happen.

Let's start with the people that voted for Trump. Many people in Europe wonder how citizens of a developed country with a proper education system and even some of the highest-ranking universities can elect somebody who really doesn't come across as academic. And maybe that's exactly his appeal: He talks like people on the street. You've probably seen people being interviewed on the street about their political preference. Many comments from people that supported Donald Trump were either hateful towards less privileged people or incoherent in their argumentation. One lady said: "He took a bullet for us, he deserves to be president". In all fairness, that is hardly a substantial qualification for the job. Looking at the map of education levels in the US, it is striking how the colours overlap with the results of the election.

Looking at the maps, it seems that Donald Trump connects well with people on a straightforward level through simple messages that lack evidence and data.

Next, we'll look at the topics of the election: Based on which issues did people choose who to vote for?

So on most issues, Donald Trump has been winning over Kamala Harris. It seems that she could only score on the state of democracy - and that is a concern that doesn't feed any mouth, so it's a luxury item to many people. Most people are more concerned about the affordability of their lives: Will they keep their jobs, can they afford their children's education, will their savings be save? And if you don't look at the small print, then Trump seems to be a successful businessman. He runs a big real estate emporium, supported by his family and that impresses people. Nobody seems to consider that he inherited the emporium and has reduced its wealth during his management and that his companies don't pay taxes. As a matter of fact, he paints a bad example for the American people in mismanagement and tax evasion.

Another discussion point in the election seemed to be Migration. Linked to the concern of job security it seems that the limitation of migration is the easy solution: Close the borders for people (and for foreign products) and you don't need to reflect, change, innovate or develop on your own economy.

It might be surprising that also many recent migrants voted for Trump's policies. This is a phenomenon that was studied 8 years ago already. It seems that many migrants are happy to be on the good, the promising side of the border and want to close the door behind them to keep more dubious migrants out. As if they could be stopped by a border control.... Yet, even Trump himself stated that 'his grandparents didn't come to this beautiful country to have it ruined by asylum seekers'. As delicate detail: already his grandfather already was solely going for his own benefit when he fled from the military draft in Germany and emigrated to the US.

Which makes the statement of a Trump voter quite ironic: "If we get drawn into a war, then Trump would be a better Chief in Command than Harris". Not considering that the confrontational style of Trump is more likely to lead to war than a diplomatic approach that Kamala Harris is representing.

And last but not least: Abortion rights. This is linked to Christian beliefs and morale that is one of the foundations of American society. The United States was founded and constructed by Christian Pilgrims, settlers with a strong belief system, desire for freedom and a good sense of adventure. Now facing disruptions like economic globalization, climate change, bitcoins and AI - things we don't fully understand - we tend to turn to traditional values that provide us with a sense of stability. Hence the rediscovery of Christian principles in combination with traditional roles and responsibilities in the family. Possibly this explains that gender played a role in the campaigns.

What would have been the result of this election if the people had voted that didn't feel seen or heard by the politicians? They felt that their vote wouldn't make any difference, wouldn't change or improve the challenges in their lives. Many of the people that are poorer, less educated and closer to an empty wallet than the average American felt that the election campaigns concerned the wealthy, the business owners on one side or the educated and democracy philosophers on the other side. Their daily struggle to make ends meet and to organise their lives on the edge was never a point during the campaigns.

And it seems that this divide of the US society in Rich & Famous and the rest will be more cemented during the coming 4 years of full Republican rule. The coalition of Trump and Elon Musk promise to deliver a more liberal market for big businesses, leaving John Doe to work hard for a living and pay taxes.

That's the way I see it. Please share your point of view.