Matt Rourke / AP
By Mark F. Bernstein ’83 and Carlett Spike
Published Nov. 8, 2024
"The 2024 election produced a result much clearer than anticipated, and one that will likely have far-reaching implications for the United States. Donald Trump, twice-impeached and carrying convictions on 34 felony counts, nevertheless became only the second person in American history to win a second, nonconsecutive term as president. By sweeping through the battleground states, Trump also became the first Republican to win the popular vote since 2004. In congressional races, the GOP reclaimed the Senate, while the outcome for control of the House of Representatives remained unclear as of Friday afternoon.
“One important thing for despondent Democrats to remember, but ecstatic Republicans, too, is that politics doesn’t end. History doesn't end,” Josh Marshall ’91, founder of Talking Points Memo told PAW. “Our natural tendency is to take the moment we are in and extrapolate it indefinitely into the future. But that's almost never how things actually work. Many people are shocked and upset and disappointed by Trump’s return, but things can change very quickly, and often do. That often happens when people overinterpret the mandate that they have been given.”
Volumes will likely be written about the 2024 race, but in hopes of getting a wide range of initial takes, PAW spoke to faculty members across various disciplines to see how they interpret Trump’s victory and what they think the immediate future holds for the Democrats and the country."
