Amy Greene was in Washington and New York on Tuesday and Wednesday to follow the American elections live. She recently published America faces its fractures (Taillandier, 2024). However, she believes that the mosaic of reasons which led American voters to re-elect Donald Trump should not hide the essential fact: Trumpism is a major political fact. And the Democrats haven't analyzed it enough.
Is Donald Trump's return to power a surprise to you?
What is rather surprising is the clearness of the voters' choice. In 2016, Donald Trump lost the popular vote quite clearly and his victory was not at all expected. It was a shock. This time, it's a clear victory, but quite classic in the end. Almost normal. What is clear now is that Donald Trump is not an accident in American history. This is not an aberration, it is a political force. Potentially sustainable.
The polls were wrong. The popular vote shows us a country still divided in two, but Trump's progress is general. Are the polls no longer reliable?
Since 2016, doubt has arisen about the ability of pollsters to measure the reality of the electorate and voting intentions. Some institutes announced a possible decisive victory, but it is true, the polls do not currently allow us to measure all the nuances of public opinion. To capture the hidden vote.
A political force, you say. What are the purely political reasons for this victory of Donald Trump? What was this election about?
From a political perspective, I think there was a lot of anger and a lot of dissatisfaction with Joe Biden's presidency. This is fundamental, especially when it comes to the economy and inflation. Four years ago, particularly in the decisive states that Trump has just flipped, many voters hoped to see Biden find lasting, effective and, above all, perceptible economic solutions. However, the change was not felt. While they had the memory of the pandemic check issued by Donald Trump to make ends meet.
So was disappointment a lever?
Yes, despite the macroeconomic statistics, voters expected a lot from the recovery, from undeniable, perceptible growth, and this was not sufficiently present.
In your opinion, Kamala Harris has not made her personal mark?
The only break she proposed was a generational break. By betting that the departure of an 80-year-old man would not allow a 78-year-old man to succeed him. She proposed the incarnation of a new generation, while Trump bet that the Americans were not going to take offense at…
