A chart that says it all | The (very) short victory of Donald Trump

That’s it: Donald Trump is president of the United States again.

He believes he has obtained a strong mandate to make reforms, deport millions of immigrants and impose tariffs on friendly countries like Canada.

On the evening of his electoral victory in November, he spoke of a “strong and unprecedented mandate” and a “political victory like [leur] country has never seen one.” Um… no, not really.

Yes, Trump won the electoral college election, he will have the powers of the presidency, the Republicans will control both houses of Congress. It’s democracy.

And yes, unlike 2016, he won the popular vote. This is not an achievement, however: all but two of the victorious presidents since 1900 have won the popular vote (Trump in 2016, Bush in 2000).

At the start of this mandate, it is important to remember that not all Americans supported Donald Trump. The latter obtained less than 50% of the votes (49.8%). He beat Kamala Harris in the popular vote by just 1.5% of the vote.

This is the fifth smallest lead in 32 presidential elections since 1900, after Donald Trump in 2016, George W. Bush (2000), John F. Kennedy (1960) and Richard Nixon (1968). His percentage of votes (49.8%) is well below average, as of 23^e rank in 32 elections since 1900¹.

In short, it is a (very) short victory, not a strong mandate nor a plebiscite for Trumpism. It is important to remember this, as the temptation to give in to discouragement could be strong for some during this mandate which promises to be eventful.

1. Check the statistics (in English)

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