Why did Trump win and Harris lose? Nick Ferrari asks American voters in the wake of US election results
7 November 2024, 07:10 | Updated: 7 November 2024, 07:53
Nick Ferrari speaks to Kamala Harris supporters going to watch her concession speech
LBC has taken to the streets of Washington and West Virginia following Trump's historic 2024 US election victory to ask American voters one key question: why did Trump win and Harris lose?
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With Trump's popularity seemingly underestimated by pollsters - and not for the first time, the president-elect is set to become the first convicted felon to enter the White House.
Both candidates ran increasingly polarised campaigns, with conversation among voters regularly coming back to the cost of living, race and gender politics among middle Americans.
Taking to the streets of Washington DC following Harris' heavy defeat, Nick Ferrari spoke with supporters outside Howard University ahead of of the Democrat's concession speech.
“I’m very disappointed that people couldn’t see the bigger picture,” one supporter told Nick, with another adding: “America hates black women”.
However, it appears that many Harris supporters had one overwhelming feeling despite the disappointing result: "pride".
Blaming time - "she only had three months," declared one supporter - and "white supremacy“ as factors that contributed to the final election result, another voter told Nick: "I don’t think the world was ready for the first black woman president”.
Why did Donald Trump win? We asked voters deep in Republican territory
Ms Harris urged her supporters not to despair during the address on Wednesday afternoon eastern time (9pm UK time) from the university in Washington DC.
The vice-president told her supporters to accept Mr Trump's victory and said that the peaceful transition of power was an important part of democracy.
One voter, still confused by the voting decisions of latinos in the US following "floating garbage" comments aimed at Puerto Ricans, told LBC he's confused by how a man “spewing hatred about latinos and immigrants as far as the eye can see” could be elected by the US.
“So why did latinos vote for him?” Posed Nick.
“Exactly, that’s what’s bizarre!” he admitted.
Victory for Mr Trump was assured earlier on Wednesday after he won a series of swing states including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan.
And it wasn't just Harris voters that had something to say following the election result.
Taking to the streets of West Virginia, voters repeatedly told LBC their vote came back to “the economy”.
One voter declared Biden had done “absolutely nothing” following four years in office, with another telling LBC's Henry Riley that Trump seemed a "pretty decent guy".
It comes despite the admission that he only voted for Trump because "everybody else did it".
One voter, dressed head-to-toe in Trump merchandise, telling LBC’s reporter Henry Riley that she had spent “well over a grand” on Trump-branded items.
It’s this ardently loyal fanbase that guided Trump to the White House for a second term, highlighting that the victory was a result of the American people “feeling fed up”.
“They’re fed up of being called racists, bigoted homophobes or whatever,” she said.
“We’re tired of being stomped down, we’re tired of high gas prices, we’re tired of being bullied - and we stood up for the first time.”
