President Donald Trump and many of his supporters believe the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election was a landslide. In fact, some insist Trump’s win was unprecedented.
Let’s keep things in perspective:
- Trump received just 49.8 % of the popular vote. Hence, more Americans voted against Trump than for him.
- The popular vote difference between Trump and Kamala Harris was just over 1.4%.
- About 29.5 % of eligible voters cast a vote for Trump which means over 70 percent didn’t.
Wait, what? Less than 3 of 10 eligible Americans voted for Trump?
Let’s do the math. As of 2023, the adult population (citizens 18 and over) in the United States was 262,083,034, which is 78% of the total population. This is based on an estimated population of 334.9 million. Trump received 77,303,000 votes, which is 29.5% of the eligible voters. Harris garnered about 28.6%.
Although voter turnout was higher than the norm in 2024, 42% of American adults still didn’t vote. And it’s safe to say the vast majority of them aren’t Trump fans. If they were, they would have voted because Trumpers tend to be so devoted to him.
So, when the polls show Trump’s popularity tanking, believe it! Those polls gage Americans’ overall sentiment regardless of whether they voted. It’s entitrely conceiavble his popularity could dip in the low 30s very quickly, even if everyone who voted for him is satisfied with his performance.
Also, of particular note, Democrats gained a few seats in the House and won four crucial Senate races in states that Trump carried (Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Arizona), which tells us a lot of Americans who supported Trump voted for Democrats down the ballot.
And let’s not forget the Democrat gubernatorial win in North Carolina, another state won by Trump.
Based on the numbers and recent history, if the economy isn’t on fire by the 2026 midterms, Republicans will be headed for a major shellacking.