Since Donald Trump won the 2024 election, his campaign has labeled his victory a âlandslideâ and even marketed merchandise like the âOfficial Trump Victory Glass.â However, his win was not a landslide by any means.
According to a new report by the New York Times, Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris with one of the smallest margins of victory in the popular vote since the 19th century.
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The publicationâs election tally showed Mr. Trump won the popular vote with 49.997 percent as of Thursday (Nov. 21). A different count used by CNN shows him winning by 49.9 percent. His margin over Vice President Harris was around 1.6 percentage pointsâthe third smallest since 1888.
Trump and his team are pushing the notion of a âresounding marginâ (as stated by one of his aides) likely to make it seem that the president-elect is more popular than he actually is.
This perception, some believe, is also a tool to make Trump seem like a more indelible figure when it comes to pushing through a radical agenda, which includes dismantling the Department of Education and deporting illegal immigrants at alarming rates.
His Cabinet, which critics have complained comprise of unqualified loyalists, was also pushed through at lightning speed. However, when Trump nominated Matt Gaetzâa former Republican congressman from Florida who has been accused of sex traffickingâhe faced immediate backlash.
Gaetz was ultimately replaced by one of Trumpâs lawyers, Pam Bondi. Despite all of this and the the NYTâs report that claims Trump won by the smallest of margins, Trumpâs communications director Steven Cheung in a statement remained steadfast that the former president beat Harris by a landslide.
âPresident Trump won in dominating and historic fashion after the Democrats and the fake news media peddled outright lies and disinformation throughout the campaign,â he said.
Trump garnered the popular vote for the first time after three consecutive attempts and became the first Republican to win it in two decades.
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