Why Trump won (and why Harris lost)

Nov 8, 2024

The podcast dives into the reasons behind Donald Trump's electoral success and Kamala Harris's struggles. Discussion revolves around the disconnect within the Democratic Party and the challenges of reaching working-class voters. The contrasting strategies of Trump and Biden are examined, especially in Florida's political landscape. An interesting angle highlights how education levels affect voting behavior. Plus, a lighthearted segment humorously explores the love-it-or-hate-it nature of Marmite, paralleling political divides.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Challenges and Disconnects in the Democratic Party

01:33 • 18min

Exploring Hypotheticals in the 2016 Election

19:40 • 2min

Trump's Tactical Triumph in Florida

21:21 • 10min

Education Divide: A Key Factor in Political Support

31:29 • 2min

A Taste Test of Divisiveness

33:39 • 2min

A Salty Debate: Marmite and Personal Tastes

35:21 • 3min

As Republicans celebrate Donald Trump’s historic sweep of the US election, Democrats are left reckoning with how Kamala Harris failed to mobilize support.

Americast gets together for an election inquest to examine what went right and wrong. Is Joe Biden to blame for Harris’ loss? Or did something else cause the VP to underperform with the voters she needed to win?

Was Trump’s straight-forward messaging a winning strategy? Or has there been a fundamental shift among American voters that goes beyond politics?

HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America Editor • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent • Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Correspondent

GET IN TOUCH: • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 • Email Americast@bbc.co.uk • Or use #Americast

This episode was made by Chris Flynn with Claire Betzer in Washington DC, and Alix Pickles in London. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including The Global Story, The Today Podcast, and of course Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd The Today Podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm