How Trump Secured Victory in 2024: 5 Surprising Campaign Tactics

Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign made a historic comeback, relying on unconventional strategies and targeted outreach to diverse demographics. Key support from PACs, including $140 million from Elon Musk, helped secure crucial battleground states. Despite concerns over his behavior, Trump’s efforts resulted in a broad coalition, leading to his victory.

CONTENTS:

• Trump gains across demographics, regions.
• Trump wins, shifts policies, strengthens judiciary.
• Clintons, Biden, Pelosi seek unity.
• Trump’s comeback builds broad coalition.
• Trump’s campaign targets diverse demographics.

How Trump Secured Victory in 2024: 5 Surprising Campaign Tactics

Trump gains across demographics, regions.

How Trump Secured Victory in 2024 The story of Donald Trump’s return to the presidency is captured by a striking popular vote total: 72 million Americans supported him, while Kamala Harris received 67 million votes. Although the popular vote doesn’t decide the president due to the Electoral College, it highlights the notable shift in voting patterns. Trump’s lead is substantial, even with pending votes in California that are unlikely to change the outcome.

This election has seen a marked “blue fade” in traditionally Democratic strongholds. In New York, Biden’s 2020 lead was cut in half, and in California, it decreased by 12 points. Similar trends were noted in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., where Trump made unexpected gains, despite Harris retaining strong support in core Democratic areas like San Francisco and Manhattan. Across the board, states like New Jersey and Connecticut, which Biden won comfortably in 2020, saw significant reductions in Democratic margins.

Trump’s gains extended across demographic lines, including young voters, Black voters, and Puerto Rican voters, where he improved his support by double digits. Notably, young men swung by 31 points toward Trump, and Black men by 25 points. While Democrats maintained some advantage among key demographics, the scale of this shift made a substantial impact. In Michigan, the swing among young women alone was enough to erase Biden’s 2020 margin, and in Georgia, the shift among Black women contributed to flipping the state.

This realignment complicates the previous electoral calculus for Democrats, particularly in pivotal battleground states, where Trump successfully expanded his rural base and saw increased urban support. With Trump achieving meaningful inroads across demographics and regions, this election underscores the extent of American political polarization while also demonstrating a shift in the electoral landscape.

Trump wins, shifts policies, strengthens judiciary.

How Trump Secured Victory in 2024 In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris conceded to Donald Trump, acknowledging his victory after a fiercely contested campaign. Trump secured the required 270 electoral votes, with a key win in Wisconsin. As of Wednesday, ballots in Nevada and Arizona were still being counted, keeping those states’ outcomes uncertain.

Trump’s victory has raised discussions on the future of U.S. policies, including potential shifts in areas like national security and economic relations, as seen in his early communications with leaders such as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Trump’s triumph also sets the stage for a likely conservative majority in the U.S. Supreme Court for decades, with potential vacancies among its oldest justices, which could solidify a lasting Republican influence on judicial decisions.

Despite some conspiracy theories circulating about election fraud, authorities have found no evidence to support these claims, reinforcing the integrity of the process. Additionally, global leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have congratulated Trump and expressed interest in continued collaboration on key international issues.

Clintons, Biden, Pelosi seek unity.

How Trump Secured Victory in 2024 Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, extended their well wishes to Donald Trump and his vice-presidential running mate, JD Vance, following Trump’s victory. They expressed hope that the incoming administration would govern with unity in mind. This message marked a contrast to their previous vocal criticisms of Trump, with Bill Clinton having actively campaigned for Joe Biden’s re-election in 2020, and Hillary Clinton being a key opponent to Trump in the 2016 election. Despite their past rivalry, they emphasized the need for collaboration to address the nation’s challenges and build a better future for all.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden publicly praised Kamala Harris, calling her a tremendous partner and a public servant of great integrity. Biden acknowledged the unique challenges Harris faced during the campaign, especially following his own decision to exit the race in 2024. He praised her leadership, stating that her campaign represented a vision for a more just and free America.

On the election results, a significant number of voters favored Trump’s disruptive approach, seeking substantial change due to concerns over the state of the economy and immigration. Trump’s victory was especially pronounced in swing states, where he improved his performance compared to 2020, even in traditionally Democratic strongholds like Georgia and Arizona.

While many, including Biden, acknowledged Trump’s victory, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others called for unity and prayers for the nation’s future. Melania Trump, for her part, reflected on the responsibility entrusted to her husband by the American people, vowing to safeguard freedoms and economic prosperity.

Finally, the election night was less chaotic than expected, with most results being tallied relatively quickly. However, some key battlegrounds like Nevada and Arizona still had remaining votes to count as of Wednesday afternoon.

Trump’s comeback builds broad coalition.

How Trump Secured Victory in 2024 Donald Trump made a historic political comeback after many within his own party wanted him to step aside. His third presidential bid began shortly after Republicans performed poorly in the 2022 midterms, with many GOP figures blaming Trump for endorsing weak candidates and for his persistent presence in politics. Despite this, Trump launched his campaign, claiming that by 2024, the situation in the country would worsen under the current leadership, thus paving the way for his return.

Trump’s victory was not only notable for its scale but also for the broad coalition he built, reaching out to groups traditionally aligned with Democrats, including union workers, Black and Latino men, and disillusioned voters who had abandoned politics. His campaign also targeted rifts within the Democratic Party, such as airing ads to sway Arab-American voters and spending money to appeal to Jewish voters concerned about Israel.

The success of his campaign was also attributed to better organization and discipline, thanks to his experienced team led by Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita. Trump managed to maintain control over his campaign and avoid the disruptions that plagued his earlier efforts. The campaign built a sophisticated operation, focusing on battleground states and addressing issues like inflation, immigration, and economic frustrations.

Trump also expanded his reach by targeting younger voters and less-engaged groups. His team harnessed social media, including a TikTok account and viral moments, to appeal to new voters. Additionally, Trump promised economic incentives to key groups, including tax breaks for service workers, blue-collar employees, and seniors. His approach included unconventional outreach, such as interviews with influencers and podcast hosts, to appeal to a wider audience.

The campaign’s focus on low-propensity voters and its control over the Republican National Committee (RNC) led to some internal party friction, as Trump’s team worked to centralize control of the party’s operations to align with his vision. Ultimately, this strategy helped him secure the GOP nomination and position himself as a formidable contender for the presidency.

Trump’s campaign targets diverse demographics.

How Trump Secured Victory in 2024 Trump’s campaign relied heavily on a targeted approach that his political team, including Susie Wiles and James Blair, had refined during their previous successful campaigns in Florida, including Trump’s 2020 victory there. However, those closely involved acknowledged that if the unconventional strategies failed, they would face significant blame. They were aware that their approach was a gamble: if successful, it would be seen as a game-changing strategy for the future.

A key component of their strategy was the support from outside groups, thanks to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) decision that allowed campaigns to coordinate with political action committees (PACs) on paid canvassing. Groups like Turning Point Action, run by Trump ally Charlie Kirk, and America PAC, led by tech mogul Elon Musk, played a major role. Musk, in particular, spent over $140 million on boosting Trump’s candidacy, with significant portions directed toward canvassing operations, including door-knocking and phone banking. Musk’s super PAC also made headlines for offering daily $1 million giveaways to voters in battleground states, which led to legal challenges.

Turning Point Action, for its part, invested millions in Arizona with a program called “Chase the Vote,” focusing on getting low-propensity voters to cast their ballots. By the final week of the campaign, they had secured over 125,000 votes in Arizona — a margin greater than Trump’s 2020 loss in the state.

Despite the groundwork, concerns persisted in the final weeks of the campaign. Trump’s erratic behavior, marked by tardiness, lack of energy, and disorganized rallies, raised doubts. A controversial rally at Madison Square Garden, coupled with an insensitive joke about Puerto Rico, threatened to undo the campaign’s outreach to Latino voters.

In the final hours before Election Day, Trump’s team was particularly anxious about their reliance on male voters and urged them to turn out. Trump himself made a robocall, urging men to “get off that beautiful couch” and vote. Ultimately, the concerns proved unnecessary, as Trump’s campaign made significant strides across all demographics it had targeted, including union and non-union workers, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and various other minority groups. In his victory speech, Trump hailed the success as a historic realignment that united citizens from diverse backgrounds around a shared set of values.