When Republican Donald Trump narrowly defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in the United States’ 2024 presidential election, Trump and many of his MAGA allies described it as a “landslide” and an overwhelming “mandate” for his policies. But the election results were much more complex and nuanced than that.
Trump defeated Harris by roughly 1.5 percent in the national popular vote, which is far from a “landslide” — and the election results in key swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan were close. Moreover, the voters who favored Trump over Harris were not monolithic.
Some were Trump’s hardcore MAGA base, while others were independents and swing voters who were frustrated over inflation.
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The Washington Post’s Hannah Knowles examines those swing voters in an article published on April 26, noting that some of them are still feeling frustrated as President Trump pushes steep new tariffs that according to many economists, are a major recipe for inflation.
“Independent voters are starting to sour on Trump and his disruptive agenda, demonstrating its political risks for the president and his party,” Knowles reports. “In January, independents disapproved of Trump’s job performance by just a few percentage points, according to polling averages tracked by The Washington Post. This month, Trump was an average of 25 points underwater with the same group.”
One of the independent voters the Post interviewed was 60-year-old Home Depot employee Lisa Kirk, who voted for former President Barack Obama before Trump but voted for Trump in 2016 and 2024.
Kirk told the Post she’s considering withdrawing funds from her 401k, noting, “If we’re going to go into a recession, I might lose it all.” And Trump said of Trump, “Economically, he’s not the same person.”
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Kirk, according to Knowles, said “she expected him to impose some tariffs, but not like this.”
However, Ranger Kling, an independent voter and 19-year-old college student who voted for Trump in 2024, told the Post, “He’s definitely a very straightforward person. I’m going to continue to have patience and see his plan out.”
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Read the full Washington Post article at this link (subscription required).
