Trump’s victory is a rejection of elite condescension

You may remember it from your high school science lessons—a law of physics known as Newton’s Third Law of Motion. In simple terms, this tells us that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Apparently, there is a similar law in the world of politics. That helps explain why former President Donald Trump will return to the White House in a few months.

Yes, the election was a rejection of the Biden administration. It was a rejection of inflation, illegal immigration and urban crime. It was a no-no for Vice President Kamala Harris, who has found it difficult to answer virtually any question without going to word salad town.

But it was more than that. First of all, it was a rejection of the condescension of the elite.

In other words, just because you wear a red MAGA hat doesn’t mean you’re a bigot—no matter how many liberal and progressive pundits go on CNN and MSNBC and say you are, while some elite liberal ” journalist” sits there like a potted plant, nodding in agreement.

For quite some time, elites have looked down on ordinary Americans. The elites thought they were smarter than the people living in “flyover country” where they often saw haymakers eating at places like Red Lobster. And it seemed that they not only considered themselves smarter than ordinary Americans, but also better than ordinary Americans.

So, as far as these elites are concerned, if you thought inflation was a problem, it was not because it actually was, but because you were too stupid to realize that Bidennomics was a big success.

If you didn’t believe our southern border was “secure,” it must have been because you were an anti-immigrant bigot.

If you thought biological boys shouldn’t be allowed to play on girls’ sports teams, you were called a “transphobe.”

Ordinary Americans took notice when Hillary Clinton called half of Trump’s supporters a “basket of pathetic people.” They noticed when Kamala Harris called Trump a “fascist,” when President Biden called Trump supporters “trash,” and when billionaire Mark Cuban said the only women Trump was comfortable with were weak and stupid women.

The Democrats didn’t lose the presidential election just because people went broke just buying food at the supermarket or filling up their tank at the gas station. They also lost because of the contempt they regularly showed to half the country.

Thus, millions of these ordinary Americans not only brought Harris down, but also sent a message to the elite political, academic, media and cultural establishment. Reckoning is a word that rhymes with “witch.”

Don’t take any of this as high praise for Trump. His dishonesty and rude behavior are already well known. I argued that his character alone was unsuitable for the presidency.

But there is no escaping this truth, no matter how inconvenient it may be for the elite: as bad as Trump was to critics, Americans viewed Harris and her party as far worse.

Nobody likes to be on the wrong end of condescension because sooner or later there will be an equal and opposite reaction. And on November 5, 2024, such a reaction occurred.

Bernard Goldberg writer and journalist, winner of an Emmy Award and the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award. He is the author of five books and publishes exclusive weekly columns, audio commentary and Q&As on his pages. Substack Page. Follow him @BernardGoldberg.

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