Moment ‘polling Nostradamus’ who predicted Kamala Harris’ win realises he was wrong: 'I don't get it'
“Polling Nostradamus” Allan Lichtman has successfully predicted the outcome of US elections since 1984, except on 2 occasions - including the recent 2024 polls.
A video capturing American political historian Allan Lichtman, who is often referred to as the “Nostradamus” of elections or “polling Nostradamus,” has gone viral. It shows the moment when he realised, during a live-streaming episode with his son, that he was wrong about Kamala Harris’ win in the 2024 US Elections.

The 77-year-old professor and his son Sam were doing live coverage of the election results where he seemed at a loss for words, repeating, “I don’t get it” after it became evident that Donald Trump would win in a landslide victory.
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Frustrated with the data, the historian says, “Good thing I have nothing to do tomorrow. And I’m not doing any interviews.”
How did Allan Lichtman make the prediction?
He is the co-creator of the “Keys to the White House” metric, a system he uses to predict the outcome of elections. For the recently concluded one, he predicted that Kamala Harris had the edge in eight of those metrics, while Donald Trump fulfilled three.
Lichtman has successfully predicted the outcome of US elections since 1984, except two times. He was once wrong in 2000 and in the recent 2024 election.
Take a look at the viral moment here:
“Democracy’s gone”
Towards the end of the live streaming, Lichtman and his son grow visibly frustrated, as the historian says that there is no “positive” data for Harris.
“Oh, the democracy’s gone,” he says. “Once democracy’s gone, it’s almost impossible to recover. The way to recover is by the dictators losing wars,” the professor adds.
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As the conversation between the father and the son continues, Sam says that once Trump serves his term, “We never have to deal with him again.”
Lichtman replies, “I’ve said it a hundred times,” adding, “Democracy is precious, but like all precious things, it can be destroyed. And typically destroyed from within. And throughout the 21st century, democracy has been in decline everywhere around the world, and America has now fallen in step. But never give up hope.”
ABOUT THE AUTHORTrisha SenguptaTrisha Sengupta works as Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of experience in the digital newsroom. Known for her ability to decode the internet’s most talked-about moments, she specialises in high-engagement storytelling that bridges the gap between viral trends and traditional journalism. Throughout her tenure, Trisha has focused on the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. She frequently covers personal finance and real estate struggles in hubs like Gurgaon, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, while also documenting the unique challenges of the NRI experience. Her work often highlights the movements and philosophies of global newsmakers and personalities like Elon Musk, Mukesh Ambani, Nikhil Kamath, Dubai crown prince, and MrBeast. From reporting on Amazon or Meta layoffs and startup culture to the emergence of AI-driven platforms like Grok and xAI, she provides a grounded and empathetic perspective on the stories shaping our world. When not decoding the internet, Trisha is likely offline: lost in a book, exploring a historical ruin, or navigating the world as a solo traveler. She balances her fast-paced career with family time and a healthy dose of curiosity, currently trading her "human" sources for silicon ones as she masters AI to future-proof her storytelling.Read More

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