Explained: How Donald Trump won

Donald Trump’s campaign rested on a simple question to American voters; was their life better off now, or was it better off under Trump?

Donald Trump’s remarkable political win was based on a clever selection and aggregation of political issues, astute targeting of both the base and newer demographic groups, and a relatively focused and disciplined campaign machinery.

The Republican campaign smartly focused on inflation in most of its messaging, attributing blame to Joe Biden and promising lower costs under Donald Trump (AFP)

Based on HT’s extensive reporting from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, its ground reporting from swing states in the past fortnight, and conversations with aides in Trump’s ecosystem, it is clear that the Republican win in 2024 represents a much larger structural shift in