Trump’s 2024 Victory, Political Apathy, and the Power of Identity Politics

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I'm hendielnex. I slept two hours last night and I feel like shit. But here we are. Let's get right into it with Indecision twenty twenty four Decision Edition. Is it too late to undecide? Well, if you're just joining me in this waking nightmare, Yesterday was election Day. We were all hoping it would make history, and boy did it ever.

Mister Trump made history last night. He will be the first convicted felon to be president of the United States.

Yeah, it's official. America's elected its first criminal president before electing its first female president. What a day for proud felonists. What the actual America? We have had two qualified, accomplished women nominated for president, and both times they lost to the worst man in the whole country. I think at this point it's starting to feel like we're gonna get every other first before we get a first woman president,

Overnight, a stunning victory for Donald Trump.

Blowing through the so called blue wall of Midwest.

States in county after county across the country, improving on his margin of victory in pass races.

Suburban areas, rural areas, even big cities and bluer parts of the map, all tipped in his direction. It is a sweeping and stunning victory, unlike any in our.

History, will be studied and debated for generation. We're gonna last generations.

That is the optimism I was looking for.

Thanks George Slapadopolis. That's your legal name now. But that's right. Trump is on track to win every single swing state and the popular vote. Just like the relationship between Trump and Eric, this one wasn't close at all. Oh my god, I have four more years of Eric jokes me.

Just think about what happened here.

America voted this guy out in twenty twenty, and what has he done since then? He tried to overthrow the government, he was convicted of thirty four felonies. He spent an entire campaign promising vengeance against his enemies. And if you're wondering who after all of that would want to back him up, will buckle up.

It's a long list.

The former president winning with a coalition driven by white voters, men and first time voters.

And union household those older voters, voters age forty five to sixty four, those younger than the age of thirty, black men, Latino men, suburban women, Arab Americans, and white men.

So all of America, all of America. You just listed all of America. Seems the only groups you can't blame for Trump's victory are black women and people in comas. Oh and puppies or puppies in comas. Goddamn it, I just made myself more sad. So it's undeniable that Trump gained with practically every demographic.

It's mind boggling.

But thankfully cable news is on twenty four hours a day, so punnans can incessantly play the blame game.

How did this happen?

I think Democrats went way too far to the left, got it, Okay, Kamala was too far left, didn't embrace centrists.

It is perhaps the strategy so forcefully embracing Republicans like the Liz Cheney's.

Okay, sorry, I see she and braced centrists too much.

What else she wouldn't really stand in back the Israelis?

Uh huh, she wasn't pro Israel enough, all right.

The base of the party it cares about Gaza and they by not bringing a palstating on stage of the DNC, these are not the value the base values of the Democratic Party.

Or pro Palestinian enough. Okay? Was that it? I think that Kamala Harris had this albatross around her neck and.

It was Joe Biden.

She couldn't distance herself from Biden and couldn't think of anything that she would have done differently, right, right, right, right, I see it now, Kamala didn't distance herself enough from Joe Biden.

And let me guess it.

Is probably not the best idea that Democrats orchestrated a very public stab fest, a proverbial stabbing, in the front of the sitting president of the United States of America, and then didn't use him in his pumped out of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Okay, mm hmm.

So she betrayed Joe Biden, but was also too close to Joe Biden. Aha, this is all making sense if I just put all the pieces together.

Who knows?

Who knows?

Look as productive as this feels right now, I'm not really interested in gaming out how exactly this happened. This defeat was so resounding that you could literally say anything and it wouldn't be plausible. She should have picked MoU Dange for her VP. She should have gone on the Hop to a Girl's podcast. Maybe she visited Wisconsin too much? Sure that makes sense? Why not? Honestly, I don't really care why she lost. I care why he won. We we have spent so much time diagnosing Donald Trump and

Him, we love it.

In this moment, Donald Trump is holding up a mirror to the American people and it might be time to take a good, hard look. And I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I told myself that this show would be uplifting tonight and give people hope and inspiration. But unfortunately I'm too depressed and quite frankly, very very hungover. You know what I will say, it's times like these when I can lean on the wisdom and support and the vision of the best friend news team in the world. They're out

Spirits, lift spirits. I thought I was reporting on Senate results.

No, nope, we don't need that right now. We need someone to find the perfect words to explain to us that everything's going to be okay.

So go, okay, don't put that on me. I can't help anyone. I can barely help myself. I am in a deep pit of despair.

Don't look at me.

I'm still wearing yesterday's boat.

Hide. I am a mess.

Okay, go ask Costa.

He's been here longer.

Okay, Okay, Michael Costa, let's go to you. Say some things that will single.

Handedly fill us with joy.

Uh pass.

I pass on that that is way too much pressure for old Costa.

I didn't even vote.

What bye, b By, you know what?

You know what?

Grace said something this morning that really made my heart sore.

Or whatever bullshit you're looking for, so she can lift your spirits.

Go to Grace.

Okay, okay, great Grace, Cool and Schmidt. Let's let's.

I can't wait to hear your words of comfort.

Yeah.

I didn't say anything to Comfort Costa. I just asked to borrow a phone charger. Ah, but your yeah, Comfort, Comfort got it. We will not go quietly into the night.

We will not stand it.

We're going to We're going to survive.

Today we celebrate our Independent's Day.

No, no, no, that's Bill Pullman's speech from Independence Day. That does not count.

No, it has to be your own words.

Zeke, Come, I don't know how to give a rousing speech.

I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy.

Ask you that that's not in hill. You blew it, Grace, Josh, Josh, what about you?

All right?

Don't worry, don't worry? DOESI I got this. You ever go to the clinic thinking you have herpes and then you find out you find out that you do have herpes? But it's kind of nice because not at least, you know, was that inspiring?

No? No, not at all.

Please please Josh give me something.

Yeah, hold on one second real quick.

Oh I'm I'm about for.

No, no, we took something on purpose. No, let's donny.

Jarper, no, Dolly bother No, no, no, do you Josh?

No?

Fine, fine, okay, yes, DESI, I'll be happy to inspire you. Just hold on for a second.

Uh no, no, no, you spin that out.

You spin it out, clipper, spit it out, spit it out, you say something inspiring right now, young man.

Fine, fine, DESI listen. I'm just a girl standing in front of the goal asking.

No, no, no, you stop it. You inspire the nation.

I don't. I don't have the words for that.

You know what, you know what the way you were talking earlier about how we as a news team are inspiring to each other. Now that with some story rhetoric. Let's go to Daisi las for that.

Me.

I I go to you, to you, Okay, okay, I'll do it.

You babies, thank you.

Would you please say something to inspire our spirits?

Yeah? Yeah, this is easy, easy, I got it, I got it. Just give me give me some music.

Okay, America, I love you. If you are feeling upset or heard or depressed the turn towards facism that your beloved homeland is taking, then all you have to do is this, Just look into your heart.

And you take out your foreign passport and you go back to Malaysia where you came from until Trump leaves office.

Bunnie, we don't.

Don't have Malaysian passports. How is that inspiring to us?

I don't know, it's inspiring to me. All right, ladle bitches.

Then might be the.

Best every money.

When we come back, we find out how to not care, So don't go away. A lot of voters got what they wanted yesterday, and many didn't. But there was also a third group Gray School, and Schmidt has more.

Every election leaves a third of the country feeling like complete shit. But there's a large group of people who have immunized themselves against political disappointment. Their strategy is surprisingly effective.

I am choosing not to vote during this election.

Oh, I'm not voting for anyone.

I just don't want to play the politic game.

I literally took the word political and I blocked it on all social media, so I don't have I don't.

Have on your apps.

Yes, blocked the word political.

Yes, And these non voters practiced political abstinence for a range of reasons.

Is there a reason you're not voting?

Not really, And politicians like.

I just became really disgusted with the whole political process.

Yeah.

We waste way too much time and money and energy trying to get somebody in the White House when what we should be doing is focusing on a community.

Did you think about voting for your local election?

Uh?

Okay, I don't think either of them are good leaders. One of them is definitely going to bring up more violence.

So one candidate leading to more violence. It didn't get you to vote.

Yeah, I know.

I don't know why.

I just don't know. I didn't.

Most people resented choosing between two candidates they didn't like, but this non voter had the opposite problem.

I think either way, we have two great candidates. It's like one is an accomplished attorney and then one is an accomplished business person.

But I feel like we need both skills.

So if we had an attorney business person, then you would maybe vote for them.

Yes, that makes sense.

And you voted in past election.

I have voted Okay, got when you're choosing not to vote in this election, just because.

Why, I have literally detoxed myself from a lot of toxic city, which includes live television, news and that kind of thing recently. When you think about the word toxicity, it's about digestion, and digestion comes from what we eat and consume, which also is what we see, what we hear.

So I'm honestly genuinely inspired, and I too want to learn how to get toxicity out.

I mean, don't get this on camera.

I'm having diarrhea for likes, So not voting could actually cure my diarrhea. But without politics, how could I meaningfully spend my time? So if you don't pay attention to politics, what kind of stuff.

Do you follow?

Christianity and music?

What kind of stuff about Christianity do you follow? Just like updates on the Bible and stuff.

I'm reading a lot of James Baldwin.

James Baldwin humble brag.

I recommend all Americans read. That's the only thing that I'll help make a better.

You're not voting.

I feel like you can't really tell me how to be better.

So what's your pitch to people?

They don't want to worry about politics either.

What do you say to them?

Stop giving us?

It's not easy.

So if you don't follow politics, what do you look at on your phone to get dopamine?

I look at chess video Chess videos inspired the I didn't know.

You liked chess.

I love chess.

I had no idea.

Sorry, check me. I've never even played chess before.

Sorry loser, But winning is in everything. The good news is at least you'll get to play another game someday.

He my neck reten, it really will get running.

Me on the show, said out.

Away, Well, my guest tonight is an award winning offer sociologist, you and C professor and cultural critic who's also a New York Times opinion columnist.

Please welcome Tressy McMillan.

Cott them, oh, Trasy.

I was hoping to have a different conversation.

Beau, was I, as was I.

So many people turn to you.

It is I know, no pressure, no pressure, okay, yes no, but but people do. People look to you to sort of make sense of the world in times like this, this day in particular, that's a lot of pressure.

How are you feeling? How are you feeling today?

I think I would be feeling more of the pressure if I wasn't already.

Full.

This was a very short campaign, and yet it felt like it went on forever. Yes, I tried to be pragmatic if people read me and follow me, you know, I really tried to keep myself ground it. But even I up to the end had a little, I think, secret hope hanging around in there.

I'm a little embarrassed.

I know, I'm ashamed.

I went to school a long time.

I should not be hopeful, but it was in there, and so I'm still a little hungover like everyone else.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you you actually talked pretty openly about being a little bit doubtful that Kamalo would take the win. You were hoping that you were wrong, but you did sort of foresee this happening.

Yeah, you got to be right. Well, I think that there were two things. I think that if you only read what Frank, my colleagues, people like myself right, that it can give you a really limited view of what's happening in this country. It's one of the reasons why I choose to live in North Carolina. I say to people, I want to, you know, talk to real people as much as I possibly can, and frankly, I was talking to people and they weren't nearly as terrified as I think.

Why do you think they saw it that way so differently? I mean, they obviously had a different picture of what his presidency was like back then. But is it the news source? Is it Trump's messaging? Is it the way that he knows how to communicate to his base, the way he tells a story.

For a lot of reasons, I think most of them related to just hubris and ego. I think those of us on the other side really need to believe that Donald Trump is just stupid and lucky.

And.

Yeah, it feels good.

It explains a way a lot of stuff if he is. But the fact is, you can be stupid and lucky and have a weird gift, and he has won.

What is this weird guess?

Weird gift is he knows what people really want, not what they say they want, not what they report to a poster, not what they say at Thanksgiving dinner. What he has been consistently good at since he entered into electoral politics is he goes to the heart of what they really want. They want to feel like they're winning, even if everything around them says they're losing. They want to feel like someone is fighting for them. Even when

It doesn't have to be factual. He doesn't have to actually have a policy in place. He can just say, oh, the border, I'll fix it.

Yeah.

And this really flummis Democrats who kept saying, but where's his plan? Where's his plan? People don't care about plans nearly as much as we thought they did, right, And I think, truly, I think that is a lesson for us. I think that professional politicians and administrators and the people we elect, they should know plans, right, and certainly they should exist out there for those of us who do

M h.

Everybody gets that story, right, It's fairy tale, one oh one. You can't counter that with policy proposals, right. I know we wish that's how people made decisions, but it's not. People make decisions from gut and instinct and feeling.

I think you're so right. You're so right.

You wrote a piece in The Times just today and you said it is time for us to accept that American politics is identity politics.

Tell us what you meant by that.

I meant that we have spent a lot of time, and by week again, I mean myself, people in the media. I think academics, researchers and politicians certainly have spent a lot of time saying that identity politics is dangerous, or at least it's murky.

Right.

This is why we said occupied was a distraction for the Democrats. Black Lives Matter was a distraction for the Democrats.

Right.

The feminist movement is a distraction for the Democrats because they won't focus on real issues that matter to real Americans.

Right.

The problem with that is that you assume that the only people with an identity are women and people of color, But as Donald Trump has proven. What he has proven and the way he has won has proven is that every voter has an identity. Every voter has an identity, and he tapped into one of the most powerful of American identities. He tapped into white identity, right right, and he said, you don't need to be ashamed of this identity.

Do you feel, what do you What do you think that his character says about American masculinity?

Oh?

I think it says unfortunately almost everything. I'm sorry, I am, but I want you to know there's another way you can live, another way people with masculinity. There's another choice, But.

Right now it is it is right now.

His choice does look pretty compelling because he's winning. Right in America, we think of ourselves as winners, and so when somebody's winning, they must be the right choice.

But I think what he says.

About masculinity is that when masculinity feels threatened out and when it lashes out, it will not It doesn't care very much about who it takes that out on. What Trump embodies is just our national masculinity crisis of not knowing what it means to be a man when you can't rely on a job to define that, when you cannot rely on a woman's position to define you as a man, right, when you don't know what your role is in a family where everybody has to take care

Yeah, it's so challenging in this moment in time. I have a son and I don't know how to explain to him that a convicted felon bully can be president. Yeah, like, what do you even say to that?

You know what I find fascinating. I actually think children get it a little better than.

Some of the adults do.

I believe that.

Because they do actually deal with bullies. I think some of the problem with adults, especially those of us who reach you know, certain places in life, we haven't we haven't been punched by a bully in a long time.

Yeah, we gotta start getting gut punched. I'm saying it couldn't hurt. I'm going to rough up the crew later, I'm gonna take that to heart. It's great advice. What do you think there were a lot of women that voted for him? Do you think that women were in denial about what he's been accused of? Are they Are they ignoring his allegations? They do they believe it's not true? Or are they just a willing participant in the patriarchy.

And believe that that's just par for the course.

Yeah, when I'm not feeling generous, I go with that one a tool of the patriarchy for.

The rect When I am feeling a little more.

Generous, I think that anxiety works on women too, And I think that when no one is really addressing the Democrats aren't either, by the way, aren't doing a much better job than the Republicans. Aren't addressing our fundamental problems. Our fundamental problems are housing is expensive, childcare is expensive, caring for our parents is expensive. Our children, for the first time probably won't do better than their parents.

Right.

People feel that on a visceral level, But if nobody's giving you an actual solution to that, you will take what they are giving you. And what Donald Trump is given both men and women is an answer where at least it is clear what they are supposed to do. People don't like ambiguity. This weight will figure it out. Wait till we get through our ten point plan, right, Wait until we get back the house. You'll see it'll be fine. And all of that may be true, but

That does.

Kind of solution. But I do think that the root of that is still anxiety about how are people supposed to make it?

How are you feeling right now in this moment in time? Where do we go from here?

There's where I think we're going to go, and then there's where I hope we're going to go. Okay, I think where we're going to go is a lot of blaming for the next couple years. I don't think Kamala Harris deserves blamed. This was an historically odd short campaign cycle for a relatively unknown candidate at the federal level who had to try to go out and make a pitch without being able to do that in the low stakes early days of primaries, et cetera, where maybe the

This is you know.

I don't think Kamala Harris or her team deserves a ton of blame. I don't actually think Biden does either. This is just where we are. But I suspect it's going to be too attractive not to do the blaming because the Republicans didn't just do well.

They did very well.

We're talking about Trump, but also the House to senate some down beller races, they did very well. What I think we should be paying attention to is that a lot of people were able to parse the difference between defending abortion but also voting for Trump right right. That means people actually can't do nuance. That to me is the upside.

If you've got a good pay, that's not.

It, you know, is it something?

People If you give them a story that doesn't challenge their identity too much, they're able to split a ticket. I think it's good news for Democrats who are going to need a lot of split tickets coming up. And one of the things that I hope happens on the other side is I hope the Democrats go back and make peace with the people and their party who tried to say these are the things that mattered to us, this is who we are, these are our identities, and we're the people.

Who vote for you.

Yes, that's what I hope happened, right, I.

Do too, from your lists to God, thank you so much for being on the Shokay, Thank you. I'ven knowing We're gonna take a quick Frank will up again.

Thank you tomorrow when Runny Changle here vote now here, it is.

Here that back you just voted?

I did, And who did you vote for?

For Harris and tell me about how you came to this decision.

So I wasn't gonna vote at all until my girlfriend was blowing up my phone telling me to go vote and if I didn't, she was going to break.

Up with me.

So now I'm here.

Was she seriously going to break up with you?

No?

I made that up.

She didn't say that.

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