James Morrow: Trump’s win a stark warning about Labor’s tactics

Democracy in America is not broken. In fact, it is healthier than ever. But it is a cautionary tale for Anthony Albanese, writes James Morrow.

Democracy in America is not broken. In fact, it is healthier than ever.

As much as his enemies paint him as an extremist, Donald Trump’s victory is in fact a win for normalcy and a comprehensive rebuke to a hysterical, paranoid establishment left that believes any challenge to its authority is tantamount to fascism.

Remember, Donald Trump came to power the first time because Americans thought they were being ignored on issues like trade, immigration and the wokeness creeping into every corner of their lives.

Trump lost power in 2020 to Joe Biden but rather than fix any of these problems, the Democrats doubled down, screwing the middle class, letting the southern border get out of control and running endless culture wars.

Is it any wonder that Americans looked at what the Democrats — aided by much of the media, the corporate world, and the media-industrial complex — had to offer and said thanks but no thanks?

Donald Trump at the Palm Beach Convention Center after declaring victory.

Put aside all the controversies of the past months or the question of what comes next.

This is the real lesson of Trump’s return: the old left-right axis is broken, and politics is now defined comprehensively by the elite-outsider divide.

This explains why early exit polls suggest that black, Hispanic, and other minority groups voted for Trump at historic levels.

In Michigan, an Arab-American mayor endorsed Trump (and polls suggested many Muslims also went for the Republican and abandoned Harris) thinking him a better chance of achieving peace in the Middle East.

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives for an election night event. Picture: AFP

So much for Trump’s supporters being a bunch of knuckle-dragging white nationalists: Americans of all colours and creeds get that the Democrat model of high migration, urban decay, and sneering at traditional values is no winner for them.

The only remaining question is: will the party that ran on saving democracy walk the talk and acknowledge Trump’s victory?

Don’t count on it.

After leaving her supporters milling around at what was supposed to be a victory party at Washington’s Howard University, Harris refused to come out and address the crowd, instead sending a surrogate out to say, essentially, “go home”.

Donald Trump arrives to speak with Melania Trump and Barron Trump during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center. Picture: AFP

There is also a lesson here for Australian politicians as they head into an election that, as with the one just fought in the US, will be fought largely on cost of living issues.

In recent weeks we have seen Labor run plays out of the Democrat playbook, whipping up fears about abortion restrictions in Queensland and giving Biden-style student loan relief.

Yet these sorts of plays — fearmongering over women’s health, putting taxpayers on the hook for the debts of uni graduates who are likely to earn above average wages — failed in the US.

And just as celebrity endorsements did nothing to move the needle on the Voice referendum, all the hip hop stars and fading Hollywood stars in Christendom did nothing to win Harris the White House.

Originally published as James Morrow: Trump’s win a stark warning about Labor’s tactics