"It's a political victory that our country has never seen before". For once, the expressions used by Donald Trump during his speech on the morning of Wednesday, November 6, were not hyperbole. On the day after the election, while votes were still being counted, Trump already won more than the 270 electors needed to win the presidency, while his camp also gained a majority in the Senate.

Above all, the new president-elect won the popular vote this time, with more voters than Kamala Harris. If the House of Representatives, currently uncertain, also gives a majority to elected Republicans, Trump would then hold the trifecta: the White House and both houses of Congress – to which must be added the Supreme Court which has had a majority of six conservative judges out of nine since his first term.

What are the voting dynamics behind the stunning victory of a far-right candidate hated by a considerable percentage of Americans, a repeat convict whom many suspect of being subservient to Russian power? The first of these certainly has to do with the political talent, charisma and resilience of the unusual character.

Lack of new talent

But the Democratic Party cannot avoid a painful examination of its own responsibilities in the crushing defeat it just suffered. The primary reasons for the defeat must undoubtedly be laid at the door of Trump's rival, Harris. During a campaign that was far too short, from the end of July to the beginning of November, the Democratic candidate failed to deliver an effective message to the American people.

Between her markedly left-wing platform in the 2020 Democratic primary campaign and her much more moderate proposals this year, voters have not come to understand what her real views are. Above all, Harris has never been able to find the right tone to express her personal narrative – where her opponent, despite his repeated lies, is perceived as "authentic."

But beyond Harris' shortcomings, we also have to blame the absence, for almost 10 years, of a genuine selection of new political talent within the Democratic Party. Strongly encouraged in high places despite the holding of presidential primaries, the candidacies of Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020 have hampered the rise of the next generation of Democrats. Taken by surprise by Biden's much too-late withdrawal at the end of July, the party found itself short of quality candidates.

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