Trump’s Victory Was More Convincing Than Many Other Presidents
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
With regard to Emil D’Onofrio’s letter “Trump’s Victory Was Neither a Landslide nor Does it Constitute a Mandate,” (December 24-30) there seems to be a rather subtle attempt to delegitimize Trump’s win. I think a healthy dose of perspective is needed here.
At 49.9 percent of the popular vote, Trump got more of the popular vote than 12 other presidents that have been elected, and he got more popular vote percentage than Grover Cleveland ever got in the three times he ran for President. Woodrow Wilson and Bill Clinton, who were each elected twice, never got more than 49.2 percent of the vote. His popular vote margin is nearly identical with the late Jimmy Carter’s victory over incumbent Gerald Ford in 1976, the main difference being that Trump got more electoral votes and won more states than Carter did.
Even with the last GOP President to win both the electoral and popular vote, George W. Bush in 2004, Trump got more of the electoral vote than Bush did (312-226). It’s also worth noting that Trump was certified as the winner and not a single House Democrat or senator objected. This is the first time since 1989 that has happened to a GOP presidential victor.
Finally, those who like to point out how Al Gore in 2000 and Hillary Clinton in 2016 won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote, well they got 48.4 percent and 48.2 percent of the popular vote, respectively.
The fact of the matter is a full 51.7 percent voted against Kamala Harris. Trump won decisively and legitimately, fair and square. Enough with this needless nitpicking and subtle delegitimizing and undermining!
Bruce Kelly
Mahopac
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