BY EMERSON LAYNE

After Donald Trump’s recent presidential win over Kamala Harris, many people are wondering the same thing. Was the election rigged? How can I change my vote? What’s going to happen next? How did Trump win? All of these questions will be answered. 

First, you cannot change your vote. Google Trends has shown that within the week after election day, there were spikes in the search of “how can I change my vote?”. These searches were prominent in red states and counties, after Trump was announced to be the winner. It’s interesting to see how voters seem to be regretful of their vote, especially in red areas. Similar to how back in 2016 one of the top search results in the United Kingdom after the Brexit vote was “what’s the EU?” It’s obvious to note that both of these show some number of voters don’t have a clear idea what they’re voting for, or they vote for something specific about a candidate rather than the whole.

Second, the election was not rigged. Though supporters of Harris and other presidential candidates would be quick to cry wolf, that is not the fact of reality. Many poll workers, volunteers, and voting machines worked tirelessly to make sure votes were valid and counted. 

So how did Trump win? Well, this comes down to a variety of factors. One, is a strong support base, for Trump has managed to ignite a segment of voters under his MAGA movement. He’s steadily turned out more than 74 million voters each of the past two elections. Two, is the way the Trump campaign used the media. The Trump campaign spent the vast majority of their messaging power on social media outlets like X or YouTube, and they used them to pump out propaganda and advertising that showcases Trump’s political messages. Media figures, like Elon Musk the owner of X, is a major donor to the Trump campaign, which greatly factored in Trump’s win by pushing supporters of Musk to also be a supporter of Trump. Three, Trump came across as being more in touch with the people. From his stunt at McDonald’s and dressing up as a garbage man, to allowing comedians and influencers to be on his campaign trail, he allowed the people to have a more personal connection. By contrast Harris has talked with a few podcasters, actors, and Barack Obama, but these were more political and less known figures compared to Hulk Hogan or Adin Ross on the Trump campaign. While people may disagree with Trump’s policies, having large figureheads and the theme of connecting with the American people through personal relationships, has a large impact on some people.

So what’s next? It isn’t a 100% certain, but Trump has revealed some of his plans for his presidency through a variety of short policy videos. One of Trump’s plans is to shut down the Department of Education, though he hasn’t provided details on how he will accomplish this. Another one of Trump’s plans is mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Though experts have weighed in saying the mass deportations will be costly, Trump hasn’t provided any specific details in the process or funding of his planned deportations. Trump has also picked many people to serve in his presidency. From Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary, Lee Zeldin to lead the EPA, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as head of the Department of Health to name a few examples. 

While this election may be a victory to some and a disaster to others, the outcome is still the same. Though, it’s quite interesting so many people are regretful of their presidential votes. All we can do is wait to see what happens and endure.