Foer Comments On Trump Win
In the wake of Donald Trump’s sweeping victory over Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party and many in the media are left grappling with the reality of the loss—and the reasons behind it.
Yet, what’s striking to many observers is the apparent disconnect between the Democratic establishment’s understanding of the election outcome and the actual factors that drove voters to the polls. The finger-pointing and heated postmortems within the party have only intensified, revealing a deep rift in the Democratic ranks over the legacy of Joe Biden’s presidency.
One particularly scathing critique came from Franklin Foer, author of The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future, who bluntly placed the blame for Harris’s defeat on Biden’s shoulders.
Foer contends that Biden’s four years in office will be remembered less for his policies than for having paved the way for Trump’s resurgence. As Foer put it, “Joe Biden cannot escape the fact that his four years in office paved the way for the return of Donald Trump. This is his legacy. Everything else is an asterisk.”
Foer’s analysis underscores a hard truth for Democrats: the issues that defined Biden’s presidency—rising illegal immigration, inflationary pressures under “Bidenomics,” and the aftermath of the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal—have become, for many Americans, synonymous with an administration perceived as out of touch with their daily concerns.
Biden’s term has indeed seen significant legislation, from the Inflation Reduction Act to the CHIPS Act and infrastructure investments. But with soaring gas prices, escalating grocery bills, and eroded consumer confidence, these efforts did little to convince struggling Americans that better days were ahead.
This👇is the electoral map by county from the 2024 election. The areas of blue are minuscule. THIS is America. This is a reflection of how out of touch the @DNC is with the people. pic.twitter.com/DuxY8PkjnU
— 🐎 Stable Genius™️ 🇺🇸 (@StableGeniustm) November 7, 2024
Foer’s post-election conversations with Biden’s inner circle paint a picture of a deflated Democratic elite. Although some aides privately believed Biden could have done better against Trump, they remained hesitant to criticize Harris directly. Yet, behind the scenes, frustrations simmered over the campaign’s direction, strategy, and ultimately the choice of Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz—a pick that left many questioning Harris’s judgment in assembling a strong ticket.
Critics of Harris’s campaign point to several core issues, including her struggle to communicate effectively, especially on policies that came across as deeply progressive to an electorate increasingly wary of radical shifts. Her inability to connect with voters on the economy and national security concerns was evident, and it fed into a broader narrative of a Democratic Party detached from middle-class anxieties.
Foer observes that Biden’s legislative efforts—though ambitious on paper—had not yet delivered tangible benefits for voters, leaving a vacuum that Trump seized upon with his simple question: “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?”