Say all you want about why Donald Trump won the 2024 election: It was the “gut feeling” about the economy. Democrats did not show up. It was sexism. People pushed back against the “elites.” The party of the incumbent president got punished.

All of those things can be true. I do not think any are the primary reason.

At the core of all of it is a simple answer that they do not want to admit: it was the racism and bigotry.

Trump spoke to the core beliefs of a good portion of the country. They are afraid of being replaced by non-whites (the “Great Replacement Theory”). They fear people different from them (anti-immigration, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-trans). They do not like sharing this world with other types of people (isolationism).

Anyone who voted for Trump who claims otherwise is lying.