Daily Times

Being in the field a month before the elections, going door to door and meeting a diverse range of people – from rich to poor, from White to Black, and including Asian, African, and other communities – was an experience like no other. Each of these individuals was preparing to choose the upcoming leader of the most powerful nation on Earth, a person who would hold intrinsic and potentially global influence over American lives and those in other countries. This leader would decide which conflicts to continue, which wars to end, and where new battlegrounds might emerge, even deciding, at times, who might face ruthless elimination.

Through these intimate connections with people on the streets, in homes, and in their communities, four primary issues emerged without question. The most pressing concern was jobs and the economy, followed closely by inflation, then women’s rights, with many others expressing a general sense that “everything needs to change, stop, and reset.”

Some people, upon finding an attentive ear, were moved to tears as they shared their struggles. One woman in her 40s, living in a relatively well-maintained home within a middle-class neighbourhood in Detroit, Michigan – a key swing state – pointed to a shipping container filled with her household belongings when asked about the biggest issue in her life. She explained that she had lived in that house for 28 years. It was where she had built her family, investing her heart and soul into making it a beautiful home. However, after both she and her husband lost their jobs several months ago, they depleted all their savings and finally decided to leave in search of work in another state, uncertain but hopeful it might offer better job opportunities. As she recounted her story, she nearly broke down in tears.

There was another black lady, when asked what in her opinion is the biggest problem said it is the current government which has made their lives miserable. I asked her a follow-up question do you think that Kamala Harris or Trump would improve the government? She said that it had been the government by democrats for four years, when Kamala Harris was the Vice President, had she any guts and ability she could have helped the president take measures to improve the economy and provide jobs to the jobless but she could not do it. How could she now improve the economy when she had already consumed all her ideas during the last four years?

The poor performance of the Biden Administration, with Kamala Harris as Vice President, became one of the biggest assets for Trump’s campaign.

There were many young Asians who were interviewed and asked the same questions. They provided the cogent reply that during this government most of the earning hands are out of jobs and see no future job openings if the same government continues for another four years. They all were of the view that we would support Trump not because we love him but because failure of the current administration to deliver on the economic and employment front.

There was another Black woman who burst into tears when engaged in conversation. She explained that both she and her husband are retired, receiving only $900 per month in pension. Out of this, they pay $650 in rent, leaving them with just $350 to cover all their household needs.

After the economy and jobs, the next most pressing issue for ordinary people was rising inflation. One man in his early 30s, White, had just arrived home from work and, appearing to be slightly intoxicated, became emotional. He shared that he had to sell his truck, his only source of income because he couldn’t afford the repair and replacement costs due to skyrocketing prices for parts and labour. He had exhausted his savings and now relied on low-wage temporary jobs, which weren’t even enough to meet basic household needs.

When I spoke to some wealthy White families, they had different concerns altogether. Interestingly, I found many of these families to be highly conservative and strongly opposed to abortion rights. This sentiment was even more pronounced in rural areas, where a deep adherence to conservative and religious values prevailed. One canvassed White man, around 60 years old, stated that there was no issue more pressing for American society than abortion rights. He argued that many of the hardships Americans face stem from their failure to adhere to religious teachings, which strictly forbid the termination of life once conceived in the womb. He believed the country would only begin to grow and thrive if Americans stopped what he described as the illegal and criminal act of terminating pregnancies after conception.

Though these sentiments gathered from primary surveys and conversations across more than 20 cities and counties in Michigan may not fully capture the feelings of people in other states, on a broader scale, issues such as a struggling economy, high unemployment rates, rising inflation, and abortion rights formed a formidable charge against the current Biden Administration. This dissatisfaction created a strong advantage for Trump, who went on to secure one of his most significant victories, while the Democrats faced one of their most humiliating defeats. Indeed, the poor performance of the Biden Administration, with Kamala Harris as Vice President, became one of the biggest assets for Trump’s campaign.

Despite the government’s substantial spending on canvassers nationwide to campaign for Harris, coupled with government-backed surveys indicating support for Harris and Democratic Senators and Congress members, these efforts ultimately failed to sway voters. Reports highlighting low unemployment rates and economic recovery couldn’t disguise the harsh reality for many Americans facing job losses, reduced economic activity, high inflation, and soaring commodity prices.

Voters, unconvinced by what they perceived as exaggerated claims of progress, responded by overwhelmingly voting Kamala Harris and the Democrats out of office, instead electing Donald Trump. However, in their hearts, many voters likely did not view Trump as the ideal choice but felt compelled to vote for him in the absence of a better alternative.

The writer is a former press secretary to the president; former press minister to the Embassy of Pakistan to France and former MD (SRBC).