Early yesterday morning I said most of what I had to say about President Trump’s victory in “Before this evening.” To that I add:
• I would like to say Trump wins: Obama hardest hit.
• I would like to say Trump wins: Nancy Pelosi hardest hit.
• I would like to say Trump wins: Mainstream media hardest hit.
• I would like to say Trump wins: Wokery hardest hit.
• I would like to say Trump wins: Tim Walz returned to sender. Minnesota has been spared the ascension of “light-skinned native woman” (as she calls herself) Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flannagan. She is a bigger flake than Walz.
• I thought the stock market had priced in a Trump win in the days before November 5. As I write this morning, however, Dow futures are up 1200 points. I would like to say Trump wins: Paul Krugman hardest hit. Or to put it another way: Trump wins: Nobel economists hardest hit.
• Comic relief: “Renowned Pollster J. Ann Selzer said Tuesday she would be reviewing her data to determine why a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll released just days before the election produced results so far out of line with former President Donald Trump’s resounding victory. Trump handily won Iowa for a third time, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris by 14 percentage points with more than 90% of the vote counted ― a sharp contrast to Saturday’s Iowa Poll that had Harris leading by 3 points.”
• Trump’s victory is historic. It represents an incredible political comeback. He may even rack up a majority in the popular vote. If so, it would be the first time for a Republican since 2004.
• Should we wake the president to give him the news?
• My cousin Dean Phillips told them so. As I recall, Tim Walz was the first of his political allies to stab Dean in the front for having the temerity to challenge Biden and call for a generational change. Dean challenged Biden because he thought it was the right thing to do — the right thing for the United States, not for his political career. With the backlash among Democrats, Dean stood down for reelection to his congressional seat.
• Trump’s victory ought to inspire serious soul-searching among Democrats and their media adjunct. That seems highly unlikely. The reality principle prevailed. The left will not take it well.
• Trump will have a Republican majority with which to work in the Senate. The size of the majority remains unclear. The Associated Press has just declared Tim Sheehy the winner of his race against incumbent Democrat Jon Tester in Montana, bringing the majority to 52-48. Woo hoo!
• As I write this morning, Republicans Dave McCormick, Mike Rogers, and Sam Brown hold narrow leads over their Democratic opponents in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Nevada, respectively. We will have to see where those races land. [UPDATE: Slotkin has pulled ahead of Rogers by 4,500 votes with 97 percent of the ballots counted.]
• It is unclear whether Republicans will retain their majority in the House, although it appears that they are in a position to do so.
• By my lights, Elon Musk is the man of the year.
• There is much more that could and should be said. Steve Hayward said some of it in our live show last night. but I would like to let the dust settle before I take another stab at sorting out where we are. In the meantime I defer to Michael Doran in his assessment of last night’s losers (below). Referring to the graphic I posted here late last night, he wrote on X:
• And I give the last word for the moment to former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren (below).
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