CNN host says ‘racism and sexism’ are the reasons Kamala Harris lost the election
CNN’s David Axelrod said “racism and sexism” played a role in Kamala Harris’ stunning defeat to Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
Axelrod made these comments around 3 a.m. ET, so the race for Trump had not yet been officially called.
But at that point it was clear that the momentum was in the now president-elect’s favor, as he had already captured the all-important states of Pennsylvania and Georgia.
Axelrod, who was a close adviser to Barack Obama during his presidency, stopped short of saying bias had completely lost Harris the White House, but said it did have an impact.
“Let’s be absolutely blunt about it,” he said on the panel. “There was a call for racism in this campaign, and there is racial prejudice in this country, and there is sexism in this country, and anyone who thinks that in any way affected the outcome of this race is wrong.” .’
David Axelrod, a key figure in Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and his administration, thought racism and sexism were part of why Kamala Harris fell short in her bid to become president
He added, “I’m not saying this was the main reason Kamala Harris lost and Donald Trump won.”
In a July interview, Trump said Harris “became a black person” after promoting her Indian heritage.
“She was always of Indian descent, and she just promoted Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was black until several years ago when she happened to become black, and now she wants to be known as black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?’ Trump told the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago.
Trump also made unsubstantiated claims that Haitian migrants in the Ohio city of Springfield ate cats and dogs.
Accusations of racism — not so much hurled directly at Trump as at his campaign in general — were ramped up after his wild rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Kamala Harris is the second woman to lose to Donald Trump and fails to break the glass ceiling, just as Hillary Clinton failed to do so in 2016.
Donald Trump arrives at an election night event with former First Lady Melania Trump and his son Barron Trump on Wednesday
Insult comedian Tony Hinchcliffe spoke at the event and joked that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of trash.”
This joke received widespread condemnation from Democrats, Puerto Rican pop stars like Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin, and even Florida Republicans like Senator Rick Scott.
It even raised fears that Trump could lose Pennsylvania, which has about 580,000 eligible Latino voters, most of whom were of Puerto Rican descent.
On the contrary, it appears that Hispanic men across the country propelled Trump to victory, with exit polls showing the demographics supporting him over Harris by a 10 percentage point margin from 54 percent to 44 percent.
Axelrod even praised the Trump team for running a “very smart campaign,” despite the fact that Trump himself wasn’t on the receiving end of the message.
“It was ultimately a rational, well-thought-out and well-executed campaign for an often irrational candidate, and they overcame him to sell his message, or the message they thought he should sell to the country,” Axelrod said.
Pictured: CNN panelists discussed the results as they came in, with Van Jones also blaming Harris on racism
Fellow panelist Van Jones, another Obama alum, ultimately agreed, arguing that candidates of color are held to a different standard.
‘There’s a license for that [Trump] I just had to be a fool, just be an annoying asshole to everyone,” Jones said.
He said that although she was qualified to be president, it was clear to him that her defeat shows that American society has not shed its prejudices.
“She’s not Oprah or Beyoncé,” Jones said.
Oprah and Beyoncé, who have had notable success as black women and have amassed billions of dollars between them, were among the many celebrities who campaigned hard for Harris in the final days of the race.
Kamala Harris had dozens of Hollywood A-listers supporting her bid for the White House, including Oprah Winfrey who toured the country on Monday to appear at the final rally of Harris’ 2024 campaign (pictured)
Beyoncé appeared on the campaign trail for Kamala Harris in Texas two weeks ago at a rally aimed at highlighting the dangerous medical consequences of the state’s strict abortion ban (pictured)
As for Trump, he has had the support of figures like Joe Rogan and Tesla CEO Elon Musk
As for Trump, he has had the support of figures like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, former WWE star Hulk Hogan and Joe Rogan.
Throughout Tuesday’s election night, most news outlets gradually increased their predicted chances of Trump winning.
The final domino to fall was the state of Wisconsin, where Trump had a nearly three-point lead over Harris in polling averages.
When the state was called at 5:34 a.m. ET by the Associated Press, Trump surpassed the 270 Electoral College votes he needed to win the White House.
Trump gave his victory speech before the election was called, but when the final outcome was likely to be in his favor.
Harris is expected to address the nation sometime on Wednesday.