US Election 2020: 'It's the economy, stupid'

AS the election results rolled in, Democrat hopes of a blue wave sweeping them into power were instead confronted by the reality of a reduced majority in the House, a Republican Senate, and staunch support for the sitting president, Donald Trump.

Both the Democrats and pollsters alike underestimated the Trump campaign's reach and appeal. Predictions of a close fight in Florida and Texas never emerged, and Democrats faced an unexpected challenge to Nevada, where a New York Times poll had predicted that Mr Biden held a six-point lead. The election was not the referendum on the Covid-19 pandemic that pollsters had anticipated and which the Democrats were betting on.

Instead of delivering a knock-out blow to Trumpism, the tight contest signalled that just under half of Americans endorse Mr Trump's populist brand of deregulation, isolationism, anti-immigration, anti-intellectualism and race relations.