Donald Trump scored an epic victory in the 2024 presidential election that many did not anticipate.

He smashed through blue wall and secured the majority of the swing states.

The Republican Party nominee now holds the presidency with the popular majority and the Republicans hold the Senate and seem set to take the House.

The Democrats were routed and are now pondering whether Kamala Harris was indeed the right candidate.

Many are blaming the decision to remove Biden and replace him with Harris on Nancy Pelosi, actor George Clooney and former presidents Barrack Obama and Bill Clinton. There are those who now say Joe Biden would have performed better.

A major surprise is what Trump did with blacks, taking support away from Harris. That was not in the script. Many black men had indicated that Harris did not deserve their vote and could not count on it simply because she is a black woman. They made it clear their economic and financial fortunes were better under the Trump Administration.

As it turns out, both Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton — both white — did better with the black vote than Kamala Harris. This must be particularly irksome to the Harris team. The thinking was Harris with the support of Obama would lock down the black vote, particularly in urban areas.

Exist polls show Harris won 80 per cent of the black vote compared to Biden’s 90 per cent.

When Trump won in 2016, he only had eight per cent of the black vote. This time out he increased to 20 per cent. Black men, in particular, decided to go with Trump.

Some even said that black women would become intolerable if Harris won, pointing out that they benefit the most from DEI policies and then use that to castigate and belittle black men and paint them as bringing little value.

Trump didn’t make a concerted effort to court the black vote but discerned their disgruntlement. Many black men, in particular, were drawn to his alpha male persona, particularly with the Democrats going woke and championing the “trans” movement.

The question is can the Republicans now take away a guaranteed constituency from the Democrats? Will his victory see blacks turning to him to better their lives as they put aside his perceived racism and the picture painted of him as a vile and despicable man? Financial well being trumps personality across all colours and creeds.

Some black entertainers and personalities openly backed Trump, saying he was better for the country than Harris. Rappers Kanye West, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne backed him all the way. So, too, did Amber Rose and Candice Owens.

Many younger blacks are not automatically affiliating with the Democrats. The civil rights movement is something in the history books, something their grandparents sometimes go on about. They don’t feel indebted to the Democratic Party for siding with the movement and holding a more liberal view. They have totally bought into the American dream where wealth and prosperity is the ultimate determinant.

Political scientist at Winthrop University in South Carolina Adolphus Belk, speaking with Al Jazeera, got it right when he said: “I think a certain generation of black voters don’t have the direct experience with the civil rights movement or the knowledge of those things because, to them, that’s not memory — it’s history .

“They’re coming in without an understanding of those historical contours and turns, limitations, opportunities.

“And those frustrations are being made clear in this rising percentage of black voters that’s taking a different look at the Republican Party in general and are exploring some curiosities with Trump despite his racial baggage.”  

There was a perception that Harris was soft on illegal immigration, which is a clear and present danger to black jobs. Trump himself said that illegal immigrants are taking jobs from black people and that shouldn’t not be the case.

According to exit polls, Trump did better with young black men in 2024 which saw 3 in 10 black men under the age of 49 voting for him, doubling the number he got in 2020.