Thomas Coughlan: NZ Herald Political Editor on Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party losing the 2024 Election

Kamala Harris has fallen short. 

Donald Trump is set to return to the White House after securing more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the presidency. 

Harris has since gone radio silent but is expected to formally concede the election at 10am this morning. 

NZ Herald Political Editor Thomas Coughlan told Mike Hosking that the writing was on the wall only a couple of hours after the results started to roll in. 

“They do realise that they need to change,” he told Hosking. 

"Almost every county has swung Republican – Harris performed worse than Biden.” 

He says it’s very clear that what the Democrats had on offer was profoundly inadequate for what the people wanted. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So good news. It's a result on the day. Votes
still be encountered the course, but Trump wins not just
the electoral college, but as I said, the real cementing
factor is the popular vote as well. For Harris fans,
it's a repeat of sixteen. Headquarters spokesman wanders out in
the early hours of the morning, tells the candidate won't
be showing up and we'll see you tomorrow. The Herald's
deputy political leedit to Thomas coglan with there's Thomas morning,

(00:21):
Good morning, mate, been there and felt your pain in
twenty sixteen. You just wait and wait and wait, and
they know they've lost, but they just don't want to front.
We'll see her later on this morning. What was the
vibe like and when did it hit them that they
were on the losing side.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Honestly, it hit them pretty early on. So people started
to assemble in the early afternoon. There was a gospel
require and a dance troupe to keep the crowd entertained.
The results started to trickle and as soon as the
polls closed it was about seven o'clock DC time, and
at that point, you know, Trump had a tiny lead

(00:53):
in some of those early results and every ten thirty
minutes they updated those results, and that lead just got
bigger and bigger and bigger. So honestly, a couple of
hours after the results came through, the writing was on
the wall. And from from there on, and you know,
from sort of nine o'clock until until the spokesperson came
out just before one am, it was pretty quiet and

(01:15):
and and did really there was there was not a sound.
Thousands of people gathered on this lawn and and all
you can hear is the music trying to check them
up and the results coming Grantee.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
In twenty sixteen, they couldn't believe it because it was different.
Clinton was going to win. In their mind, there was
no doubt. Do you think they had the wherewith all
those people who gathered together their thoughts together to a
point where they think they just misread it, got it
completely wrong, and they're going to need to profoundly change
the way they see the world or not.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
I think I think you're right. I actually do I
think they had. They do realize that they need to
profoundly change. I don't think what is what is what
has caused that reckoning is just the result of losing
the presidency. I think it's the fact that they lost them.
They looked like they're going to lose the popular vote,
that lost the Senate. They might they might you know,
continue to be behind in the House and not have

(02:05):
the House. So it's a clean sweep for Republicans. Basically
almost every county has swung Republican. Harris was performed worse
than buy them. I think what has changed, you know,
this election versus twenty sixteen, is that twin sixteen, you know,
Clinton won the popular vote, things were a wee bit different.
You could make an argument about what the Democrats were
selling some people, like twenty twenty four, it's very clear

(02:27):
that what the Democrats had on offer, you know, was
just profoundly inadequate for what people want. But there's no
case that you can make that this is anything other
than being quite a serious defeat for them. So I
think there will be a massive repining.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Were you surprised yesterday, Thomas, I mean, you've been around
bits of America in your time. There was there something
brewing that we saw unfold or were a little taken aback.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
I saw some of the polls said that there was
a you know, it was a toss up, but if
Trump won, there was a good chance that he would
win by you know, effectively a clean sweep in the
swing States. So I wasn't so surprised by that because
that was that was one of the scenarios that people said,
was you know, quite a likely one. One thing I
had noticed is people here, really there's an almost universal

(03:11):
belief that for all of Trump's faults, you know, and
a lot of people would pul say, a lot of
people don't like Donald Trump, for all Trump's faults, life
was better four years ago. And everyone would say that
to Democrats, Republicans, people who are on the fence. And
you know, for me, as a New Zealander, hearing that,
that sounds a lot to me like what New Zealanders
were telling us last year. So you know, it was

(03:34):
that was the thing that really swung out. I think
you just ask people like and Trump Trump said this.
He would open every rally, do you feel better off
than you did four years ago? Everyone would say no,
you know, And so it's a real that the writing
was on the wall there. People would say, look, I
get it, you know, he's not a very nice guy,
but I'm not I'm not going to dispute that. But
my life was a bit of four years ago, so
you know, I'm going to take the box good stuff.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Trouble Well might appreciate it. Thomas Cogglan, New Zealand here Ald,
Deputy Political Editor. It is the classic line, where is
the country going on the right path in the right direction.
If the answers no, you change the government. For more
from The Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to News Talks
at B from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast
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