His victory defied two assassination attempts, two presidential impeachments, a criminal conviction, and numerous other charges, marking an unprecedented return to the White House.
Moreover, for the first time in 20 years in a presidential election, the Republicans are on track to win the popular vote, with Trump leading Kamala Harris by approximately five million votes as of Thursday morning.
How did Trump win by such a landslide? Here are six takeaways from exit polls.
1. Young People Have Shifted Towards Trump
According to the CNN exit poll, Democrats lost some support among the youngest voters (18–29 years old), although they still held a clear majority in this age group. However, the generational gap evident four years ago has narrowed.
Meanwhile, Harris gained slightly among the oldest voters (65 and older). Trump and Harris split this group’s votes evenly this year, whereas Trump led it by a five-point margin in 2020.
2. Men Lean Towards Trump
Pre-election forecasts predicted a relatively large gender gap, and this trend is clearly reflected in the CNN exit poll.
However, Harris’s margin among women this year did not exceed that of either former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or President Joe Biden. Despite a campaign centred on abortion rights, Harris was less able to mobilise female voters than she had hoped.
Trump maintained his lead among men, even gaining a higher share than in 2016.
3. Trump Gained Among Latino Men
Traditionally, Latino voters have favoured Democrats, but this election marked a shift, particularly among Latino men. According to CNN exit polls, Trump won the support of Latino men by a 12-point margin—compared to Joe Biden’s 23-point lead among this group in 2020.
Trump’s success among Latino men was especially strong in states like Texas and Florida, where they made up more than a tenth of the electorate.
While Harris maintained a lead among Latino women, she underperformed compared to Clinton and Biden. Harris also retained significant support among Black voters, although her numbers among Black men declined somewhat from previous elections.
4. Trump Regained Power in Rural America
Trump regained full strength in rural areas in 2024, winning back all the support he lost to Biden in 2020. Suburban areas remained evenly split, though they showed a slight preference for Trump.
5. Trump Is Seen as Having Presidential Qualities
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/interactive/2024/exit-polls-2024-election/)
A significant factor in Trump’s victory was his perception as a strong leader capable of bringing change. According to the Edison Research exit poll, the qualities voters most valued in a candidate were the “ability to lead” and being someone who “can bring needed change”—qualities Trump was perceived to have in this election.
6. Trump Won Voters on Key Issues
According to AP VoteCast, Trump won over voters, both nationally and in key battleground states, who were concerned about the economy and who prioritised more aggressive enforcement of immigration laws.
These issues largely overshadowed other concerns for many voters, such as the state of democracy and abortion protection—key priorities for Harris’s supporters. However, these were not enough to turn the election in her favour.