> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theredoubt.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # It is not Donald Trump's America - URL: https://www.theredoubt.net/it-is-not-donald-trumps-america/ - Published: 2026-11-04T14:06:51.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T14:06:51.000Z - Description: A multiracial, working-class coalition delivered a major blow to the politics of white nationalism. - Author: Charles R. Davis - Tags: analysis The American people woke up Tuesday morning and, with one collective voice, said to the world: "Look, my bad." So much for the political realignment — a right-wing party for workers of all colors — that was said to be the Republican Party's path to a permanent majority. Ultimately, there were no tanks in the streets to prevent the opposition from taking back both houses of Congress. And if the president does ever decide to deploy the Texas National Guard to end American democracy, he will have to do so over the objections of that state's next governor, a Democrat. Texas Democratic Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa? Before Tuesday, most Democrats would not even allow themselves to hope for the possibility, burned by past delusions of the Lone Star State turning blue. James Talarico is also headed to Washington, handily defeating Trump ally and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the race for U.S. Senate. Real & independent journalism Support our original reporting and analysis with a [paid subscription](https://www.theredoubt.net/#/portal/signup) or [one-time donation](https://www.theredoubt.net/#/portal/support). [Join The Redoubt ](#/portal/signup) The 2026 midterms can be a little hard to grasp after 2024, when a plurality of American voters decided to return Donald Trump to the White House and hand his party control over every branch of government. It was a bad year for incumbents everywhere, some Democrats explain, but still: this was not just any populist riding a wave of discontent, but a former president who had incited an insurrection and been found liable for sexual assault. Some voters will say they did not expect masked federal agents and American soldiers in the streets of American cities, shooting immigrants and citizens alike. This can be hard to swallow: Trump's 2024 campaign ("Mass Deportation Now!") was nothing if not a promise to unleash state violence against Haitians, Somalis and other disfavored people of color, who he [insisted](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/16/trump-immigration-attack-00132156?ref=theredoubt.net) were "poisoning the blood of our country." Many of those now claiming ignorance of what was to come are probably lying, possibly to themselves; perhaps they now have remorse, or care more about the price of gas. But I also think politics — if not family gatherings — requires going along with the fib, to an extent; the Democratic National Committee did not run ads calling the median American voter a deplorable, perjuring clown, and I believe that was the right decision. There will be a temptation, though, to assume the 2024 electorate is America's default. That has long been the conventional wisdom in national media and indeed among many elected Democrats: that the United States is a fundamentally conservative nation, where liberal governance is an aberration and the product of hubris. [The far right is still not the futureFrom America to Europe, most people don't share the values of right-wing extremists.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f6/71/f671d086-f0d7-4c0f-bc4c-d72fa949f40c/content/images/icon/The-Redoubt-19--1-86126736-f6f8-416c-a661-236d173b9c80.png)The RedoubtCharles R. Davis![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f6/71/f671d086-f0d7-4c0f-bc4c-d72fa949f40c/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1760829120248-0b72e77b7766-93a63c60-ebe4-43c6-9c27-a41bb28ce904.jpg)](https://www.theredoubt.net/the-far-right-is-still-not-the-future/) Axios, a media outlet that generally reflects the centrist Washington consensus, was reminding Democrats of this even before votes were tallied. "There's a difference between a blowout and a mandate," editor Mike Zapler [wrote](https://www.axios.com/2026/11/03/democrats-midterms-image-negative-2028?ref=theredoubt.net), noting that Democrats, as a brand, have a lower approval rating than the GOP. "Confusing the two could tempt Democrats to overread the results and forget the serious credibility problem they still face heading into 2028." The New York Times also looked to downplay the significance of the midterms. "While the night may have delivered a sweeping win for Democrats, it was far from a mandate," the paper of record [assured](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/04/us/elections/midterms-mood.html?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.N1E.IeI7.kxHl2Or6o7ey&smid=url-share&ref=theredoubt.net) readers, explaining that many voters "defected simply to stop a president they say no longer represents them." The point is well taken: an electorate that delivers Democratic majorities and a second Trump presidency in the span of 24 months could fairly be described as incoherent. Voters who went fascist over the cost of groceries are probably not now democratic socialists; they might just still be mad at the cost of groceries. An intolerable number of Americans were willing to trade away the rights of women and immigrants for the unfulfillable promises of a noxious personality from television, but only a minority, it turns out, are committed to the white nationalist patriarchy at any price. [Fight for something: 'Good governance' is not enoughOpponents of right-wing populism need to stand for more than the status quo.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f6/71/f671d086-f0d7-4c0f-bc4c-d72fa949f40c/content/images/icon/The-Redoubt-19--1-dde879d0-76c5-467c-9957-298404df21ae.png)The RedoubtCharles R. Davis![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f6/71/f671d086-f0d7-4c0f-bc4c-d72fa949f40c/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_7560-cd568a84-544a-41b3-9e81-3f1dc9e09d65.jpg)](https://www.theredoubt.net/fight-for-something-good-governance-is-not-enough/) The anti-democratic forces that put Trump in the White House have not been vanquished — the cancer is still there — but it is now impossible to claim that the last two years are exactly what Americans wanted. The spectacle of state violence against a rotating cast of demonized minorities? It wasn't enough to maintain a majority. Two years after an election that was supposed to mark a generational realignment, a multiracial, working-class majority rejected conservative governance so decisively that not even this president could call it "rigged." Democrats [won](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/elections/voter-trends-national.html?ref=theredoubt.net) every demographic but white men, and it wasn't particularly close, aided by voters who sat out 2024 and reaped the consequences. The years and decisions to come will decide whether U.S. democracy is strengthened or this opportunity is squandered. But cynicism, however well earned, should not blind us to the fact that there is now hope that the fever has broken. America is a deeply frustrating and flawed place, but it is not Donald Trump's to rule as a king. Voters have spoken. 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