Lessons in the art of the comeback

Trump's victory was more than votes - it was a lesson in instinct and connection. For leaders worldwide, it's a playbook worth examining.

- Bhavan Jaipragas

If you're not exactly a Kamala Harris fan and haven't been wallowing in commiseration these past eight days since Donald Trump's sweeping victory in the United States presidential election, well - assuming you're a political junkie - there's been a trove of post-mortems to savour.

Beyond the Maga crowd's early victory laps and the spike in "moving abroad" Google searches (thanks, presumably, to Harris supporters), the podcasts, think pieces, and cable talk shows are churning out granular breakdowns of an election that was, frankly, monumental. It's a moment rewriting the American political playbook.

Democrats and their pollster allies, of course, are quick to point out this wasn't a landslide. Trump's 312 electoral votes? Not even close to Mr Bill Clinton's 370 and 379 in 1992 and 1996, or Mr Barack Obama's 365 and 332 in 2008 and 2012.

OK, sure, if you're feeling that gut-punch, take a few days, mourn away. But for the rest of us - those with no direct stake in the game but bracing ourselves for the ripple effects of America redefining "Establishment" - we don't need to stay in that funk.

In fact, this is prime time to mine insights, especially for anyone gearing up for elections in countries big and small, juggling voter demands, economic frustrations, and rising costs.

Already, early analyses are spilling out, mapping how Trump's machine pulled off a comeback for the ages - moving from president to pariah in 2020 and, now, back with a mandate. And to be clear, the lessons aren't all about the Trump machine's wins and Democratic losses.