What Donald Trump's win says about the US' brand of democracy

It affirms the need to accept the outcome even if it bothers many. But a second Trump administration should also respect the system's checks and balances.

- Lin Suling

Democracy has not ended just because Donald Trump won the White House. By most yardsticks, the results of the 2024 US elections showed how democracy was supposed to work.

The reality is that Trump won a resoundingly strong mandate, including winning the popular vote - the first for a Republican since 2004. Republicans have also swept the Senate and look poised to win the House of Representatives.

While many political observers have said that the US Electoral College makes its political system undemocratic because past US presidents have won office despite losing the popular vote, this time around, the US presidency and both houses of Congress do reflect the popular will.

A POSITIVE OUTCOME FOR DEMOCRACY

This strong outcome is positive for America. Trump's strong mandate will put him in good stead to enact sweeping policy changes and make progress on an agenda of change. He can count on support from a large swathe of the population.

With at least 295 electoral votes, he made gains across the country compared with 2020. Importantly, he closed the gap with Democratic Party candidate and Vice-President Kamala Harris across rural, suburban and urban areas, as well as with Latino and black male voters.

Procedural democracy was also upheld. This election has political legitimacy because most Americans ultimately believed in its integrity. Despite ruckus over mail-in votes in 2020, about half of America chose to vote by this method which includes both mail-in ballots and early in-person voting. And the majority of these were Republicans who were warned of a "stolen election" and led to believe the system was rigged.