Can a woman never be president of the US?

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SINGAPORE – The 2024 election looks eerily similar to 2016, when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump despite being the favorite entering the race. Which begs the question: Can a woman ever hope to become president of the US?

Former President Trump is on the brink of the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the White House, and Republicans in both houses of Congress, as America waits for a winner to be declared.

This election was truly a gender election. Ms. Harris had a 10-point lead over women — 54 percent, compared to Trump’s 44 percent — with the numbers reversed when it came to men, according to ABC News preliminary exit poll data released Nov. 6.

Clinton had lost the 2016 election for a variety of reasons, including Russian disinformation, a damaging FBI investigation into her email servers and complacency about the Rust Belt states.

But at her core, she was seen as cold, calculating and unpleasant – although many pointed out that the bar was unfairly raised for her because she was a woman. By comparison, Trump could get away with the most outrageous, misogynistic comments.

Yet it would be wrong to attribute Ms Harris’s dismal results to a deeply held sexist belief that a woman can never become US president.

The reality was that she had entered this race at a huge disadvantage as a vice president closely tied to the incumbent administration. This was an election for change, as broad economic discontent fueled voter sentiment.

More than seven in ten Americans believed the country is heading in the wrong direction. More Americans — even in middle- and upper-income households — were living paycheck to paycheck in 2023 than in 2019, according to a Bank of American Institute survey.

Trying to brand herself as an agent of change with “a new way forward” was always going to be an uphill battle for Ms. Harris, even with the Democratic Party’s incredible discipline, its strong ground operations to win the vote, and the impressive efforts of her campaign. craft policy proposals to build an opportunity economy and improve the lives of the broad middle of Americans

As Trump had put it during his only debate with her: “She started by saying… she’s going to do all these wonderful things. Why didn’t she do it? She has been there for three and a half years.”

Compared to Trump, who has had the advantage of being president for one term and gaining national fame, Ms. Harris was the underdog who had to establish who she was and what she stood for. This is a major task that must be overcome in four months.

Trump ran a strong campaign aimed at turning out never-before-voted Americans, especially from the male, non-college-educated segment. Over the past week, he’s doubled down on pursuing the “manosphere,” talking to podcasters like Joe Rogan, Theo Von and the Nelk Boys, as well as YouTubers Logan Paul and Adin Ross, all of whom have a predominantly young male audience.

Perhaps the reality is also that Trump is drawing on a smaller but highly energetic base that will turn out to the polls, compared to the more fragile and broader coalition that Democrats have tried to put together. This is a loose group of black, Latino, Asian and young voters who have little in common. We’ll know more in the coming days as more exit polls come out about why the blue wave never materialized.

A lot of this can come down to this: abortion just wasn’t the powerful and emotional issue it was getting votes on the 2022 midterm elections, where it was credited with pushing back a Republican wave. Being a woman made Ms. Harris the perfect advocate for reproductive rights, but that advantage apparently counted for little.