White Supremacy Won in 2024 — Because Trump Did
It’s 2024, and America has handed the keys back to Donald Trump. But make no mistake: Trump’s win is a victory for white supremacy, a force that has endured, evolved, and embedded itself deeper into the fabric of this country. The celebration around Trump’s return isn’t just about a political comeback; it’s about the triumph of a system that weaponizes fear, division, and nostalgia for a past that was only ever safe for a select few.
This wasn’t simply a campaign. It was a message, telegraphed to the entire country. And what was that message? That the political machinery of white supremacy is still alive, well, and fueling American democracy — or, rather, hollowing it out from the inside.
White Supremacy: America’s Longest-Running Show
Since the founding of this country, white supremacy has played the longest-running role in our national narrative. Whether in colonial rule, slavery, segregation, or today’s legislative battles over voting rights, it has continually found new ways to stay relevant. With Trump back in office, we’re seeing white supremacy not as a shadow of American history, but as the very stage on which our politics is performed.
The 2024 election didn’t just happen in a vacuum. It followed years of manufactured culture wars, “anti-woke” crusades, and relentless misinformation that turned schools, libraries, and workplaces into battlegrounds. This was white supremacy doing what it does best: distracting, dividing, and conquering. And with Trump’s win, it’s now well-positioned to push an agenda that taps into deep-seated resentments and stokes fears of cultural erasure — a narrative where diversity is a threat, not an asset.
How White Supremacy Rigged the Rules
This win didn’t just come from who voted but also from who couldn’t. Voting rights have been systematically eroded across the country, especially targeting Black, brown, and Indigenous communities. Strict ID laws, polling place closures, and purges of voter rolls have all served as modern-day literacy tests, blocking access to the ballot for those most likely to reject the agenda Trump represents.
The racial disparity in voting access is deliberate and calculated. When Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized voices are silenced, white supremacy wins by default. And let’s be honest: Trump’s victory in 2024 wasn’t just about him — it was about the sustained effort to re-engineer the electorate, to define “American” in the narrowest possible terms.
The Rise of Mainstream Extremism
Trump’s victory emboldens extremism, bringing the edges of radical right-wing ideologies closer to the center. Racist rhetoric that would have once been career-ending for politicians is now dismissed as “straight talk” or “authenticity.” Terms like “replacement theory” have made it into mainstream discourse, casting diversity as a threat to national identity.
It’s a playbook that we’ve seen before, only this time with more sophisticated tools. Social media algorithms, conservative think tanks, and partisan news outlets have created echo chambers where white grievance is validated and amplified. And Trump’s re-election is the culmination of years of groundwork laid by these forces. If this year’s election proves anything, it’s that the white supremacist narrative doesn’t need explicit hate groups waving flags; it thrives just as easily in a suit and tie, behind a podium, or in a viral tweet.
We Go from Here?
If this election has made anything clear, it’s that white supremacy isn’t just a relic of the past—it’s a system that remains adaptive and alive. But it’s also something we can dismantle, if we’re willing to face it directly, even when it feels overwhelming. Trump’s win isn’t just a setback; it’s a stark reminder of the work still left to do, and it calls for a deeper commitment to confront the roots of racism and extremism.
So, what does that look like? It means taking back control of our narratives, refusing to let fear and division define us. It means supporting policies that protect voting rights, not restrict them; policies that ensure every voice, particularly those marginalized for so long, can be heard. It means holding media outlets accountable for amplifying harmful rhetoric and demanding a press that stands for truth, not divisive spectacle.
The road to a more inclusive democracy isn’t easy, but real change never is. It’s in our schools, our workplaces, and our conversations that we can start to make the difference, challenging the biases and ideologies that white supremacy relies on to stay in power.
This isn’t just about resisting the tyranny the incoming administration threatens to unleash upon us; it’s about building a future where elections aren’t determined by who can best exploit fear and hate. But most of all, by who can bring us closer to a more just and unified society.
