The national media is turning to one of radio’s biggest names for post-election analysis, and Charlamagne Tha God thinks he’s clear on why former President (and current President-Elect) Donald Trump scored a decisive Election Day victory over Democratic nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris.
“It’s dinner table issues,” Charlamagne said. “It’s literally that simple.”
The host of Premiere Media Networks’ “The Breakfast Club” made his remarks Sunday in an interview with Jonathan Karl on ABC’s “This Week.”
“Every day people wake up and all they want to do is have more money in their pocket and to feel safe,” Charlamagne said. “I don’t care if you’re black, white, gay, straight, whatever religion you are. Those are the two things that you’re thinking about every day.”
Charlamagne (real name: Lenard Larry McKelvey) also told Karl that Democrats have fallen short when it comes to messaging about the U.S.-Mexico border, and that people in his communities have heightened concerns about increased gang activity driven by the proliferation of immigration.
“This was the first time in my life that I heard people in my community, black people, brown people, having those conversations,” Charlamagne said about border security. “So that was going to be an issue. They felt like things were safer. They felt like the border was safer under Trump.”
Charlamagne added: “Trump is saying, build the wall. When they were telling you that it was a problem, y’all were saying, no. It’s not a problem.”
Charlamagne acknowledged a backlash to race, gender, and identity politics among the electorate but asserted that, at the end of the day, basic concerns carried the day.
“[M]ost people, they just care about keeping food on their table and keeping a roof over their head,” he said. “And I think sometimes people forget about that. They forget about the working class, and for whatever reason, Trump speaks to the grievances of the working class.”
Charlamagne strongly criticized President Joe Biden before he abandoned his re-election bid and embraced Harris’ candidacy once she entered the race in July. But he didn’t express surprise at her loss.
“It was a tossup,” he said. “Going into the election, they were neck and neck. I think that she needs to get a lot more credit than she probably is going to get because the campaign was dead, you know? Literally.”