The 2024 Elections: Victory Mechanisms and the Mandate Problem

The article analyzes the difference between plurality and majority of votes in the context of Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 elections. The author emphasizes that although Trump won in the Electoral College and achieved the highest result in the popular vote (plurality), he did not cross the 50% support threshold, which casts new light on the issue of his political mandate. The text explains the operation of the winner-take-all system, which transforms small percentage differences in swing states into a significant electoral advantage. It is pointed out that the binary nature of the election result often masks deep societal division, and triumph in all key battlegrounds is strategic and analytical in nature, rather than formal-legal.