The outpouring of support for Donald Trump has left liberal news media figures and Kamala Harris supporters alike on the verge of meltdown with the Republican nominee close to victory in the US presidential election.
MSNBC commentator Joy Reid launched a tirade live on air as Florida turned out overwhelmingly in favour of Trump, slamming voters and describing the state as being under the power of an ‘extremist, right-wing, fascist-type government’.
‘Think about the last two weeks and the things that Donald Trump has said into the TV that people could hear him say and do,’ she said, becoming increasingly more irate.
‘The vulgarity in front of families with young children and the threats to do mass deportation and a violent start to his dictatorship on day one, you name it.’
Reid told her fellow MSNBC panellists that she couldn’t fathom that Trump was securing support from half the population in spite of his often controversial stances.
‘If all of that gets you half of the votes… what does it tell you? We need to really take a step back and think about what does that say about us.’
After Florida was called for Trump early in the evening, Reid said: ‘It’s a pure Project 2025 in miniature in Florida.
‘That extremist sort of right-wing, fascist type government in Florida, does that make it more of an attractive place?’
When Texas was called for the former president, Reid described black voters in Houston as ‘deeply suppressed’ and went on to blame ‘white women’ voters after North Carolina became the first swing state to plump for Trump.
Reid took part in the MSNBC election night panel on Tuesday and lashed out as votes rolled in, with Trump taking the lead
Former White House Communications Director Nicole Wallace claimed on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris were still in a ‘dead heat’ even though Trump had secured 230 electoral votes
CNN’s Jake Tapper could not hide his anger and frustration as the results rolled in
CNN political analyst and former Obama staffer Van Jones looked on the verge of tears while delivering a sombre speech as the vote counts stacked up in Trump’s favour
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves at supporters at the end of a campaign rally, November 5
Supporters of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump react at the site of the rally for Trump, in Palm Beach County Convention Center, in West Palm Beach, Florida
That performance on the MSNBC ‘Election Night’ panel was followed by former White House Communications Director Nicole Wallace insisting Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris were still in a ‘dead heat’ – even as the Republican candidate pulled ahead in the polls and won two swing states in North Carolina and Georgia.
‘It was always going to be a blue wall night,’ she said, refusing to acknowledge that lynchpin state Pennsylvania, with 19 Electoral College votes, was leaning toward Trump with more than 90% of ballots checked – and ultimately awarded all its votes to the Republican.
Meanwhile, CNN political analyst and former Obama staffer Van Jones looked on the verge of tears while delivering a sombre speech as the vote counts stacked up in Trump’s favour.
The 56-year-old has been overcome with emotion live on air on several occasions, and viewers had joked on social media in advance of election night that he was likely to burst into tears regardless of the result.
Jones was clearly fighting against choking up as he condemned the vote and painted a dystopian picture of America under Trump.
CNN presenter Jake Tapper was also on air for much of the election night and on several occasions seemed flabbergasted by voting results.
He performed double takes when looking at polling numbers and stumbled over his words when reporting the voter turnout in favour of Trump in the likes of Georgia, New Carolina and Virginia.
The reactions were gleefully shared across social media by joyous Trump supporters, who point out that much of America’s mainstream media outlets lean left and claim they often misrepresent, misquote and unfairly target the Republican candidate.
A torrent of memes poked fun at the aforementioned liberal media personalities while others delighted in Trump’s success.
Memes delighting in Harris’ failure were gleefully shared across social media by joyous Trump supporters
Memes delighting in Harris’ failure were gleefully shared across social media by joyous Trump supporters
A supporter reacts to election results during an election night event for US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris at Howard University in Washington, DC
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris takes part in a phone bank at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC, on November 5, 2024
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by former U.S. first lady Melania Trump, visits his campaign headquarters to thank the campaign workers on Election Day, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 5, 2024
Supporters react to election results during an election night event for US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris at Howard University in Washington, DC, on November 5, 2024
Supporters arrive at an election night watch party for Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024
Supporters attend an election night watch party for Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla
Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris sit down in Howard University’s quad and watch as election results point to a potential Donald Trump win
The race initially appeared neck-and-neck as Americans went to the polls Tuesday after a tense months-long build-up that peaked when Joe Biden abandoned his quest for a second term and the Democratic party ushered Vice President Harris to the fore.
But as night fell, Trump steadily began pulling ahead thanks to support from solidly red states including Florida, Texas and Alabama.
Democrat candidate Harris’ support came from her party’s strongholds on the East and West coast in states like New York, Delaware, and California.
A notable difference between this year’s election night and that of 2020 is that fewer voters – which leaned Democrat – used mail-in ballots, while states have been quicker to process those votes.
Four years ago, that meant Trump’s votes were often counted first as his supporters voted in-person, before Biden votes piled in later and helped the incumbent president to a late victory.
This year, however, the number of voters from both sides using mail-in ballots are more even, meaning the Harris campaign cannot count on large batches of outstanding votes to put her over the line in the key battleground states.
That prompted many election watchers and political experts stateside to predict a Trump victory as early vote counts suggested a favourable result across several swing states, leaving Kamala’s supporters at election watch parties in for a long night.
Under the US voting system, a majority of 270 out of 538 electoral college votes are needed to win the presidency.
