Popular radio personality Charlamagne Tha God weighed in on Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential defeat, pointing out that Democrats are disconnected from everyday economic issues and mismanaging the border security message.
“It’s a dinner table issue. It’s literally that simple,” Charlamagne, whose real name is Lenard Larry McKelvey, explained Sunday on ABC’s This week with Jonathan Karl.
Newsweek Email press contact for Charlamagne on Monday for additional comment.
An assessment that cuts through complex political analysis to focus on the priorities of basic voters: “Every day people wake up and they all want to have more money in their pockets and feel safe. gay, straight, whatever religion you think about every day.
A day after Donald Trump’s big win, Charlamagne delivered a more pointed message on his radio show, The Breakfast Club about the failure of the Harris campaign and his party. “I know today the Democrats will be looking for people to blame. Let me be the first to tell you that it’s not just one thing. I personally feel like Donald Trump speaks to people’s complaints better than the Democrats,” he said.
There has been a significant shift in minority community concerns about border security, usually not a major issue among these demographics. “This is the first time in my life that I’ve heard people in my community, black people, brown people, have that conversation,” he said on ABC, noting that many feel border security is more effective under the Trump administration. “They feel safer. They feel the border is safer under Trump.”
In his border security messaging, Charlamagne criticized the Democrats’ recent response to the migration issue. “I know the border is a bipartisan issue, but Democrats spend a lot of time acting like it’s not an issue,” he said on his radio show. He pointed to Trump’s direct message: “Trump said, build a wall. When they tell you there’s a problem, you all say, no. It’s not a problem.”
When confronted with Karl’s observation that one-third of voters of color support Trump, Charlamagne identified it as pushback against the Democrats’ messaging priorities. “I think it’s a backlash for race and gender and identity politics,” he explained. “But most people, they just care about putting food on the table and keeping a roof over their heads.”
The radio host highlighted the economic reality facing voters. “You don’t have to be smart to know you can’t pay your bills. You don’t have to be smart to know you can’t pay your groceries,” he noted, pointing to how inflation affects everyday Americans.
Despite having Harris on his show during the last campaign for an hour-long audio town hall discussing issues from marijuana decriminalization to the first-time homebuyer initiative, the policy discussion ultimately failed to address voters’ economic concerns.
Charlamagne, who had criticized President Joe Biden’s initial statements before endorsing Harris after he took the ticket, praised the campaign’s efforts while acknowledging its shortcomings. “It’s a tossup. Going to the election, they are neck and neck,” he said. “I think he deserves a lot more credit than he’s getting because the campaign is dead, you know? Literally.”
Using pop culture references, he compared Biden’s early campaign to the 1989 movie “Weekend at Bernie’s,” suggesting Harris could at least energize some voters: “A lot of people make jokes about ‘The Weekend at Bernie’s’ and say, ‘I’m going to vote Biden that he was a corpse.’ He’s close.”
Despite maintaining previous criticism of Trump as “fascist,” Charlamagne acknowledged that tens of millions of voters felt better financially during the previous Trump administration than during the Biden-Harris era.
“I really believe most people voted for him because they want more money in their pockets,” he said, highlighting the centrality of economic concerns to determining the outcome of the election.
Looking forward, Charlamagne expressed continued optimism about the future of America – “I have no choice but to be,” he said.
