We ask the public to tell us in their own words why they are happy or unhappy to see the Republican return
Donald Trump’s election victory at the beginning of November was not what many Britons were hoping for. A pre-election study found that 61% of Britons had wanted Kamala Harris to win, with just 16% backing Trump, and a YouGov poll in the immediate aftermath of the election similarly found 60% unhappy about the result and 16% happy.
But why is that? While it is well established that Donald Trump is unpopular in the UK, what is the biggest reason driving Britons’ dissatisfaction with the Republican’s re-election? To find out, in the aftermath of the election result, we asked the public to tell us in their own words the main or biggest reason they were unhappy (or happy) to see Trump elected again.
Why are Britons unhappy that Donald Trump won the 2024 US presidential election?
Britons gave a long and varied list of reasons why they were unhappy with Donald Trump (and many gave more than one reason), but the criticism that came up in answers the most often is that Trump is a criminal. A quarter (26%) of those unhappy with Trump’s re-election brought up criminal wrongdoing on the part of the president-elect.
"I am not 'unhappy' I am angry and worried. He is a misogynist, lying, racist, convicted criminal who tried to overthrow democracy in the US. He should be in jail not in the White House."
"He is facing or has faced several criminal trials some of which are still pending. A president of the USA should not be a potential convicted criminal."
"He is a loose cannon and a convicted criminal. Not someone I would trust with anything."
Trump was found guilty earlier this year on 34 counts of falsifying business records, although some respondents also accused the former US president of being a rapist or sexual abuser. While Trump has been found liable for sexual abuse in a civil case, he has no criminal conviction for any sex crime.
The second most common concern about Trump’s return to office is the impact that it might have on women. One in six (17%) cited misogynistic attitudes from the incoming US president and/or the threat he poses to abortion and other women’s rights. This was raised substantially more frequently by younger Britons who are unhappy about Trump (27% of 18-24 year olds and 22% of 25-49 year olds) than their elders (6% of the over-65s).
"He is a convicted criminal. He lies and seemingly gets away with it. He is a terrible role model for children and young people. He is dangerous and deranged and mentally ill. He has some awful views about women and women's rights and sets women's rights backwards."
"His hatred of anyone who isn’t a rich white man. His dismissal of women’s rights and banning abortion and threatening doctors that facilitate abortion (even to save the mother’s life) should be imprisoned IS DISGUSTING."
"He is thoroughly unsuitable for the position; his policies on women’s and fertility rights are backwards looking. His stance is extreme and distasteful, his public speeches are unfiltered and unprofessional, his demeanour is offensive."
"He creates an unsafe environment of racism, misogyny and division and is dangerous as a leader of such a global power."
In a similar vein, 10% branded Trump a racist in their responses, and 3% expressed concern over the new president’s impact on LGBTQ+ people; since the survey was conducted, it has been reported that the Trump administration would kick approximately 15,000 transgender personnel out of the military.
Another top concern is the state of Trump’s mental health. One in six (16%) labelled the president terms like “crazy”, “psychopath”, “unstable” and “unpredictable”. This was a more notable worry among older Britons who are upset to see Trump re-elected (25% of over-65s and 21% of 50-64 year olds) than younger Britons (1% of 18-24 year olds).
"Concern about his mental health and his mood swings. His behaviour is erratic and unsuited for politics. Concern what he might do."
"I think he is actually insane, dangerous and he should be in prison for starting the Capitol riot."
"He is not mentally stable and he has no moral compass."
"Because he is a seriously crazed psychopath."
Other criticisms about Trump personally include that he is a liar or untrustworthy (11%), dangerous (7%) and an idiot (6%).
Some respondents (9%) also brought up concerns about what Trump’s election meant for American democracy, suggesting that he undermines the rule of law, might become a dictator, or otherwise elevate the far right.
"He’s a narcissistic criminal and has set a precedent that you can get away with ANYTHING even the attack he instigated on the Capitol. This would be described by the US as a coup if it happened anywhere else."
"I think he's a terrible person with no real morals and is going to twist the laws and systems in the US to make himself a dictator, and a lot of people are going to suffer and even die because of it."
"A convicted criminal and proven liar who has openly promised the deconstruction of the democratic processes and institutions of the USA is nought but a threat to the stability of the whole world."
"His authoritarianism and contempt for democracy and the rule of law."
The US president is probably the most powerful person in the world, and about a quarter of those unhappy about Trump’s victory (24%) mentioned some form of international impact in their responses.
The most common, at 5%, was trepidation over how Trump will handle the conflict in Ukraine, while 2% said the same over the Israel-Gaza conflict – another 5% worry that Trump could start or cause the outbreak of further conflict globally.
"He doesn’t care about the rest of the world. I fear he is too close to Russia and wants to break up NATO. He will stop funding Ukraine leading to a Russian victory. He doesn’t care about climate change as he is old and won’t be around to deal with the consequences."
"Increased isolationism of America allows countries like Iran, China and Russia to go unchecked. A convicted criminal leading the free world is embarrassing. Ukraine will now likely fall."
"He does not listen to the US people but has his own personal agenda, which is influenced by both his personal prejudices and flattery from other powerful states such as China, North Korea and Russia."
"I feel he will negatively impact world decision making, impose tariffs, not help Ukraine and boost Israel, not protect minority groups."
Why are Britons happy that Donald Trump won the 2024 US presidential election?
The most common theme to emerge from the 16% of Britons who were pleased to see that Trump had won was their dissatisfaction with his opponents. One in six (18%) include in their answers their disapproval of Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, or the Democrats more widely.
When it comes to Trump himself, a common praise (16%) is that he is a strong leader who gets things done. Other positive views of Trump’s character included that he speaks his mind (4%) and talks sense or has common sense (2%).
"Not a Trump fan, but a Republican win was very much needed to restore some common sense to the West. We need people in power that have the balls to make the necessary tough decisions."
"It's good for the USA and good for the world to have a strong leader with principles and one who will get things done. He is the best man for the job."
"I think he is a forceful leader who isn’t afraid to speak his mind and gets things done."
One in seven (14%) are pleased because they expect Donald Trump to bring current wars to a close (most notably that in Ukraine) or will prevent future conflicts from breaking out. A further 6% also expressed a less specific belief that Trump will make the world more stable or secure.
"He seems to be the only one that wants to open peace negotiations with Russia where the rest of Europe, UK and Biden seem to want to drag us all into a war which will kill millions of people."
"I believe that Donald Trump's no nonsense approach when it comes to dealing with other countries will put countries such as Russia and China back in line and lead to a more peaceful world."
"He was promising to end the wars around the world, which was true while he was president previously."
Others are pleased at Trump’s re-election because he is not ‘woke’ or will put a stop to woke-ness (7%), for his stance on immigration (7%) and a belief that he will be good for America and/or ordinary Americans (7%), including of course that he will ‘make America great again’.
"He is everything the established media hate and even after 4 years of persecution he's won and will remove all this woke anti patriotic nonsense from the US."
"He has the balls to say he will stop illegal immigration... it's what we need in the UK and it sends out a strong message to other countries."
"He is the best person to make America great again and fix the problems the Democrats have made, pity it will only be for 4 years."
What do you think about the re-election of Donald Trump, American politics in general, and everything else? Have your say, join the YouGov panel, and get paid to share your thoughts. Sign up here.
Photo: Getty
