David North, author of “A Quarter Century of War: The U.S. Drive for Global Hegemony,” visited San Diego State on Nov. 16 to discuss how Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election.
The event was hosted by SDSU International Youth and Students for Social Equality.
Political science graduate advisor Emanuele Saccarelli said it is significant to lay a foundation for a political response to Trump’s presidency.
Mechanical engineering sophomore Sara Arredondo said she thought the purpose of the conversation was to identify the real reason behind Trump being elected.
“North made a distinction between class and race,” Arredondo said. “He made it clear through past elections that race was not the reason as to why Trump won, but rather class.”
North said Trump’s presidency will have far-reaching consequences, and told the audience it will affect and determine the course of their lives in the years to come.
“The questions which you confront are difficult, and it’s important to understand there aren’t easy answers,” he said. “In the preparation of coming struggles, it’s important to understand what does this mean, what are the political causes, where did this come from and why did this happen.”
He said in order to treat a disease, there has to be a proper diagnosis.
North looked at the 2016 presidential election numbers and statistics, including the popular vote. He said it is estimated Hillary Clinton would lead Trump in the popular vote by 1.5 to 2 million votes.
“This is not close,” he said. “She has won by American political traditions, a substantial popular vote victory.”
This is the fifth time in American history where the winner of the popular vote did not become president.
North said the Democratic party focused on what can be referred to as identity politics which include gender, sexual preference and race. However, it leaves out the question of class, he said.
North provided several charts and graphs from the World Socialist website that supported his claim.
One of them showed the percentage of women, Latinos, 18 to 29 year olds and African-Americans who voted for Clinton dropped from 2012.
In 2008, 2012 and 2016, the number of votes for the Republican nominee changed very little. However, the number of votes for the Democratic nominee has dropped significantly since 2008.
North said this data shows there was a massive Republican swing this election.
Another graph demonstrated that women the women vote for the Democratic party declined between 2012 and 2016. The Latino vote remained about the same. The African-American vote fell significantly.
North said the decline in the African-American voter turnout for Hillary is what cost her the election.
He said even though Trump is clearly a racist, it did not motivate African-Americans to turn out for Clinton because the political problematic appeal of the party was not to them.
One of the last graphs showed people whose income was between $100,000-200,000. In this group, the Republican vote fell six percent between 2012 and 2016 and the Democratic vote rose three percent.
With people with incomes ranging from between $200,000 to 250,000, the Republican vote fell three percent and the Democratic vote rose one percent.
People with an income over $250,000, the Republican vote fell seven percent and the Democratic vote rose one percent.
North said he urged students to become involved in politics because it affects them all.
“I ask you to think seriously about committing yourself to a fight for the building of a revolutionary movement in this country that can unite the working class,” he said.
