Tom Nichols: “In the end, a majority of American voters chose Trump because they wanted what he was selling: a nonstop reality show of rage and resentment. Some Democrats, still gripped by the lure of wonkery, continue to scratch their heads over which policy proposals might have unlocked more votes, but that was always a mug’s game. Trump voters never cared about policies, and he rarely gave them any. (Choosing to be eaten by a shark rather than electrocuted might be a personal preference, but it’s not a policy.)”

“His rallies involved long rants about the way he’s been treated, like a giant therapy session or a huge family gathering around a bellowing, impaired grandpa…”

“Last night, a gaggle of millionaires and billionaires grinned and applauded for Trump. They were part of an alliance with the very people another Trump term would hurt—the young, minorities, and working families among them.”

“Republicans’ decisive Senate takeover has transformed what was once a body full of traditionalists who viewed Donald Trump with skepticism and even some disdain into a compliant and loyal chamber full of allies ready to advance his agenda,” the New York Times reports.

“Gone is the uncertainty and unease that met Mr. Trump from some GOP quarters on Capitol Hill eight years ago, when his victory was wholly unexpected, his policy agenda largely unknown and leading Republicans were willing to challenge him. The incoming president and nearly every senator in the new majority of at least 52 Republicans now share almost identical goals on big issues such as taxes, immigration, energy production and domestic social policy.”

Seth Masket: “This is a fair question. Kamala Harris ran, to my mind, a nearly flawless campaign. It was absurdly well resourced, had a sophisticated turnout organization, and included some very incisive and creative advertisements. She decimated her opponent in their one debate, headlined a well-orchestrated and well-received convention, picked an engaging running mate, and hit all the right themes in her speeches and interviews.”

“Trump, by contrast, ran a sloppy, undisciplined campaign, was massively outspent, and it didn’t seem to matter.”

“You may disagree with some of the above characterizations, but I’m hard pressed to name something Harris should have done differently that obviously would have helped her. That doesn’t mean the campaigns had no effect; she might have lost by more if not for the $1 billion-plus she managed to raise and spend. But it’s hard to see a whole lot of minds being changed here.”

New York Times: “It is difficult to disentangle Mr. Musk’s ground work from other influences that propelled Mr. Trump to the White House. But there is little doubt that the election was a win not only for Mr. Musk but also big-money politics: An ultrawealthy donor took advantage of America’s evolving campaign-finance system to put his thumb on the scale like never before.”

“Mr. Musk almost single-handedly funded an effort that cost more than $175 million. His canvassers knocked on close to 11 million doors in presidential battleground states since August, including about 1.8 million in Michigan and 2.3 million in Pennsylvania, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Another $30 million was spent on a large direct-mail program, and about $22 million on digital advertising, including on Trump-friendly mediums like Barstool Sports.”

Politico: “Harris inherited a campaign from Joe Biden over the summer that appeared to be flatlining, given the president’s unpopularity and inability to carry a message. And after Democrats excised Biden from the ticket, she rapidly consolidated her moribund party, rallying women, setting TikTok and Instagram creators ablaze with supportive memes and raising eye-popping sums from donors.”

“But the momentum advisers insisted she’d built failed to materialize. She never sufficiently buried Biden’s ghost, severely hamstringing her ability to sell voters on the idea that hers was the turn-the-page candidacy.”

“It happened, simply, because Harris refused to make a clean break from the last four years when voters indicated that’s what they wanted.”

“The neck and neck battle for control of the House in the next Congress appears to be shifting in favor of Republicans as results roll in from the most competitive districts a day after voting ended,” The Hill reports.

“While the contest for the gavel remains too close to call officially — and dozens of races have yet to be finalized — the momentum was clearly moving with the GOP on Wednesday as more ballots were counted and the battlefield shrunk.”

“Philadelphia Democratic Chair Bob Brady blamed Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for what looked like the lowest performance by a Democratic presidential candidate in the city in the last two decades and said he felt no responsibility for the red wave that descended on the state,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Said Brady: “They never dealt with us. They didn’t show us any respect. I never talked to the lady, and she’s the candidate.”

Vice President Kamala Harris called President-elect Donald Trump “to congratulate him on winning the 2024 presidential election,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Harris “discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans.”

A spokesman said Trump “acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign.”

John Harris: “Democrats warned that Trump and his supporters are prepared to hijack democracy. Now they must ruefully acknowledge another reality: The Trump movement, no matter how much this appalls opponents, is a powerful expression of democracy.”

“Vice President Kamala Harris may have been an imperfect candidate — the postmortems are vigorously underway on Wednesday morning — but she delivered the essential Democratic argument perfectly well: The Trump Era was something to be scraped off the national shoe.”

“Instead, there will be another helping placed on the national plate. His adversaries don’t have to pretend it tastes good. But, for now, they need to eat it.”

“Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States, and the same far-right extremists emboldened by his first administration are celebrating his win with violent memes and threats,” Wired reports.

“Many of the social media posts reviewed by Wired reveled in fantasies of Trump locking up and even executing his political opponents in revenge.”

Justice Department officials have been evaluating how to wind down the two federal criminal cases against President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office to comply with long-standing department policy that a sitting president can’t be prosecuted, NBC News reports.

Vice President Kamala Harris was preparing to concede the presidential race to Donald Trump in what her campaign said would be a speech at 4 p.m. ET, the New York Times reports.

Harris was scheduled to call Trump soon to formally concede.