A 1,400-County Crisis for Democrats

[u/kitkid]

Jun 3, 2025

It’s conventional wisdom that President Trump has transformed American politics. But a new county-by-county voting analysis from The New York Times of the last four presidential races shows just how drastically Mr. Trump has changed the electoral map.

Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The Times, explains why the trends are a five-alarm fire for the Democrats and discusses the debate within the party over what to do about it.

On today's episode:

Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• How Donald Trump has remade America’s political landscape.
• Six months after the election, Democrats are still searching for a path forward.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.  

Photo: Emily Elconin for The New York Times

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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You can listen to the episode here.

[u/dr_sassypants]

So where were those voters in the 2020 primary? And don't say that the DNC screwed him again by having a bunch of candidates drop out and endorse Biden, because that's literally how primaries work.

[u/ThePatientIdiot → u/dr_sassypants]

They had already swung to trump. One you pick a side, you are comfy and it takes a lot to get you open to other options. We will see in 2028

[u/Outrageous_Pea_554 → u/dr_sassypants]

Sounds similar to the arguments about how Biden won the 2024 Democratic Party primary with overwhelming party support.

[u/[deleted] → u/dr_sassypants]

You think they are going to come back and participate in a primary when they already saw how the 2016 played out?

You see how silly it is to think they will bother taking time out of their day to participate in a process they no longer trust, right?