President Donald Trump has already won four million more votes than he did in 2016, shattering pre-election predictions
As Americans wait for nail-biting final results of the US presidential election, with the outcome of several key battleground states still too close to call, one thing is clear: The analysts got it wrong - President Donald Trump's base has expanded.
Four years ago, Trump clinched the US election through the electoral college, despite losing the popular vote. This year, as numbers continue to trickle in, Trump has already surpassed his 2016 levels of support by about four million ballots.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden leads in the popular vote, which on Wednesday morning stood at 69.5 million for Biden, compared with Trump's 67.1 million.
Biden's total vote count has also surpassed former President Barack Obama's 2008 numbers, breaking the record for the most ballots ever received by a US presidential candidate.
Still, Trump's gains show that his base expanded during his first term, despite most mainstream coverage ahead of election night predicting a decline.
...
'Muslims were frustrated with the choices'
Regarding the Muslim vote, Hassan Shibly, chief executive director at Florida's Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), estimates that Trump might have carried 20 percent of the community.
"There wasn't a consensus within the Muslim community about who the better candidate is," Shibly told MEE.
"I think people were very frustrated with the choices."
Still, Shibly said, in states such as Wisconsin and Michigan, Muslims likely made a big difference in the vote for Biden.
Trump also increased his support nationally among Black men from 13 percent to 16 percent, and among Black women from four percent to eight percent, according to Edison polling.
...
Full Article: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-elections-2020-donald-trump-base-grows-despite-likely-loss