Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy identified a critical mistake that led to Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat against President-elect Trump in the 2024 race.
"The craziest thing is her campaign was 'turn the page,' you know, 'start a new America,' all this," he said on "Hannity." They tried to distance her from Joe Biden. But when predictable questions arose, she couldn’t respond. "How are you different than Joe? What would you have done differently?" were key questions, and she had no answers.
Portnoy called this failure "probably the biggest ringing indictment in the campaign." He pointed out that the campaign should have anticipated those questions. "You know that question is coming," he explained. "I don’t know how they didn’t sit around with the smartest people they got and be — 'Hey, here’s how you answer that question.' She never was able to, and it probably cost her the campaign."
He also criticized the harsh rhetoric from Democrats targeting conservatives. "It’s a nonstop assault on your senses," he stated. "They’re insulting, like I said, more than half the country. At some point, they’ve got to learn their lessons, but that was their entire campaign, essentially."
Portnoy emphasized that significant issues, like crime and the border, influenced his support for Trump. "A lot of people are asking, like, ‘How did Trump get more votes than he got last time?’ Well, here’s the answer," he said.
He highlighted how independents and moderates felt left with no choice. "The Democrats gave us no choice," Portnoy explained in an Instagram video after the election. "That was the worst campaign, and their pure arrogance, and their moral superiority have driven people away."
He expressed frustration over the backlash against Trump supporters. "If you say you’re voting for Trump, suddenly you’re a Nazi, you’re Hitler, you’re garbage. Enough! Enough!" Portnoy concluded, highlighting the deep divisions in the political landscape.