Mainstream pundits melted down Tuesday night into Wednesday morning as Donald Trump cemented his political comeback. They mostly avoided blaming the result on Vice President Kamala Harris, instead accusing American men of "misogyny" and lamenting the influence of "disinformation."
Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary turned MSNBC host, called Trump ally Elon Musk "a disinformation propagandist" who will now have "a direct line to the Oval Office." Her MSNBC colleague Joe Scarborough, meanwhile, blamed Harris's loss on "misogyny"—and not just from "white men."
"It's not just misogyny from white men," he said. "It's misogyny from Hispanic men. It's misogyny from black men." Increased support from Hispanic and black voters helped propel Trump to victory.
Over on The View, host Sara Haines lambasted Congress for "not being able to do one thing in regard to the rogue corporations of social media." Sunny Hostin, who handed the Trump campaign a TV ad on a silver platter when she asked Harris what she would have done differently from President Joe Biden (Harris couldn't name anything), said she was "profoundly disturbed."
The Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart similarly lost it over Trump's successful evening, which he said left him "mystified."
"I can't help but wonder if the American people have given up on democracy," he said.
Trump, for his part, pledged to heal the nation.
"We're going to help our country heal," he said during his victory speech. "We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly."