“Democrats gave us no choice.”

Portnoy pointed to Democrats’ “arrogance” and “moral superiority” as central reasons for Trump’s victory. According to him, the Democratic campaign relied too heavily on portraying Trump as a threat to democracy without offering a compelling policy platform or solutions to the issues voters care about.

“The Democrats gave us no choice,” Portnoy said, expressing frustration with what he said was the party’s reliance on scare tactics. “Their entire campaign was ‘Trump is Hitler, Trump is a dictator.'” He argued that Democrats’ messaging, which he felt offended and dismissed Trump supporters as “racists” or “Nazis,” only served to woo undecided voters to upset. “When you call us that, you are calling the majority of the country racists, Hitlers, Nazis,” Portnoy said. “You’re alienating all these middle-class people by acting like you’re better than us, smarter than us, and frankly, you’re insulting our intelligence.”

Portnoy, who has often described himself as politically independent, criticized Democrats for their unwillingness to address key issues such as the economy, inflation and border security. He claimed the party ignored concerns about President Joe Biden’s mental fitness and then promoted Vice President Kamala Harris as Biden’s successor without adequately explaining her policy positions or how she differed from Biden.

Portnoy also highlighted low turnout among key Democratic voting blocs, including black and Hispanic voters, as evidence of a disconnect between the party and its traditional base. “Black voters didn’t come for Kamala,” he noted, suggesting that the Democrats’ campaign strategy was not resonating with their core supporters.

Summarizing his perspective, Portnoy called the 2024 election results a “clear endorsement of Republicans” and a “clear indictment of Democrats,” and called on Democratic leaders to rethink their approach. He suggested the party’s strategy backfired and ultimately pushed more Americans toward Trump.