Trump's big tent: President-elect improved on 2020 performance in 4 counties with big minority populations

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Lawrence Jones: Voters rejected identity politics

'Fox & Friends' co-host Lawrence Jones discusses voter trends after it was projected former President Trump would win in 2024.

For most of the 2024 presidential campaign, public opinion polls suggested that President-elect Trump had historically strong support from minority voters. Now, the election results prove those surveys right.

Thousands of U.S. counties swung rightward compared to 2020, which enabled Trump to overcome his previous deficits with voters and win the national popular vote in 2024 – a feat no Republican has accomplished for 20 years. But four counties in particular highlight Trump's appeal to constituencies that traditionally have supported Democrats.

"Donald Trump improved his standing with Black and Latino voters for one simple reason: He went directly to them and earned their votes," said Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell. "Presidential Republicans usually do not go to areas that aren't part of their traditional voting bases. Trump won 90% plus Latino counties, and he has truly put the Republican Party on the map as a multicultural party."

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Trump pumps his fist as he arrives to speak at a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum, Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024, in Uniondale, New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Hispanics account for 45% of residents in Passaic County, in northern New Jersey. Trump won the county with nearly 50% of the vote, improving his 2020 performance by a whopping nine percentage points. The results shocked Democrats, since the party's 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton won there with 74% of the vote. 

Trump's victory was more pronounced in Starr County, Texas, formerly a Democratic stronghold on the border with Mexico, where Hispanics make up 97% of all residents. Trump flipped the county for the first time in 132 years, winning with about 57.7% of the vote, according to the Associated Press.

It was a similar story in traditionally Democratic Osceola County, where Trump won 50% of the vote compared to Vice President Kamala Harris' 48%. Located in central Florida, just south of Disney World, Osceola is 56% Latino. Voters there told FOX 35 Orlando that Trump appealed to them because of their focus on economic issues.

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President-elect Trump made massive gains in several traditionally Democratic counties nationwide. (Fox News)

"He appealed to me since day one," voter Robert Arias said. "I felt like he's a businessman, and he'll be able to run our country like a business."

"Trump is a businessman," agreed Daniel Pedraza. "He's got guts." 

Trump lost Osceola County to Clinton by 25 points in 2016. President Biden defeated Trump there by 14 points in 2020, FOX 35 reported. But he gained 7 percentage points there in 2024 and flipped it red.

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Former President Trump dances on stage with former first lady Melania Trump, center, and son Barron Trump at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

A Fox News Voter Analysis showed Trump's crossover appeal to Democratic constituencies was foundational to his success. He improved on his 2020 numbers among Hispanics (41%, +6 points), Black voters (15%, +7 points), and young voters (46%, +10 points).

These rightward shifts were particularly notable among Hispanic men (+8 points), Black men (+12 points), and men under 30 (+14 points) from 2020.

Trump's strength with Black voters was felt in Anson County, North Carolina, where the Republican candidate won there for the first time since the 1970s and only the second time in more than 100 years. Trump received 50.9% of the vote compared to 48.2% for Harris. Black residents make up 47% of the population in Anson County.

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Overall, Trump improved on his 2020 margin in 2,367 counties nationwide and lost ground in only 240 counties, according to the New York Times. 

"Because of him, Republicans now have a chance to truly compete for the Black vote, and because of him, it appears that the GOP will have the Senate, the House and the White House," Caldwell said.

The Fox News Polling Unit contributed to this report.