I wouldn't consider 49.8% vs 48.3% (1.5% difference) a mandate personally either way I agree his winning means he gets to try and implement his plan, I am not suggesting he has no right to replace who he wants to replace. I just don't think his plan is some morally/ethical righteous one, I think Trump does what is good for Trump and sometimes that also is good for the country.
Kash Patel making a child's book about Hillary Queenton trying to harm King Trump, to me, goes beyond just having a shared belief in how to improve the country. However I do take your point that having shared goals doesn't mean one is a loyalist.
A mandate doesn't conform to your opinion of what percentage of votes are needed. Did you not even see how i described the national popular vote as mythical? That's because the electoral college was created precisely so there would be no national popular vote to consider. When you look at where the votes were cast on a map, it's obvious that if the EC never existed, a few massively populated states would be deciding every election.
Trump won 307 electoral votes to Kamala's 226. That's 58% to 42%. Ten percentage points in the only election total that counts is a mandate in my book. It's also significant to realize that Trump won ever single swing state, including the ones that were supposedly part of the Blue Wall that normally prevents Republicans from winning.
So, whether or not you decide what number of popular votes are needed for a mandate is immaterial. That total is anecdotal and carries no weight in elections.
And if Trump only did what was good for Trump, he'd never have run again so he wouldn't have had to endure all the weaponized agencies and courts coming after him to prevent a second term.. He also would not have donated his entire salary his first term, and i'll bet he's planning the same in the 2nd.
i'm glad you agree about the Loyalist BS the Dems in DC are feeding the MSM. They tried to use that against him in the first term, but Trump unfortunately for his own good left too many deep state Swamp loyalists in their positions. I think he learned from that mistake, which is why he's trying hard to fill as many high priority cabinet positions as quickly as possible. Last time his nominations were slow-rolled, which is why he's already said he'd use recess appointments if necessary. All the Senate needs to do is take a reasonable look at each nominee and vote to approve them if nothing glaringly pops up to disqualify them. The Dems are already trying to
Kavanaugh his DoD pick, saying he's accused of sexual assault and being an alcoholic. Pete H. is giving up a massive income at Fox to continue serving his country, not that he hasn't served it enough already.
In my opinion, it's more important for Trump to pick a team that can work together than it would be to try and appease both sides of the aisle.
You can please some of the people all of the time,
and you can please all of the people some of the time,
but, you can't please all of the people all of the time.
(rephrasing of the "
fool some of the people" quote)