Michael Smerconish Explains Method to Trump's Madness in Winning Election

Michael Smerconish is breaking down the strategy behind Donald Trump's convincing win on Election Day ... and he says Trump pushed all the right buttons.

The political commentator and radio host joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and he told us there was a method to Trump's madness ... with Trump finding ways to speak directly to the people most likely to vote for him, and to get new voters off the couch and into voting booths.

Michael says Trump's behavior and dark comments in the weeks leading up to the election motivated his target audience ... even if Trump had voices in the media and Kamala Harris supporters questioning his tactics.

The way Michael sees it ... Trump made immigration a huge issue in the election, and Hispanic voters went for him ... bucking some conventional wisdom. He says Hispanic voters want secure borders the most because they resent undocumented immigrants cutting the line.

Frankly, lots of folks in mainstream media didn't see Trump's big win coming ... and Michael says a lot of Trump voters seem to have been motivated to vote on account of President Biden's "garbage" comment and negative media framing of the MAGA crowd.

And, get this ... Michael's sense is that a lot of media outlets actually helped Trump win when they were trying to hurt his chances with their coverage.

It's an interesting look at the election results ... catch the full interview on "TMZ Live." Check your local listings.