The 2016 Presidential Election was hard on everyone because it was incredibly tiresome. The candidates had drastically different views, such as how to handle immigration, health care, taxes and education. They also disagreed on gun laws and abortion, with President-elect Donald Trump on the anti-abortion side and Hillary Clinton on the pro-abortion side. In classes, we have discussed our opinions on the debates as well as the election.
I was astonished when I rolled over in bed at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 9 to see the results, especially given Trump’s controversial words and actions in the past couple of months. What he said about Mexicans being “rapists and criminals,” according to the NY Daily News, and when he shamed women that he dislikes by referring to them as “slobs and pigs,” according to CNN, are just a few of his vitriolic comments.
Nevertheless, these words do not represent the power that Trump will have as president. You have to remember that our country has a system of checks and balances that Trump has to pass by before he can act irrationally on things such as “The Wall.” Therefore, I don’t think that he will be as bad as everyone thinks he will be. In all honesty, he probably was just not thinking before he spoke like an idiot. Nonetheless, if you are running for president, you should think before you say something that will target, harass or offend a particular group of people, regardless of whether people will still support and elect you into a position of power.
Following Trump’s win, I think that a lot of people were completely shocked, especially after the footage released on Oct. 7 that revealed him saying in 2005 the infamous line, “Grab them by the p***y.” Additionally, he used social media to his advantage, calling Clinton “Crooked Hillary” on Twitter to show people who were anti-Clinton just how much they couldn’t trust her. Regardless, we cannot change anything — Trump will be the 45th president of the United States of America.
According to The Washington Post 2016 Election Exit Polls published on Nov. 10, 72 percent of Trump voters were non-college educated white men. In a different demographic, non-white women with a college degree said that 76 percent of them voted for Clinton. However you look at the election results, having Trump as our president will be different than what we are used to. We are used to President Barack Obama who was a speaker for the majority of the people of the United States and is a Democrat, in stark contrast to Trump who is a hard, ruthless Republican.
According to The Washington Post, 58 percent of white citizens voted for Trump. That reality was clearly a shock to Fairfield since many professors cancelled class because of the election results. Associate Professor of English Johanna Garvey and Assistant Professor of History Jennifer Adair were a few of the professors who cancelled class due to the election. From what I have witnessed, there are quite a few members of the University who are disappointed in the American people.
Junior Monet Monterroso, a Resident Assistant in Koska Hall and an English major, offered her thoughts on the election results.
“I wouldn’t say I was disappointed so to speak. I would say I’m in shock because it wasn’t what I was expecting,” said Monterroso. “I’m am very much in denial, but I just still haven’t gotten over the shell-shock of that experience.”
Junior Dominique Jackson, a politics major and the Chair of the Senate Committee on Diversity and Inclusion also offered her reaction to Trump’s win.
“I think it’s unfortunate that Clinton didn’t win and I’m definitely not happy,” said Jackson. “It was about a matter of American values winning, but those who supported Trump — all power to them.”
After the results were announced, Clinton supporters were stunned, as seen on CNN. Their headline, “Tears and shock at Hillary Clinton’s election night party” showed how her supporters grew more devastated as the night progressed. People were crying in disbelief and were stunned by the results. I, myself, was shocked at how many electoral votes Trump accrued throughout the night. However, the next day, I moved on and got over it and I advise all of you to do the same.
Moving forward, it is best to heed the aforementioned advice and not overestimate the power that Trump was given on Nov. 9, a day that we will never forget.
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