In a decisive result, Donald J. Trump was elected to serve a second term as president of the United States, defeating current Vice President Kamala Harris and becoming the second president ever to serve two nonconsecutive terms. Students across the country took to the polls and waited until early in the morning for an election result. Now, many have mixed reactions to Trump’s victory, with some optimistic about the next four years and others worried about the country’s future.
The buildup to the historic election, dominated by President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race in July, was mired with unknowns. Pollsters and analysts were split in their predictions in the days leading up to the election, with many believing that an extremely close race was in the cards.
As polls began closing, however, it quickly became apparent that Harris was falling behind. Trump comfortably won Florida in the opening hours of election night and held firm leads in the southern battleground states of Georgia and North Carolina until they were called in his favor.
Harris underperformed Biden in key urban areas in the northern swing states, and the Associated Press called the race early Wednesday morning, with Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes pushing Trump over the 270 required to win.
Another surprise of the night was that Trump appeared to be ahead in the popular vote — an accomplishment that eluded him both in 2020 and 2016. The result is not final as the blue state of California continues to count votes, but Trump still claimed the win. In a speech delivered while surrounded by family, allies and supporters in Palm Beach, Fla., Trump said that his lead in the popular vote was “very nice” and thanked his voters for their support.
“I want to just tell you what a great honor this is,” Trump said. “I want to thank you. I will not let you down. America's future will be bigger, better, bolder, richer, safer and stronger than it has ever been before.”
Blake Boudreaux, president of College Republicans and fourth-year College student, said that he and other CR members were happy with the results in Virginia and across the country. He said that he believed many Americans were dissatisfied with the Biden administration, which was reflected in the outcome.
Additionally, Boudreaux said he was proud of the work that CRs did in the buildup to the election in getting Virginians to the polls — which included canvassing and door knocking efforts. Boudreaux also said that he has noticed a trend with young voters shifting to the right. He hopes that the next step for the GOP will be to ensure that Trump is surrounded by people who can help him deliver on his campaign promises.
“The next four years are going to be a fight,” Boudreaux said. “I think most people were expecting Trump to win. Obviously, we had to put in a lot of work to make that happen, but as we've seen in the past, the most important thing about the presidency isn't even just the people at the very top, but it's who the staffers are.”
Harris conceded the election Wednesday at 4 p.m., saying that she spoke on the phone with Trump earlier in the day, and that though she intends to respect the results of the election, she will continue to advocate for Americans and their rights.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” Harris said. “But hear me when I say, hear me when I say, the light of America's promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”
Second-year College student Ryan Shoztic said the clear resolution to this election was comforting, and that he feels the country can look forward to a peaceful transfer of power.
“I think it's nice that we had a very well-run and obvious result in the election,” Shoztic said. “It lessens any arguments that can be made trying to downplay the legitimacy of our institutions.”
Ella Nelsen, president of University Democrats and fourth-year College student, echoed Harris’s sentiment of disappointment with the results of the election, but remained steadfast in her trust in the democratic process and a peaceful transfer of power between administrations.
Still, Nelsen said that many people in UDems are already very worried about what the future holds under another Trump administration, and that she is currently focused on supporting those in her community that are struggling to cope with Trump’s win.
“We are of course extremely disappointed in the results,” Nelsen said. “We saw this as a fight for democracy and a fight for women’s rights, as well as a fight for immigrant rights, for our environment … honestly, protecting the country from being led by a felon.”
Other students expressed their disappointment in the election results, spurred by a feeling of anxiety over Trump’s future policies in office.
Fourth-year College student Carla Tabet — who is originally from Munich, Germany but has resided in Falls Church, Va. for the past several years — voted for the first time in this election after recently gaining citizenship status.
According to Tabet, she and her family applied for dual citizenship both out of their love for living in the U.S. and strong desire to make their voices heard in the 2024 presidential election, especially on the issue of women’s rights.
“We definitely wanted to apply as early as we could so that we could vote … for me, the most important part [of the election] was reproductive rights for women,” Tabet said.
While Tabet said processing times for citizenship can range from 10 to 12 months in Virginia, she was able to complete her citizenship interview and take her oath by Nov. 1, allowing her to cast her ballot.
Going into the election — energized by her newfound ability to participate in the U.S. democratic process — Tabet said she was optimistic about the election, believing that her preferred candidate Harris would come out on top.
“I was feeling optimistic, especially when I voted. I genuinely thought that Kamala's social media presence and her campaign presence had really gained traction, and I was really hopeful for that,” Tabet said. “So it honestly took me by surprise when this election took this turn … [on] election night, I was very nervous when the results started coming in, but I still had that … hopefulness.”
Tabet said that Harris’ loss instills in her a sense of uncertainty and fear, wondering how a second Trump administration will handle a variety of policy issues, including reproductive rights, NATO membership and the response to the war in Ukraine.
Despite this feeling of disappointment and apprehension over what the next four years hold, Tabet said she is committed to continuing to make her voice heard through voting — and she hopes that fellow young voters do the same.
“I'm not gonna let this one election … deter my will to live here,” Tabet said. “I'm going to continue voting in elections … I think, especially as young voters, [we] need to just keep at it, and keep saying what we believe in, and keep staying up to date.”
Though the presidential race received the most attention, a number of other federal elections were also on the ballot in Virginia. Republicans gained a majority in the Senate, and though many races have yet to be declared, the House of Representatives races around the country were heavily contested, with Republicans only needing 13 more seats to keep control compared to Democrats needing 28 as of Wednesday night.
In the races voted on by the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle County residents, incumbent Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine defeated Republican opponent Hung Cao by eight points, retaining his seat in a now Republican-majority Senate.
Republicans also retained the House seat for Virginia’s fifth congressional district, as State Sen. John McGuire beat his opponent Dem. Gloria Witt to take the seat that is currently held by Rep. Bob Good. Virginia also had a constitutional amendment on the ballot, which passed with overwhelming support, expanding tax exemptions for families of members of the armed forces that died while in service.
Still, many elections across the country have yet to be called, particularly in California where they continue to count absentee votes as long as they are received by Nov. 12. There are more than a dozen uncalled races in the state of California alone, and it may not be clear which party will control the House for several more days.
While some students express anxiety over the election results and others express excitement, Shoztic said that he hopes students will accept the results and keep an open mind about the nation’s future.
“This is the result of the election that more than half of the country wants,” Shoztic said. “It's something that we're going to accept and learn how to move forward with, even if it's the person that we disagree with.”
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