Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump was elected to be the 47th President of the United States on Nov. 5, defeating Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election after winning 312 electoral votes over Harris’ 226. Trump won all seven battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona, overturning several “blue wall” states, according to the Associated Press.
Several members of the school community had mixed reactions toward the election results. History teacher Michelle Martinez said the shortcomings of the Democratic Party’s campaign made the results somewhat predictable, but said she was surprised at Trump’s victory despite his controversial political and personal record.
“The outcome of the election was both a surprise and not a surprise, considering the unpopularity of the Democratic Party under Biden that I think did not help Harris’ campaign, and the growing trend towards conservatism since 2016 among men, especially those between 18-25, and more rural parts of the U.S.,” Martinez said. “However, I was surprised that a candidate that has faced impeachment, made inflammatory remarks and has faced legal battles can still officially run for the office of president and win. I think this will impact how we view the office of the president and who we consider qualified for the position in the next elections.”
Clara Conrad ’25 said she fears Trump’s lack of diplomacy in handling national and foreign policy will pose significant challenges to global stability.
“I’m concerned about Trump’s xenophobic and racist rhetoric surrounding immigration, as I fundamentally believe they violate the goals of the American ethos,” Conrad said. “I’m also anxious about larger geopolitical issues in Ukraine, Taiwan and the Middle East. I believe Trump’s overly crass way of handling delicate situations could be incredibly dangerous for the entire world.”
Kate Israel ’26 said she was devastated by the results of the election, and is concerned that many marginalized groups will lose their rights under the agenda of Project 2025. Project 2025 is a conservative movement which main objectives are to “secure the border, finish building the wall and deport illegal aliens,” according to its website. The organization additionally aims to ban transgender females from competing in womens’ sports.
“I’m worried about what will happen to the rights of women, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community,” Israel said. “I’m also confused as to why America decided to elect a convicted felon over one of the most qualified candidates in U.S. history. One issue I’m apprehensive about is female reproductive rights, along with Project 2025. These issues have the potential to severely limit access to safe and legal abortions, even in cases when they are medically necessary. I’m scared for those who could be negatively impacted by a reduction of these rights, like sexual assault victims and those who experience non-viable pregnancies.”
Beau Cartwright ’27 said she believes Trump’s foreign tariff policy will hurt consumers and that his tax policies are unfair.
“I think the prices of items that we need day to day, like food and gas, will go up even though his plan is to avoid this,” Cartwright said. “In addition, decreasing taxes for the top 1% is something that I’m worried about, too. Shifting the taxes towards the middle class is bad because the rich and wealthy won’t have to contribute their fair part in society. I think that’s really alarming.”
Conversely, Barron Linnekens ’26 said he is in favor of Trump’s economic policies due to their potential to allow Americans to increase their personal wealth.
“What I’m most excited for in Trump’s presidency is how the stock market reacts to his administration,” Linnekens said. “In the day after the election, it jumped almost an entire percentage point, which is amazing. The average American net worth multiplied by 1.8 times during Trump’s first term from 2016 to 2020. I’m especially excited that his presidency will carry over into when I become an adult. Having the ability to easily build capital is going to be really beneficial in a world where inflation is such a big deal.”
Linnekens said he believes the reason many battleground states such as Michigan and Wisconsin flipped Republican is partly due to Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator and newly Vice President-elect J.D.
“I think it, in part, is because of J.D. Vance,” Linnekens said. “I think Vance did an incredible job with his debates, and whether you agree with his stances on certain policies or not, I think he argued them in a really clear and concise way. I also think that it’s just a matter of whose policies voters align more with. Harris didn’t run on the exact same platform that Biden ran on, so while voters may have aligned more closely to Biden’s policies than Trump’s, they might have been closer to Trump’s than Harris’. It’s all about that spectrum, so I think that’s why this election was different from last year’s.”
Cole Firshein ’26 said they are appalled at the immigration policies that Trump spoke of in his campaign.
“I think it’s crazy that he’s planning to deport 11 million people,” Firshein said. “And not just people trying to cross the border, but people who already have roots in America, people who have family, connections, businesses. People whose kids were born here and are citizens and have been living here for years and years. Yet, he still wants to deport them, even though they contribute greatly to the economy, which is what his issue was with immigrants in the first place, that they took away from the economy.”
The 48 million immigrants who reside in the U.S. generated $1.6 trillion in 2022, according to an analysis of census data by the American Immigration Council. Additionally, it is projected by the Congressional Budget Office that increased immigration could reduce the U.S. federal budget deficit by $897 billion over the next decade. Undocumented immigrants contributed $96.7 billion to the economy via federal, state and local taxes in 2022, and a study from the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy found that providing these immigrants with work permits would cause their yearly tax contributions to rise to $136.9 billion.
Graham Ross ’26 said while he does not foresee Trump’s victory drastically impacting his daily life, he is worried about possible repercussions on other groups.
“I’m privileged to be a white male, a group which isn’t targeted in the U.S.,” Ross said. “My rights aren’t the ones at stake, but that doesn’t mean Trump isn’t a threat. I’m worried about many of his policies, especially regarding abortion. Trump has various loopholes, such as enforcing the Comstock Act, that he could use to enforce a [de facto] nationwide abortion ban. I think Trump is a danger to the health of our democracy as well as the rights of many Americans.”
