Republican Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election in an unexpected upset over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
In a much tighter race than was anticipated, Trump won swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. As of 11:45 p.m. Tuesday night, CNN reported the electoral count as 268 for Donald Trump and 216 for Hillary Clinton, with 270 needed to win.
Clinton called and conceded to Donald Trump just 20 minutes before the Pilot House closed at midnight. Students had mixed reactions to the election result.
“I’m shocked. I don’t understand on any level how this is possible,” said junior Triana Matheson, who watched the election in Lund Hall. “It’s very disconcerting to me, as both a woman and, I guess, a human being. I don’t understand how this could happen at all. Every hurdle he has crossed and every step he’s taken closer to the White House, I’ve been shocked. He’s not presidential. He’s not even a good person.”
There were relatively large groups of Trump supporters gathered in the Pilot House tonight, watching the results unfold. Many were pleased with the Republican nominee’s success.
“I’m feeling really great,” freshman Grady Miller, who supports Trump, said. “I had some doubts but I’m glad I’m being proved wrong.”
A few of the issues students prioritized at the close of the 2016 election season are trade and foreign policy.
“Foreign policy is important because nowadays, America is so involved in outside matters,” said freshman Tristan Martin, who didn’t say who he supported in the election.
Several attribute Clinton’s loss to a lack of voter turnout for the candidate. Although according to USA Today, voter turnout was up 4.7 percent around the nation.
“It’s sad that we have the most voter turnout in years and we have the two worst candidates,” said sophomore Jumel Villacarlos, who watched the election’s final moments in Christie. Villacarlos said that while he did vote, he was not enthusiastic about either candidate.
In Trump’s acceptance speech Tuesday night in New York, he said, “We will deal fairly with everyone. We will seek common ground, not conflict.”
As the outcome of the election unfolds, stay tuned for more Beacon coverage on student responses.
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Olivia Sanchez, Dora Totoian, Rylee Warner and Rachel Ramirez contributed to reporting for this story.
