By Lola Seiter and June Binnard
After hearing the results of the 2024 presidential election, many people felt like their life was over. Donald Trump had just been elected for the second time, and it seemed like the world was ending. The specifics of Trump’s proposed program for the country after winning the 2024 election were to: bring down eggs prices, declare a national emergency at the Southern border, begin mass deportation of ‘illegal aliens,’ pull America out of the Paris climate agreement, disband the DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) act, and much more. When talking about their emotions after the 2024 election, many recalled feeling similar feelings after the 2016 election. We sent out a survey to hear people’s feelings and opinions from Trump’s first victory in the 2016 presidential election, and his recent second victory in the 2024 presidential election.
In our form, students at LREI described feeling scared, confused, and shocked after hearing the results of the 2016 presidential election. Many people’s feelings were a reflection of their parent’s reactions, as they were still too young to fully grasp the weight of the election results, and the future of America in the coming four years. However, the results of the 2024 election let students feel for themselves. Our survey showed similar results to the previous election. Students expressed feelings of concern for the coming years. “My first reaction to finding out that Trump won a second time was disbelief followed by fear about where the future is headed… the emotions I had in 2016 were much weaker because there wasn’t as much at stake for both me and my friends.,” one student replied. “I was more angry this time because [Trump] won the popular vote as well as the electoral vote, meaning the majority of Americans voted for him over Kamala,” another wrote.
Some students admitted not being familiar with current politics and events, but they still expressed feelings of stress and confusion. Along with Trump’s second successful election, this year he also got the Republican majority in the house, the senate, and the presidency, also known as a government trifecta. One student said, “I feel nervous because Trump only cares about the richest people and his ideas are so corrupt and harmful to certain groups of people that the bills that he will want to pass can’t be good. Also because he has both the House and Senate, the probability that he will get his way is high.” Trump also has the supreme court, with three justices who appointed himself, making it so that one third of the supreme court was instated there by Donald Trump himself.
For many students, the 2024 election felt like a return to the worst parts of American history, and a horrifying repeat of Trump’s first time in office. Back in 2016, Trump was new to politics, and people didn’t know exactly what his presidency would entail. But by 2024, the country had already seen the harm and destruction his policies caused, especially for marginalized communities. His complete ignorance of climate change, matched with his growing control over the government are just some factors that many need to worry about after Trump’s second successful election.
In conclusion, many students at LREI feel that they are in a worrisome state when it comes to thinking about the future of America. They feel uncertain and anxious about the direction the country is heading in, and are worried about how his policies will affect many groups of people, including women, immigrants, and the LGBTQ+ community. With Trump’s second term and his government trifecta, many are terrified for America’s future.