It was a historical night on Nov 8, as Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election. However, some students were not too pleased with outcome.
Students and professors sat in Legacy’s multipurpose room watching and waiting as CNN stayed up-to-date with electoral votes. For hours, the race was considered too close to call, but Trump was slightly ahead.
At 10:35 p.m., CNN announced that Trump won Florida, setting the attitude for the rest of the night.
Brandy Jolliff Scott, assistant professor of political science, said, “A lot of the polls and projections didn’t predict this, and so I’m wondering what the pollsters got wrong.”
Scott doesn’t think Trump has the experience to be the president.
“He is unusual and he doesn’t have experience in government. But there are plenty of concerns for both candidates,” said Scott.
Michelle Lopez, exercise physiology junior, has similar thoughts.
“We have a reality TV star as president,” said Lopez.
Niko Padilla, marketing senior, is a Clinton supporter.
Padilla said, “I am not pro-Trump. But it is what the country decided. Hopefully it’s not as people think. It could surprise us, but ultimately I’ll be disappointed.”
Lopez believes she has figured out why Trump has had success.
Lopez said, “He’s smart because he knows who his audience is, and he’s playing to his audience and that’s how he’s getting his votes. He’s pissing off the right people and telling the right people what they want to hear. Is it necessarily what he believes? I don’t know. But for the whole time he’s been in the spotlight, you never hear about any of the issues that are going on now.”
Lopez offered some advice to the new president.
“Don’t piss off the Mexicans,” Lopez said. “He should just stick to what he knows about business and running the economy. As far as his political views, I wouldn’t play too much into it.”
Padilla, obviously dissatisfied with Trump as a role model, has some words for Trump as well.
“I’ve read his political panel and statutes, and as a person, I think he is not a good person. As a political figure, I feel like he is not someone you would look up to,” Padilla said. “I would definitely tell him to clean up his attitude and act. He is president. He does have kids looking up to him. He has to present himself in a certain way. You can’t just be telling people, ‘grab them by the you-know-what,’ and you can’t just demean women, especially in an era like this where women are uprising,” Padilla said.
Adam Sutton, kinesiology junior, is a Trump supporter, but fears the outcome of the polarity of the campaign.
“Don’t be too left or right. The biggest thing is compromise. You’re not always right, but you’re not always wrong. They’ve got to find some middle ground. I’m not a big fan of way left or way right candidates. They always think they are correct, and they aren’t always correct.”
Sutton shared how he feels the people should handle the outcome.
“Whoever wins the presidency, American citizens should rally around them. Even if he’s not your candidate, he is still your president.”
WHY ARE YOU HERE?
“I wanted to spend the evening with my students enjoying the electoral process.” – Jeremy Duff, political science professor
“This is an exciting night in political science. We invited everyone from our classes to come out and socialize, as well as practice citizenship.” – Linda Veazey, political science professor
“This is a part of a series of learning communities. We put together this party for everyone to see how this turns out. It’s a big night for the political science department. It’s our Christmas.” – Steve Garrison, political science chair
WHOSE GOING TO WIN
“Clinton will win. She’s ahead in the polls, and she has an easier path through the electoral college.” – Duff
“It’s hard to tell at this point. Several of battleground or swing states are close. It’s going to be a long night. It’s all about the electoral vote.” – Veazey
“The winner is the American voter.” – Garrison
ANYTHING SURPRISING HAPPEN?
“Not yet, but Trump is up in Florida.” – Duff
“Not yet.” – Veazey
“Virginia is close. That’s pretty interesting.” – Steve Garrison
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