Donald Trump’s presidential win evokes mixed reactions from Miami students

“Disappointed.”

“Excited.”

“I hoped for change.”

“Shocked.”

“This will be a change for the future.”

President-elect Donald Trump secured his victory last night over Vice President Kamala Harris. His supporters are overwhelmed with excitement, while Harris’s supporters are left in shock.

In Butler County, 36% voted for Harris, and 62% voted for Trump.

Student reactions

One first-year math major said she now feels embarrassed to be an American. Lauren, who is only going by her first name, declined to use her last name saying she felt uncomfortable with people she knew knowing her vote.

For her, the dread officially sunk in when she woke up the morning of Nov. 6, looked at her phone and saw Trump had won.

After following the election most of the night, Lauren fell asleep uneasily, knowing the odds were against her candidate.

“I don’t know if I was consuming biased media throughout this election, but I was very convinced that Kamala would have a good shot at the election,” Lauren said. “So I was just shocked to see what happened in the battleground states.”

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Lauren isn’t the only student who faced restlessness last night, waiting as each state’s results were reported.

Fellow first-year and finance major Bryce Anderson said he stayed up until 2 a.m. with his friends following the election coverage. He said he reacted to Trump’s victory with excitement instead of disappointment, and said he had renewed hope that this would be the change the United States needs.

“I feel the economy is going to get a lot better, and especially being a college student, I feel like all those policies are going to help us, especially because this is a time where we need to grow,” Anderson said. “We’re going to go into the tough parts of our life trying to get jobs, and we’re going to tie down money and just have a nice economy to go into a whole new world buying houses, just moving on, leaving your own childhood house. I feel like it’s gonna be big for us college students.”

Nevertheless, not everyone at Miami was as invested in the close race to the White House.

Brian Zheng, a sophomore psychology major, said he didn’t care who won in the end. He voted for Trump but didn’t necessarily like either option.

“At the end of the day, both of them are gonna affect me relatively the same way,” Zheng said.

A fellow sophomore psychology and neuroscience major had a more passionate opinion than Zheng. Johanna Chambers realized Harris would lose while finishing her homework early the next morning, even if the results weren’t set in stone yet. She said while it’s disheartening to hear, there’s nothing anybody can do about it now except get through the next four years.

“I just feel very bad for Kamala, because she had put in a lot of effort, and she created a very big sense of hope for our country,” Chambers said. “For her to be up against, I wouldn’t even say like, necessarily a real opponent … I don’t think that’s necessarily fair for her to have to deal with that in the first place. And I feel like black women in this country specifically are kind of just constantly let down, and it’s just disappointing where we had a chance and it was just ripped away right in front of our eyes.”

Alana Willett, a junior finance major and fashion minor, said she is happy about the results, having woken up to confirm Trump’s victory before sunrise. She said the most important issues for her include the economy, immigration and border security.

“I’m just happy I’ll be able to afford gas and groceries,” Willett said. “I’m excited for the economy to become more stable.”

Overseas, some students at the Miami University John E. Dolibois European Center Luxembourg campus are also celebrating the election results, including Regan Armbruster, a junior political science major.

“Even though I’m abroad, I was still able to use my voice and vote,” Armbruster said. “I am so excited that my voice was heard, as well as millions of other Americans who also are ready to bring our country back to where it needs to be.”

Armbruster said she voted for who she considers the best for the country and looks forward to returning to the U.S. when Trump assumes his presidency in January. She showed her support for the returning president by reposting “Make America Great Again” on her Instagram story, a post put out by Trump while the polls were still open.

Throughout the day, Wesley Campus Ministry, a United Methodist organization housed in the Oxford United Methodist Church, set up a station in Armstrong with signs reading “Need to talk, we’re here to listen,” in addition to snacks and games available.

“We came out to provide a listening ear and a space for students who needed to process election results,” Reverend Katie Steele said. “I knew emotions were going to be high in a lot of different directions, and we're all about building community.”

stumbata@miamioh.edu