On Tuesday, Nov. 8, the people of America cast their votes and elected Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. Trump finished with 276 electoral college votes, compared to opposing candidate Hillary Clinton’s 228 votes. He won 47.51 percent of the popular vote, with Clinton taking 47.66 percent.
Trump was in the lead for the majority of the evening. He took major swing states like Florida as well as states that usually vote Democratic, like Ohio. Pennsylvania also went Republican, many first time a change in states’ political affiliations has occurred in many years.
Overall, the candidates were only percentages away from each other in each state. Media outlets such as CNN and NBC did not expect Trump to win, as polls right before the election still showed Clinton leading.
Trump is currently 70 years old, making him the oldest president ever elected, beating previous record holder Ronald Reagan by a year. During the election, the American public showed its discontent with the conventional politics of the past by electing a businessman with no prior political experience. This election was also monumental because both the House of Representatives and the Senate are controlled by the Republican party.
In Russia, the people are excited about Trump’s victory. Vladimir Putin has stated that he hopes to work with the US in order to improve relations between the two countries, according to a report by CBS News. President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico has expressed willingness to work with Trump to preserve the beneficial relationship for both parties. However, the Mexican Peso’s value has dropped since the announcement of the results.
President Francois Hollande of France has not expressed excitement in regard to the results of the election, as he was a known supporter of Clinton, although he gave his congratulations to Trump. According to CBS News, other countries, such as the Netherlands, China, Britain, India, Israel and the Philippines, sent their congratulations to Trump and look forward to working with him.
On the campus of Elizabethtown College, students are abuzz. Many were surprised by the outcome. First-year Courtney Gelb was shocked since she thought “Hillary Clinton would be pulling ahead” during the election. First-year Leah Jordan was not surprised. “It’s heart-wrenching that he [actually] did win,” she said.
Sophomore Emil Brandau believes that this election is unique in the fact that the “Republican president-elect may in fact end up more fiscally liberal than the Democrats’ own nominee,” which could lead to an “ideological party realignment.” Sophomore Julie Weeks believes the election was monumental not only because Clinton did not win as everybody expected, but also because “everyone was tuned in, not just Americans.”
