Trump Wins the Presidency
Republican Donald Trump has defeated Democrat Kamala Harris to become the 47th President of the United States of America. His victory caps a historic political comeback following a defeat during his first bid for re-election in 2020 by President Joe Biden. His victory comes because of a passionate, core support base that stood by him despite his ongoing counts of felonies, court cases, rape convictions in civil court, impeachments and unpopularity during Covid-19.
Trump has four years to enact policies he promised to create on the campaign trail. He has vowed to address issues with living costs, impose hardline immigration policies, and “do something about abortion.” He will be joined in power by a recently flipped Republican-controlled Senate. It appears that he will make political appointments such as cabinet officials and judicial picks with relative ease, since these require Senate confirmation. It has not yet been determined who has taken control of the House of Representatives.
Trump’s win does not reflect the political affiliations of the majority of St. Lawrence University respondents. In a survey by The Hill News to gain an understanding of the political affiliations of students, 80.4% of respondents stated that they were voting for Harris.
Trump is the first president to be impeached twice. He is also the first to be indicted and convicted of criminal charges since leaving the Oval Office. He denies the results of the 2020 election and has vowed to pardon those convicted of federal offenses for attacking the U.S Capitol on January 6, 2021. His rhetoric is proven to be divisive, but he has nonetheless won the popular vote among the electorate.
“This is not unexpected, but I am surprised by the extent of his win.” says Matt Serrano ’26. “I don’t think everyone [voting for Trump] stands with his rhetoric, but rather they voted for him because they wanted change from how things are.” He ends stating that voters believed Trump would be the arbiter of such change.
“It is frightening how Trump’s rhetoric attacks many often marginalized identities and I think it’s justified if someone feels their identity is being attacked,” said Serrano. However, to Serrano, it is necessary not to view Trump voters in a black-and-white lens but engage in dialogue with them and judge them based on their personal views. Harris has also echoed sentiments of moving past extreme polarization in her concession speech. She stated that she will participate in the peaceful transition of power and urged her supporters to remain engaged.
Despite their lack of visibility, the Republican cohort on campus seem visibly pleased by the results. “I think I predicted it almost perfectly.” says Patrick Chase ’25, proud that his predictions of Trump’s wins across the board were reflected accurately in the eventual results. “I’m very hopeful that he implements the policies he promised to enact, but I hope that he doesn’t rush into it in a way that hurts him, his movement and the overall American people.” Either way, it seems that the coming weeks will be eventful at the very least.