Dec. 7, 2024
By Drew Bancroft
Webmaster
After an intense election cycle between Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump, over 150 million Americans cast their ballots in the presidential election, which took place on Nov. 5.
By the early hours of Nov. 6, the results were in. Winning the popular vote and amassing 312 Electoral College votes across 31 states, including all seven battleground states, Trump was announced as the 47th president of the United States.
MAP BY ISABELLA BARTLETT Republican nominee Donald Trump won the popular vote in 31 states, while Democratic nominee Kamala Harris won the popular vote in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Trump earned 312 Electoral College votes, compared to Harris’ 226.
Sophomore Ana Goncalves said she was shocked when she learned Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021 and lost to then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden in 2020, would be president.
“I expected for the election to be close, but when I saw that Trump had won by so much more than Kamala, it was surprising,” Goncalves said.
Trump received over 77 million popular votes, compared to Harris, who received over 74 million.
Although Biden was slated to run as the Democratic nominee, he withdrew from the presidential race in July and endorsed Harris.
Biden’s announcement came after members of the Democratic Party, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Senator Jon Tester of Montana, voiced concerns about his ability to lead the country through a second term because of his age and health.
Goncalves said Harris’ late entrance into the presidential race and her inability to separate herself from the Biden administration put her at a disadvantage.
“People imagined Harris would be different from Biden by helping to lower inflation and gain control of the border. However, when asked in an interview [on the talk show “The View”] what she would change from Biden’s term, she said she couldn’t think of a single thing,” Goncalves said.
Sophomore Brian Ferreira said Harris’ identity as a Black and Indian-American woman inhibited her ability to gain support.
“I expected for the election to be close, but when I saw that Trump had won by so much more than Kamala, it was surprising.”
“A few weeks after Kamala replaced Biden [on the Democratic ticket], there were numerous articles of people saying they wouldn’t vote for Kamala because of her gender and her race,” Ferreira said.
He said people’s concerns about Harris’ identity were unwarranted and were simply part of the toxicity in election politics.
“This is no longer a competition of who can better run a country,” Ferreira said. “It’s now a competition of who is more likable.”
History teacher Mr. Duus said many Americans blamed inflation and challenges in the aftermath of COVID-19 on Democrats, even though these issues would have occurred no matter which party held the presidential office.
“Voters wanted change from the party in power, and they were more interested in giving Trump a second chance… than they were concerned with his criminal record,” Duus said.
Trump is the first convicted felon ever to win a presidential election. On May 30, a grand jury found him guilty on 34 felony counts of violating a New York law on corporate record-keeping.
INFOGRAPHIC BY DREW BANCROFT Sources: The Associated Press, BBC News, the New York Times, Politico and USA Today
Trump’s campaign platform promised that issues during the Biden administration, including border control and inflation, would be resolved, which Duus said helped him appeal to prospective voters.
Duus also attributes Trump’s victory to his ability to leverage platforms outside of major newspapers and legacy media.
For instance, he appeared on “Bussin’ with the Boys,” a podcast hosted by former National Football League players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan. He was also a guest on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which is the most popular American podcast on Spotify.
“Trump was excellent at tying into the new informal media atmosphere of podcasts and YouTube and Kamala wasn’t,” Duus said.
Despite Trump’s success using newer media platforms, Duus said the false information they sometimes provide can negatively impact the public’s understanding.
“Everyone has to be careful about getting information from YouTube and podcasts because it’s not vetted like the legacy media,” Duus said.
History teacher Ms. Schiraldi also said modern media can be dangerous in its influence on voters.
“It has a high effect on what people think. No matter how many times people are told that the internet is not a reliable source, people still use it as a source for all sorts of things that they shouldn’t,” Schiraldi said.“Anyone can write anything on these platforms. That does not make them reliable.”
Schiraldi said one benefit of social media was its impact on the enthusiasm of young voters.
“I think they were excited due to the media and the social media [coverage] of each candidate,” Schiraldi said.
Trump is set to be inaugurated for his second term on Jan. 20.
Biden has already taken steps to help Trump transition into the presidential position. This included inviting Trump to the Oval Office on Nov. 13.
Although Trump refused to extend the traditional invitation to Biden in 2020, Schiraldi said she hopes Biden and Trump’s meeting indicates a movement toward reconciliation between the two parties.
“I truly hope there is a peaceful transfer of power. I believe the country needs peace in it,” said Schiraldi.
