Members of the Lab community had strong reactions to the Nov. 5 election of former president Donald Trump, with many feeling intense disappointment in the results and fear of the changes a second Trump administration will bring.
Many teachers began classes by addressing the results of election night on Nov. 6. Learning and counseling faculty hosted several post-election community gatherings, and during lunch on Nov. 7, a coalition of groups, including Active Minds, Black Students’ Association, Young Men of Color and Young Women of Color, hosted a joint gathering to offer a safe and supportive space for students to debrief the results of the election.
Senior Juliana Walker, the president of Active Minds and co-president of BSA and Young Women of Color, said students used this space to express their frustration but also to think about what the results might say about the United States as a nation.
“This election was important to many people because the political leaders elected could possibly infringe upon our rights and well-being, and the results offered America a glimpse into the omnipresent systems of discrimination at play,” Juliana said.
She said the conversation consisted of ideas about why specific populations voted as they did and what motivated voters to reach the polls.
Some members of the community expressed disappointment after Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ campaign brought hope and the possibility of historic representation for women of color. Sophomore Isaac Sutherland canvassed for Harris in Wisconsin, a key swing state which ultimately went to Mr. Trump. Isaac said he felt demotivated by these results.
“I did a little bit of volunteering, and that felt good, but I didn’t do enough,” Isaac said. “I think that next election I’ll go out and volunteer even more. The election has also kind of reminded me that the side that I think is right doesn’t always win, and that if it is going to win, I and everyone else has to fight hard to make them win.”
Senior Oliver Wilson was one of the few students who was not disappointed in the election results and credited the shift from 2020 to the “tumultuous past four years.”
“I think that Trump’s overwhelming margins of victory reflect not only a yearning for change in economic policy but social sentiment as well. In my view, many demographics had felt alienated by Biden’s presidency and the Harris campaign.”
Following the results of election night, some students expressed concern over how a second Trump administration would impact them. One issue that has students worried is Mr. Trump’s stance on abortion access, especially since he takes credit for appointing the Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
“I think it’s very heartbreaking for our country and the rest of the world, especially for women in states where abortion is going to become either illegal or harder to access,” sophomore Laurel Farmer said.
Students also raised concerns surrounding Mr. Trump’s proposed immigration policies and the threat of mass deportations.
“My concerns mainly lie in what Trump will do surrounding immigrants in the United States, coming from a family of immigrants. It’s very concerning,” senior Chani Patterson said. “Especially his attitude toward immigration, especially towards Latinos. So, I’m very concerned for the future and what that will look like.”
Along with their worries surrounding policies that could directly affect them, some students expressed concern with the ways that Mr. Trump’s policies could harm friends and family.
“I think personally, I am very privileged to be not as affected by it as other people,” senior Nyel Khan said, “but I am really worried for the people in my life who may be affected by it, like the women in my life and my family in the Middle East who may be affected by his decisions.”
The impact of Mr. Trump’s policies on the economy is also on students’ minds. Some wonder whether the policies may end up harming more people than they will benefit.
“A lot of Trump’s policies are not going to help people how they think that they are going to. A lot of his policies mainly only benefit the top 5% of the economic population,” sophomore Madeline Baker said. “It kind of only benefits them, and for everyone else it’s really just making the situation a lot worse for a lot of people.”
Some students expressed concern over the policies proposed in Project 2025, a political blueprint for a Republican administration published by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Project 2025 was written by many of Mr. Trump’s former allies and aides, though Mr. Trump denies knowing anything about it. The plan proposes cuts to federal education funding, medication and emergency abortion access, and protections of the First Amendment. In addition, the plan promises to codify classroom censorship, undermine gun control and halt criminal justice reform.
“We can’t know whether or not he is actually ready to go through with all of that. He has publicly denounced it,” sophomore Valkyrie Laurence said. “However, it’s hard to be sure because he clearly does not have the longevity of the Republican Party in mind, nor does he particularly seem to care about what his actions end up doing.”
Additional reporting contributed by Edward Park.
