On Tuesday, Nov. 8 the people of the United States elected Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States. Donald Trump won 306 electoral votes to Hillary Clinton’s 232 votes; however, as per the Associated Press, Clinton won the popular vote by about 300,000 votes (pending uncounted votes). Trump’s victory defied the majority of the polls, polls which had led many to believe that Clinton would win.
Trump gave his victory speech at 2:50 a.m. on Nov. 9, while Clinton waited until that afternoon to give her concession speech. President Barack Obama and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan both gave speeches later in the day, congratulating Trump and calling for unity.
According to Real Clear Politics Average, Clinton began with a 203 electoral vote lead to Trump’s 164 votes, leaving 171 votes in a toss-up. Clinton managed to add 30 more votes by picking up states like Nevada and New Hampshire, but Trump managed to swing the remaining 141 in his favor by picking up key states like Florida and Ohio. Trump also received votes in traditionally Democratic states like Pennsylvania. Many swing states were too close to call for hours, and third party candidates like Gary Johnson and Jill Stein also collectively pulled thousands of crucial votes, totaling about 5% of votes in some states.
Trump’s speech began with a congratulations to Secretary Clinton on a hard fought race and thanked her for her years of public service. Trump then gave a call for the unity of all Americans as “…one united people.” Trump went on to thank his campaign staff and supporters for their work over the past 20 months. When the 115th Congress begins, Republicans will have a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Clinton’s speech began with her official concession to Trump. Clinton congratulated him, and like Trump, called for unity among the American people. Clinton said the loss was painful, but she is grateful for everything that she achieved during her campaign – specifically noting that, though she may not have won, she has proven that a woman has the potential to achieve “the highest office in the land.” Clinton has offered to work with Trump on behalf of the American people.
President Obama also spoke on Wednesday, congratulating Trump, and noting how the process of the peaceful transition of power must begin. Like the two candidates, he noted that Americans must unite. President Obama also invited Trump to the White House this past Thursday. Finally, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who has had a tumultuous relationship with Trump, commended Trump on his victory. He even went as far to say that “[Trump] turned politics on its head.”
Like the President and Speaker, people from both sides of the political aisle are congratulating Trump and are looking forward to working with him. Still, there are many Americans surprised and upset about the outcome of the election. Anti-Trump protests have spread around the country surrounding his election from Los Angeles, CA to New York, NY — especially since Clinton won the popular vote. Fox News outlets have reported professors in numerous universities like University of Rochester, Yale, and University of Connecticut have even gone as far to cancel classes to allow students to protest. The majority of these protests have been peaceful, save for disorderly conduct arrests in several states.
While no widespread protests have occurred on Stevens campus — undergoing its own Student Government Association presidential election — students have organized their own efforts in tandem: Stevens Debate Team planned a “Post Election Debate” this past Wednesday afternoon in the Babbio Center. An impromptu event titled “Let’s Talk About It,” in conjunction with the Office of Counseling and Psychological Services, was developed after concerned students reached out to members of the Office of Student Life. This was hosted in Hayden Lounge and attended by members of Stevens’s Lambda Upsilon Lambda chapter and Torch Alliance, overlapping with the planned SGA Presidential and Vice Presidential Debate in Babbio 122.
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