*Due to the content of the article all contributors have requested anonymity.
In the early hours of the morning, news sources started to declare that former President Donald Trump has won the 2024 general election. Key states, such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin all gave their Electoral College votes to Trump, pushing him to a current lead of 291-226 over Harris.
“I think we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America,” Senator JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, said early Wednesday at the campaign’s victory party in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Pennsylvania had been referred to as the state that would determine the election for months, and students who voted on Villanova’s campus have divided opinions on the outcome of the Presidency.
“I am extremely disappointed in the outcome of this election,” a senior nursing major said. “I was truly confident that Harris was going to walk away with this victory. It makes me feel sick that the nation would rather support a convicted felon and sexual assaulter over an intelligent woman of color.”
While the 2020 election took days to declare due to the amount of mail-in and absentee ballots, the 2024 election was declared less than 24 hours after polls first opened.
“I was surprised that the election was called so quickly,” a freshman political science major said. “I was not expecting to know until at least Thursday morning. I find it so interesting that since Trump was taking an early lead there was no talk about fraud and stealing votes in this election.”
At Villanova, the energy on campus has become quiet since the results have been announced.
“Walking around campus today has felt like a ghost town,” a junior communication major said. “My classes were extremely empty today, with people skipping. My walk from West Campus to Main was silent compared to the normal chatter I hear every day. The most I have heard from people has been due to their responses on social media.”
Many Villanova students have taken to Instagram, TikTok and X to share their feelings about the results of the election.
“Honestly, I found out about the election results because the first app I open in the morning is Instagram,” a junior psychology major said. “When I first opened the app, the first thing I saw was the New York Times post from its editorial board, and I immediately reposted it on my own story.”
“I am confused why so many Democrats are posting long paragraphs on their social media platforms,” a senior accounting major said. “I understand that they are upset about losing the race, but their rants on social media are unnecessary and are not going to change anything. We can have different opinions on who should be in office and still be friends.”
The junior psychology major disagreed.
“Something this election cycle has taught me is to be more careful about who I surround myself with,” they said. “Seeing the amount of people who have posted on their media in support of women, the LGBTQ+ community, the support of the sick and the poor, I know that those are the people I want to be around. Those who have posted pictures of Trump today, they do not support me or my basic human rights. I have lost respect for a lot of these individuals today.”
While Delaware County did turn blue, Villanova’s campus remains divided.
“I am excited to see Trump resume his presidency,” the senior accounting major said. “With the way both the Electoral College and popular vote went, it is evident that he is the most fit candidate for the American people.”
“I am heartbroken by these results,” the junior communication major said. “As a woman who is also openly gay, I am scared. The people who support Trump and the policies he has backed will only do harm for me and others who share my identities. Today is a dark day for millions of Americans, and I can only hope that the damage does not go too far.”
As Trump makes history as the first convicted felon to win an election, he also becomes the first Republican candidate to win the popular vote in 20 years and is the second president to serve non-consecutive terms. Grover Cleveland was the first.
