Catherine Christianson could hardly sleep Tuesday night. In the middle of the night, the 31-year-old speech pathologist awoke and couldn’t help but check the updated electoral vote tracker.
“Trump was way ahead of Harris, so I was devastated even before the official announcement came out,” Christianson said. “Even when it did come out, I was just in a state of denial.”
The next morning, Christianson said the City of Boston was “very quiet” and “somber.”
Trump was declared the 47th president Wednesday morning, securing the victory over Vice President Kamala Harris by receiving 295 electoral votes to Harris’s 226, and winning the popular vote. Despite the outcome, Massachusetts remained primarily Democratic, with Harris winning the state’s vote by 61.3% as reported by the Associated Press.
Mike Alvarez, a 29 year old who works in wealth management, said Trump’s win reflects a desire for change from the middle class after years of Democratic leadership.
Alvarez said the country needs someone who can “get the economy back on track” and manage foreign affairs.
“You can say he’s crass and not great at answering questions directly, but he’s intimidating and strong,” Alvarez said. “That’s what you need when it comes to dealing with psychopathic dictators.”
Sheila Thorne, a 66-year-old retiree, said the election results highlight deeper societal issues within the country.
“I feel like this is who America really is,” Thorne said. “We’re in a country that serves more of a white, patriarchal society. That’s how it was founded and that’s how it has remained.”
Jack Winn, 86, said he is “at a loss” with the American people deciding not to take the “opportunity to put a woman in office … that’s so well qualified,” noting Harris’s experience as California’s Attorney General and a U.S. Senator.
“The world has been run since the Ice Age by one gender,” Winn said. “I started thinking about the gender issue and racist issue, and wonder how much that has to do with it.”
Thomas Carpenter, a 71-year-old retiree, said he thinks Trump’s popular vote win was influenced by “racism,” as he feels some voters, including Democrats, “could not come to terms with” having a woman of color as president.
“There’s a lot of undercarriage there that [Harris’s campaign] didn’t realize that’s in the American scheme of things,” Carpenter said. “It’s a terrible thing, but it is what it is, and [Democrats] need to look at that more.”
Additionally, some believe Trump gained the popular vote due to a more effective campaign strategy compared to Harris’s.
Carpenter said “the Democrats screwed up” by not giving Harris enough time to campaign effectively and they should have focused more on their policies.
“They thought the American population was through with Trump, but he knew how to speak to people,” Carpenter said.
Many are expressing concerns with Trump taking office in January.
“Some of the stuff that they propose to do is very scary,” Carpenter said, referring to women’s rights and Trump’s plan to increase tariffs. “That’s going to really hurt America.”
Christianson said she can see the “Make America Great Again” movement “doubling down” on extremist policies surrounding reproductive and civil rights that resemble past laws that “we thought we were past.”
Carpenter said he is most concerned about Trump’s “dictatorship” leadership style.
Berk expressed feeling “sad and scared, especially for the environment,” with Trump taking office.
“He doesn’t believe in climate change,” Berk said. “He hates the Green New Deal. He hates everything that has to do with nature it seems.”
Suttree de Lorge, 22, a tutor, said he has concerns about Trump’s plans regarding social issues and foreign policy due to his character.
“It’s not good for American foreign policy to have someone like him at the presidency,” de Lorge said.
Rebekka Fryman, 33, an adult literacy tutor, said the future of the U.S. looks “scary” with Trump in office.
“There are a lot of support systems already in place that I think we just need to … bolster and really just take care of each other as best as we can, even if other people try to tell us not to,” Fryman said.
Winn said Trump could be “extremely dangerous” during his second term, especially because he now has “immunity from the Supreme Court” after the Court ruled in July that former presidents can never be prosecuted for actions relating to the core powers of their office in a 6-3 vote.
“I wouldn’t put anything past him,” Winn said. “I don’t think he’s playing with a full deck.”
Despite the outcome, Christianson said she is an “eternal optimist” and believes Harris voters will stick around four years from now.
“Half the country didn’t vote for [Trump], and we’re still going to be here,” Christianson said. “We have to just keep moving forward …You can’t control other people, but you can control yourself.”
Brie Foster and Tavishi Chattopadhyay contributed reporting.
