By Chloe Lindeman, Co-Editor-in-Chief
By now, the major results of the election have been plastered on every newspaper, blog, and Facebook page for two weeks: Donald Trump won, and Republicans kept both the House and the Senate.
Trump’s speech, uncharacteristically positive in tone, came around 3 a.m. EST on the morning of the Wednesday after Election Day, following what many called a “surreal” night.
“While the campaign is over, our work on this movement is really just beginning…” Trump said. But this was not a night to reinforce divisions; instead, he focused on the need to move forward and unify. Speaking about Hillary Clinton’s late-night phone call to congratulate him on his victory, he said, “She congratulated us – it’s about us … we must bind the wounds of our nation.”
Clinton, too, was hopeful in her concession speech.
“Donald Trump is going to be our president,” she told listeners. “We owe him an open mind and a chance to lead.”
Of course, the ballots included more names than just those of the presidential candidates. For voters in Haverford, Pennsylvania, it meant the election of Democrat Dwight Evans to the House of Representatives and re-election of Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.
On a national scale, several referenda deserve a mention. In California, Nevada, Maine, and Massachusetts, recreational marijuana was legalized. In Maine, a second referendum garnered attention: the allowance of ranked-choice voting, where voters rank the candidates rather than choosing a single favorite, in both state and federal elections.
After Trump’s unexpected victory, protests broke out across the nation. Citizens took to the streets in Washington, Portland, Manhattan and Los Angeles to protest Trump’s policies.
It is far from clear what that future will hold in terms of executive action. Trump announced that parts of Obamacare, which he originally planned to repeal altogether, will remain intact, and other promised actions may see major revisions as well.
