Community reacts to Trump’s election victory

Graphic by Colby Palmer

After anxiety, nerves and patience wearing thin, the 2024 presidential election has come to an end. Former President and republican nominee Donald J. Trump was declared the winner as the 47th president. Trump won with 295 electoral votes, and Harris received 226 as of Nov. 6.

Community response to election results

According to the Humboldt County Office of Elections, they have processed approximately 22,306 voter registrations so far this year, which is subject to change and is not indicative of additional voters. As of Oct. 29, the voter registration count for Humboldt County includes 38,647 democrats, 20,864 republicans and 3,684 independents. 

Juan Cervantes serves as the clerk, recorder and registrar of voters for the Humboldt County Office of Elections. Having dedicated his life to being involved in the voting process, Cervantes believes that if you’re not involved, it’s more difficult for the government to respond to your needs.

“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” Cervantes said. “If you’re not using your voice, you’re not going to be heard.”

Community member, Skyler Celeste is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and is a local drag artist. Celeste felt hopeful in the moments leading up to the election, yet soon felt their hope fading as the results unfolded. 

“Once the results were in it was very disappointing, nerve wracking and scary,” Celeste said. “A lot of things that have been said and put out there that his campaign plans on doing are very threatening to a lot of people who I hold close to me, as well as a lot of people throughout all of the United States.”

Waking up to the election results announced, Cal Poly Humboldt student David Lopez was not pleased, yet left unshocked. Lopez chose to vote in this election to amplify the voices of those who couldn’t. 

“I chose to vote because there are people in positions who are not able to vote and that’s just another voice not being heard, that I have the platforms and resources to give that input,” Lopez said. 

Graduate student and community activist Rick Toledo was dreading the moments leading up to the election and voted for green party candidate Jill Stein, as he believed that neither candidate was a viable option.

“My feelings about the lead up were close to numb for the results, knowing that either way things were not going to improve,” Toledo said. 

With emotions running high across the nation, Toledo believes that jumping back into our daily lives and taking action is the key to moving forward together. 

“The only way I think things are going to get better is if people are doing that sort of thing and if people are getting out there and taking action,” Toledo said. “That’s where my heart and head are at today.”

Some of Trump’s major plans

With Trump as the freshly elected president, below are some of his plans according to his official campaign website.

Taxes and Tariffs: During his term in Dec. 2017, Trump signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which cuts taxes and lower rates for all Americans. As trends have suggested, this law leans toward providing significant tax cuts to the wealthy, but middle income Americans still benefited with tax cuts. This act is set to expire in 2025 and under his campaign, Trump would extend all the individual and estate tax cuts that the law provided. Trump has stated he will impose an across the board tariff on every import coming into the U.S, as he strongly believes this will boost American manufacturing, increase jobs and bring in an influx of money to help pay for other policy initiatives.

Immigration Policy: President Trump’s immigration policy consists of building and escalating the immigration measures of his first term to implement a restrictive immigration agenda. Trump intends to initiate mass deportations of millions of undocumented people and immigrants, as he believes this will protect public safety from crime and the imposition on jobs. 

Abortion: Trump has expressed pro-life sentiments and has shown massive support for the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which has since tightened restrictions on abortion or banned it in 21 states as of Oct. 2024. Trump has recently expressed that he believes abortion rights should be left to the states. 

Repeal of Title IX Civil Rights Protection: The federal law Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Trump has stated he plans to reverse the Biden administration’s evolution of Title IX. 

“The fight isn’t over just because the election is. There’s still hope for us to be able to make things right again,” Celeste said. “It just may not be right now, but as long as we keep fighting, it will surely happen.”