Students at the University of Mississippi shared differing reactions to former President Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election — feelings of cheer, dread and indifference swept through campus.
Election night nerves
Many students from both sides of the political aisle described the experience of watching the election results come in as “nerve-racking,” citing the uncertainty of the outcome in the seven swing states — North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada — that ultimately decided the election.
Trump first won North Carolina and Georgia late Tuesday evening, followed by Pennsylvania and Wisconsin early Wednesday morning to reach 277 electoral votes. Trump also won Michigan Wednesday afternoon. Results from Arizona and Nevada have not come in at the time of publication
Anna Kinsey, a freshman business management major from Petal, Miss., said she did not find out the results of the election until the next day.
“I woke up this morning and could kinda just tell that something had happened, and it was shocking. Whenever I was looking at things (Tuesday night) it was all 50/50, but I was still hopeful that things would turn around. I knew once I went to bed that whoever won Pennsylvania was most likely going to win,” Kinsey said.
Mitch Milligan, a junior Chinese and linguistics major from Marion, Ill., shared what he thought happened.
“Maybe there’s just a huge Republican presence or maybe (voters) just didn’t like how things have been the last four years, and they went and changed their vote back,” Milligan said.
Isabella Danti, a junior criminal justice major from Franklin, Mass., talked about her expectations for reactions on campus.
“I think people on campus will try to hold onto their beliefs,” Dante said. “I don’t think people are going to be as expressive as they were in the last election because it will just cause tension and arguments among students.”
Trump’s triumph excites
Campus was quiet post-election. Still, many students showed their support for Trump on campus by wearing memorabilia t-shirts and red-colored outfits.
Donning a bright red MAGA hat, Carter Reynolds, a sophomore secondary education major from Cincinnati, felt relieved after the election.
“I think it was fair, and obviously I’m happy (Trump) won. There are good things to come from this,” Reynolds said. “When I was in eighth grade, I went to Washington, D.C., with my grandpa and got this hat for him and one for myself, and I felt like today was a good day to wear it.”
Wearing blue and red Gucci sneakers, Lucy Huthnance, a sophomore elementary education major from Houston, showed off her post-election pride on her way to work.
“I voted for Donald Trump, so I am feeling very confident in our future. … I was nervous before because going into education, there was a lot more at stake than maybe other careers. … I was very excited and just felt very patriotic in general,” Huthnance said.
Despite his high margin of victory, many Trump supporters, including Tanner Browning, a junior exercise science major and Oxford native, did not expect this big of a win.
“It was a lot more lopsided than I thought it would be,” Browning said. “I was happy with Trump’s win. I think there is going to be controversy on both sides, but there’s nothing you can really do. Whatever happened, happened, and now we just gotta see what he’s gonna do.”
Kamree Chandler, a freshman law studies major from Laurel, Miss., felt nervous watching the election.
“I was not expecting it to be a sort of landslide victory for Trump. I expected it to be way closer number wise. I appreciate that we were given an answer last night, unlike last election. I went to bed very relieved,” Chandler said. “I do believe that the country spoke for who they wanted, and while the numbers were close in a handful of states, the majority ruled, and that’s how our country should be represented, by the majority.”
Chandler said Trump’s policies and experience in office would help alleviate economic pressure.
“My initial response was that maybe now my gas, groceries and down payments will lessen as opposed to what they were under the Biden administration,” Chandler said. “Trump had several encounters shaking Putin and Kim Jong Un’s hands, which seemed to have a better outcome as far as military money spent.”
Velmanté Smith, a senior integrated marketing communications major from Clinton, Miss., said that he was confident in a Trump win and is confident in his policies going forward.
“I was very happy. I kind of expected it. I knew he was gonna win by a landslide, but I don’t think (Harris) did anything well — I’m just happy Trump won and us 18-25-year-olds are not gonna have to be drafted into (any wars or) conflicts,” Smith said.”I think we need to deport the illegals. We need to stop the trans epidemic.”
Jimmy Breen, a freshman sports management major from Chicago, also pointed to illegal immigration as an important issue.
“I thought we needed some change in the country with all the illegals coming in and how the borders have been open for a while and just how expensive everything is,” Breen said.
Breen felt relieved with the outcome of this election, though it was nerve-wracking.
“I was pretty happy with the outcome, and all of the swing states went his way. It was tight early on with all mail-ins since they tend to lean more liberal, but he turned it around once they started counting the votes from Election Day,” Breen said.
Harris’ defeat disappoints
Students who supported Harris were somber, expressing disappointment and fear.
Sara Giray, a senior psychology major from Oxford, said she doubted Harris would win.
“I wasn’t completely convinced, but I was hopeful,” Giray said.
Lillyan Madrid, a junior Arabic major from Amory, Miss., said she felt conflicted about the acceptance of Trump’s win.
“I woke up feeling sick to my stomach,” Madrid said. “I didn’t even want to go to school. I kinda felt like it was going to happen, but I didn’t want it to be true. I think it’s ironic that if Kamala would have won, they would have pulled the card of the election being rigged, but now that Trump won, they aren’t saying that.”
Olivia Gaines, a sophomore allied health studies major from Southaven, Miss., said she felt isolated.
“I regret not voting,” Gaines said. “I knew our state was going to be red anyways, but I’m still sad about it. I know this place is very Republican-oriented, so I knew that today was going to be pretty peaceful, but it’s just sad that I don’t have anyone to relate to.”
Sereniti McMillan, a sophomore criminal justice major from Aberdeen, Miss., believes that Harris’ loss was the result of people not being fully educated on Trump’s policies.
“I feel like people just make stupid decisions in life because what’s Trump gonna do for them? Nothing. I feel like the future of our country is going downhill. … They aren’t doing their research,” McMillan said.
For Trinetie Thompson, a senior allied health studies major from Moss Point, Miss., this election was a “roller coaster,” but she was not surprised by the result.
“It’s a lot of emotions to take in because looking at it from a Black woman’s perspective, … truth and reality came out to shine last night. I feel like as a country, we’re not progressing as much as we should be,” Thompson said. “It’s devastating to see that America doesn’t want a woman in power that bad.”
Giray sees the election results as a setback for LGBTQ+ rights and human rights.
“It was painful because of the progress we have made previously, (especially) as a queer woman,” Giray said. “Knowing a lot of voters in this state voted against my rights, the rights of my community, the rights of my partner and the majority of campus … it was just painful.”
Giray said she is worried about the implications of this election on future generations.
“(Because of) Project 2025, I know a lot of these things are not gonna be fixed in the next election, even if a different candidate comes in,” Giray said.
And some remain indifferent
While some students were pleased and others disappointed, a few were apathetic.
Makaria Sy’Nai, a freshman psychology major from Oxford, did not support either candidate in the election.
“I’m independent, so I didn’t vote for anybody. I just wish when they do go into office, they know what they’re doing instead of making it hard for everybody else in the world,” Sy’Nai said.
While Giray saw the results of the election as a setback, Sy’Nai said that nothing will change.
“It’s more of a standstill, instead of a setback. … It can’t be worse than it already is,” Sy’Nai said.
Some students have been relying on humor to get through. Lillian Starrett, a senior multidisciplinary studies from Hernando, Miss., compared the election to “South Park.”
“There’s a pretty good ‘South Park’ episode about elections, and that’s how I felt because you have to choose between a douche and a turd sandwich, and that’s how I felt,” Starrett said.
Others said they were relying on God.
“I didn’t really pay attention to the election last night. I chose to go to sleep instead. Personally, I was going for Kamala, but for me, as long as we keep Jesus first, that is all that matters to me, so it doesn’t matter that Trump won to me,” Alyvia McLaurin, a sophomore allied health studies major from Rowland, Miss., said.
Lamonte Harris, a junior finance major from Pascagoula, Miss., also was comforted by faith.
“Initially, I was nervous, but I prayed. Whatever happens, happens, you know? If he won, then it was in God’s plan for him to win, and hopefully he carries the next four years gracefully. … I have faith in what he can do,” Harris said.
Mary Evans and Cameron Larkin contributed reporting.
