On November 6th, the day after Election Day, the United States woke up to the news that Donald Trump had won his second term in office. Trump defeated his opponent Kamala Harris, the Vice President of incumbent Joe Biden. Here are some of City High students’ and teachers’ responses: 

“It was my first election, and it definitely wasn’t the outcome that I personally wanted. I felt a little disappointed. But you know what, I did my civic duty, my voice in this election was literally my vote. And so I’m so proud that I had the opportunity to cast that [ballot], and while it might not have been the result that I want, I can respect that people have differences of opinion, and they will have different opinions than I do, and so I will choose to respect other voters’ choices.”

– Olivia Vande Berg ‘25

“It’s the day after the Election, and I have heard students talking about their responses to the Election. Many are not happy, and concerned. That’s about it. . . We [staff members] aren’t really supposed to talk about [our personal views].” 

– Mary Peterson, Guidance Counselor 

“I feel betrayed by my country. I feel betrayed that the country has struggled to keep a felon out of office for so long and then failed yet again, even after seeing the major consequences that he has created for everyone in this country, especially the female population. I saw on the news the other day that a teenage girl, our age, died because she could not get an abortion. And people don’t bat an eye. . . Men cannot give up the idea of power to women, and I think that they put Donald Trump in office because he is such a mediocre man that they see themselves in him. They don’t see themselves in a successful and intelligent woman like Kamala. [The win] should’ve been hers. I think we’re all devastated just to see the stupidity of the people we live with. . . . Iowa City is a little blue bubble, a little blip in a red state. It feels defeating to live [here], knowing that [my parents’] votes will ultimately just go in the conservative favor. My family has spoken about going to Switzerland or New Zealand. Nothing [is] confirmed, but my entire family is ready to move if needed, because we will not be staying in a country where womens’ rights are taken away.” 

– Sylvia Plank ‘25

“This was kind of an unexpected outcome. I’m old enough to vote, but I didn’t like either candidate. Donald Trump is awful, but as a conservative I couldn’t bring myself to vote for Kamala Harris. I didn’t like her policies or her as a person. I don’t think she explained enough about her views.”

– Anonymous City High Student

“I really wish I could’ve voted, but I’m too young. I’m very disappointed [about the outcome]. It was not what I expected, considering a lot of social media posts and stuff [that I saw]. And I am slightly scared. . . It’s going to be an interesting four years.” 

– Remy Ballantyne ‘25

“Personally, I support Trump, but I do agree with a lot of Kamala’s policies. [On Election Night] I stayed up until two a.m. watching, because I was very worried, but [Trump] kind of crushed it. He won the popular and the Electoral [College] votes. . . Trump has already been President. He’s going to cut taxes on income and overtime. [I get a lot of my news from] Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens. But I also do really like to read documents. Like, if I do have a question I’ll search it up on the internet and scroll through the cites that pop up. I’ll pick a cite that supports Trump and one that doesn’t support Trump, one that supports Kamala and one that doesn’t support Kamala. Just so that I don’t have, like, a biased standpoint. There are some of Harris’s policies that I agree with. [For example,] I love how she’s cutting out-of-pocket medical costs. So if you don’t have, like, a sort of insurance, she’s cutting how much you have to pay for it. . . During the presidential debate, Kamala Harris said that [Trump] wants to be a dictator because he admires dictators worldwide–which, in my opinion, it doesn’t make him look bad. It makes him look like he’s trying to keep world peace, and not upset the world dictators that could probably blow us up right now. . . . Honestly, [I don’t] care about his criminal charges, as long as he can be a good president and actually lead the country. [I think that] people are viewing it like he’s a bad person, [so] he’s going to be a bad president, but he was already a good president in 2016 to 2020, in my opinion.” 

– Ana Mesa ‘27

“I’m amazed at how wrong the polling has been in the 2024 Election, but the [final] result wasn’t that surprising to me. I thought there was a groundswell for Trump that has been building [in] the last couple [of] months.” 

– John Burkle, Government teacher 

“I hate it when people say, ‘Why do you care? You’re not even voting.’ But I feel like we are included when it comes to deciding who wins. This is my future. It matters a lot. . . I’m scared. I feel like [Trump] idolizes Hitler a little too much–and that’s not good. . . I spoke with my grandfather [about this] and his conclusion on why Trump won was because the majority of people that voted for him are uneducated. I think this is a huge problem. America has always been made fun of [by other countries] for its lack of education. Like, ‘Look how stupid Americans are.’ And I feel like this really shows that they’re not wrong. . . . The way [Kamala Harris] presents herself is so much less childish than when compared to Trump. She’s so much more mature. She doesn’t scream or joke around like Trump does. I feel like politics really isn’t the place for [screaming or] joking around. . . . I’m not saying [that Harris] is perfect, when it comes to being president, she’s going to have flaws. But any one of her flaws is better than anything that Trump has said or done. . . [Harris] stands for women’s rights and I admire that in her. I truly do see her as the better choice, if not one the best we’ve had in years. The way she presents herself, remains mature, respectful and how she words her speeches to warm me with hope has never happened with any other leader.”

– Anonymous City High student

“I actually didn’t want to get my hopes up too much about the outcome of the election, because in 2016, I was so certain that Trump couldn’t win, and then he did. So I’m kind of sad and disappointed and angry but also, it makes sense, and I really wasn’t sure either way, which way it would go. But it’s really frustrating that you can’t control how other people think or feel.”

– Alma Bhandary-Narayanan ‘26

“I just think people need to keep their heads up and keep fighting for what they believe in. And that’s what I’m going to do, I think. [My advice is to] be vocal about what you believe.” 

– Marko Perencevich ‘25