Donald Trump was elected the 45th president of the United States on Tuesday, leaving many USC students disappointed and anxious. More than 600 people gathered in Wallis Annenberg Hall to watch the votes come in, and judging by the crowd's cheers every time the networks predicted an electoral victory for Clinton, most of the audience was "with her."
"We are taking 400 steps backwards, and everyone has and will be affected by this in one way or another," Emma Church, a 19-year-old communication major, said Wednesday morning. "Anyone who is a Trump supporter is so silent."
They may be silent but, as results show, they are out there. At the Annenberg viewing party, Manrique Villa Gomez, a 28-year-old graduate student studying communications, stood out in a "Make America Great Again" hat.
"With Clinton, she will just keep going with the failed policies," Gomez said. "The next president will shape the United States for the next few decades."
Other students echoed Clinton's concession speech plea, in which she urged the American people to come together to support the president-elect. "Even though people are upset, we have to give Trump a chance," said 19-year-old Collin Hennessey, who studies economics and math.
Trump won the presidency with 279 electoral votes, while 228 electoral votes went to Hillary Clinton. After news broke that Clinton had called her opponent to concede, students expressed themselves on Facebook, Twitter and in large protests, rallying against the president-elect.
One USC student makes a call to action for her fellow students *Warning: explicit language #ElectionNight pic.twitter.com/uC1IkyZZkY
— USC Annenberg Media (@AnnenbergMedia) November 9, 2016
"The vibe on USC campus has been dark, sad and awkward," Aubrey Gavello, 20-year-old Marshall student, said. "I have seen multiple people crying in my classes."
"We have been learning that Trump's Make America Great Again slogan refers to making today like the past. What was so 'great' about the past? Were no rights to birth control or abortion 'great'? Was racism, sexism and slavery 'great'? Why does he want to bring that back," journalism student Caroline Burch said. Burch is enrolled in a USC class on race, sex and law that has been analyzing the election since its early stages.
The overwhelmingly shocked reactions on campus reflect the preferences of the voters in the state. Clinton won 61.5 percent of the popular vote in California, earning the state's 55 electoral votes. In Los Angeles County, 71.5 percent of votes went to Clinton.
"Trump winning the presidency means so much more than the future of America. It means the future of foreign policy. Trump leading the foreign negotiations for the next four years and representing the United States is a disaster for international relations," international relations major Samara Sergeant said.
The weight of this election has been so heavy that differences in political opinion have even caused a break in personal relationships.
"My date last night said that Trump's opinions on women and social issues shouldn't affect me and don't matter. I promptly got an Uber home," Brennan Adelaide, 19-year-old political science major, said.
Trump will officially take over the U.S. presidency on Jan. 20.
Reach Staff Reporter Victoria Garrick here.
Annenberg Media