The Calm before the political storm

Saint Mary's students react to the election of President-Elect Joe Biden, and President Trump's continuous claims of false victory. 
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By Isabelle Cannon 
Contributing Writer
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The 2020 presidential election has officially come to an end with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris elected, after Americans spent days anxiously watching the media awaiting the outcome. Everyone was holding their breaths for so long and now that we officially have a president elect, the next steps may seem uncertain. Will people become angry and riot? Will everything go back to normal, pre-covid? Will the media quiet down and the election just become something of the past?

Depending on the party, individuals have very different feelings about the outcome of the election. How have Saint Mary’s students been affected and what were their responses to the anticipated election day? Senior Chantylle Pradera responded to the election being over and said, “I feel like I’ve been holding my breath for so long that I can finally let it out.” As many also felt due to the long awaited announcement. Much of the anxiousness came from the numbers being so close between the candidates. 

Student Ashley Timmers expressed, “The current President Donald Trump started spewing false information about the election since the results were delayed, which I think caused a lot of the trouble within the election.” Some of this false information included President Trump tweeting “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” 

Though the next steps in the white house won’t officially take place until January it is important to remember that our country still needs to keep fighting for issues. As Spencer Bruno expanded and stated, “It is important to continue fighting for the issues that have been brought to light again in the past year, but I wonder if people will develop a mindset that the battle is already won.” No matter who our president is there are still major systemic issues that need to be dealt with. Similarly, Timmers stated, “I hope that the American people can come together to be more loving and work for a better future for everyone, not just ourselves.” 

Though everything won’t go back to normal, it seems as though the media has calmed down and now we wait until January. As Pradera expressed, “I don’t think that things will necessarily go back to normal because Biden has to get this country back on its feet.” No matter who you voted for, the election is over. It is important for our country to stay united and not become divided by hate and party.