Donald Trump’s victory against Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential Election has garnered mixed reactions from students at Hinsdale South. From a sample of 147 Hinsdale South students, 61.2% of students were unhappy with the results of the election, 20.4% were indifferent, and 15% were happy with Trump’s win.
This is consistent with the greater trend of younger people leaning more progressive, while older generations, who can actually vote, are generally more conservative. According to the Associated Press, 50.4% of voters supported Trump, while 48% voted for Harris.
Despite the majority of South students being dissatisfied with Trump’s win, most weren’t surprised, with 57.4% saying they expected the results. “I had a feeling Trump would win, but I was still a little sad that Kamala didn’t,” sophomore Nora Schaffer said. “I’m pro-choice, and I don’t agree with Trump’s views on abortion.”
Students stated a variety of reasons for their sentiments, one of them being the candidates’ differing views on abortion, which has been a divisive topic for politicians since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022. This is a sensitive issue for many students at South, including sophomore Rajo Dubak.
“Kamala’s values aren’t Christian,” Dubak said. “Christians aren’t really a big fan of abortion.”
He’s one of many Americans who state religion as a reason for not supporting women’s rights to abortion, with almost 75% of white evangelical Christians believing abortion should be illegal in the US, according to the Pew Research Center.
The other main reason students stated for supporting either side was the economy, specifically the candidates’ tax policies and what they think will happen to inflation.
“I’m happy Trump won,” sophomore Kaitlyn Amolsch said. “Prices will go down, and it will be easier to live.”
Still others see Trump’s economic policies as a reason not to support him.
“I’m really devastated [by Trump’s victory],” sophomore Varsha Bijo said. “It’s going to be really bad for the middle and lower classes.”
Mr. Waterman, who teaches AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics at South, has another perspective to share. He said “[he] was not surprised” by Trump’s win, mainly because of how Republicans appealed to on-the-fence voters who weren’t sure who they would vote for.
“It came down to the economy,” Mr. Waterman said. “[I think] Trump will inherit a great economy; gas prices are going down, inflation is getting back to normal, the stock market is at an all-time high […] and take credit for it.”
