Editor’s Note: On November 9, Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. That morning, The Triton Review interviewed students all over campus, asking the following question:

“What were your reactions to the presidential election results?”

The following responses have been selected to highlight both diverse and common sentiments of the student body.

Connor Taylor: “I am more disappointed about how people are reacting to the news, rather than the news itself. I think there’s something wrong with the system when half the nation is having a panic attack. No matter who won, someone was gonna get pretty darn offended, and that says to me that there’s something kind of wrong with the system.”

Azeem Jimoh: “I’m honestly just really shocked. The whole election, it was like one big joke. We’ve seen a lot of people on social media – Twitter and Instagram – they all like Hillary. But come the day of the election, we’re seeing all these people out of nowhere just come up and start voting for Trump. It’s like, where did all this come from? It really speaks a lot about this country and where it’s going right now.”

Martell: “I got drunk. You know, what the heck? I didn’t expect him to win. Well, I kind of had a feeling he was going to win, but I didn’t expect it. I thought Hillary was going to win, but all the polls were wrong.

“Actually, I don’t care who’s going to be president. I think we’re going to end up blowing this country up anyway, ‘cause the world is becoming more aggressive towards the US. I’m just going to live my life a day at a time until it does happen.”

Josie Morris: “I saw a video on Facebook of people burning the flag, which I don’t agree with at all. I don’t necessarily like Trump but I think that people should definitely respect the flag, no matter what. They should not be so hateful; this is still our country and we should respect our country.

“I tend to try and not get angry about it, and just let people have their opinions. People have them, I don’t feel we should be saying, ‘Oh, you’re wrong, you’re wrong, you’re wrong.’ It’s just people’s opinions!”

Becca Mitchell: “For me, I’m actually happy about the election, because I’m a supporter of Trump. But I personally don’t really like either one of them as a person. I just like him over her better. So I’m happy about the election.”

Peter Kim: “I’m more disappointed with the people who are complaining about the election results. A lot of people just say, ‘Oh no, no matter what we do, we’re in a shit position.’ But they haven’t considered anyone like Jill Stein of the Green Party as a candidate, and it’s kind of disappointing.”

Conny McKinney: “I don’t like Trump, I do not like him. I figure we had a better chance with Hillary. Yeah she’s got problems, but everybody does.”

Skylar Schank: “I cried last night, whenever Donald Trump won. I was so devastated. Being part of the LGBT community, it just instills so much fear in me, and all marginalized communities. It’s just so sad to see such a bigoted person as our president; a person that is the face of our country.

“Devastating is one word I could put it into. Devastating. If Bernie Sanders were the Democratic nominee, this probably wouldn’t have happened.”

Joe Julian: “I’m happy with it. I voted for Trump, and I’m glad he won. And it was a really close race! Watching the votes come in, and seeing how close Florida was and all that stuff, it was insane.

“Anyways, I’m disappointed that Gary Johnson did not get his five percent. If the Libertarian Party got five percent, then the next election they would receive federal funding and maybe we could actually have a third candidate, which would have been nice. I’m disappointed that it didn’t happen, but oh well, there’s always next time.”

Lia Andrews: “I’m very shocked, honestly. I think this really speaks to the emotional climate of the US right now, as to how this election turned out. I’m just kind of wondering how to move forward from here, with the new leadership in the administration.”

Lex Davis: “I’m happy, I’m proud. I think Donald Trump was the correct choice, instead of Hillary Clinton, to lead our country.”

Caleb Eastman: “From my political standpoint? That was a joke. Like, that whole election was a joke. I’m also seeing all these protests going on. These are turning violent, too. This whole thing, it’s so horrible.”

Linh Tran: “I’m kind of worried for America. Even though I think neither of them are good, I have to say that. My news feed on Facebook yesterday was all about the US election. There are all separated into two different [types], some say Hillary is so evil, and some say, ‘What are you thinking if you voted for Trump? Have you ever thought of Bush? After those years, how long did it take for the US to recover?’ They do not know what will happen to the US, and they are worried.”

Jordan West: “This whole election is just everything that I’ve ever feared for everyone in the entire world. With climate change and everything, his complete disregard for science is so concerning. The ice caps are melting at such a rapid rate, and the bees are dying. They’re extinct basically. It’s so concerning, because we’re not gonna have food, and we’re not gonna have clean air for generations to come.”

Adam Schusted: “I have [pause] a mild feeling of disappointment. Not necessarily over which candidate won or lost, but it’s more a marker of being disappointed because I thought we had progressed farther socially than electing someone based on their rhetoric, especially what one particular candidate was spouting off. That was kind of emblematic of where we are culturally, in terms of the population of the country.

“Even after the election people are still tearing each other down based on their choices, when that’s not what we should be doing at all. Whether you voted for one person or the other you still made a choice.

“At the end of the day that’s one of the cornerstones of democracy; making your choice regardless of your opinion and that being okay. You’re allowed to have an opinion contrary to someone else’s, regardless of how fire and brimstone that opinion might be in someone else’s viewpoint. You’re still entitled to that opinion. You’re supposed to speak your voice in a democracy, so it’s your right to exercise that.

“The other thing I’m disappointed in the election is not just the result itself, it’s everyone’s reactions to the way a person voted. It doesn’t change who they are as a person. They may have different political views, but they are still a human being. They have the same core values attributed to being a person that are as important as anything else, regardless of their views.”