Trump’s victory brings joy to some in Michigan, fear to others

Michigan was divided Wednesday, with a large share of voters celebrating former President Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris while a nearly equal share mourned the loss of what could have been as a second female presidential candidate failed to win. bid for the White House within eight years.

The jubilation among conservative voters in the red wave Trump achieved in this election was as palpable as the despair among liberal voters, who described themselves as shocked and in a state of disbelief over Harris’ defeat.

“I’m actually happy, ecstatic,” said Blake Howard, 40, of Northville, who woke up about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday to find Trump had won the election. “The turnout was like a red wave. I think the country needed this.”

Howard, who is married with a 7-year-old daughter, said he did not vote for Trump in 2016. And in 2020 I felt like I was flopping around.

“I wasn’t sure about my decision,” he said. “I’ve been a Democrat the longest. I grew up with this brainwashed mentality that because you’re black you have to vote a certain way; 2024 was the first year that I went all out with bold confidence.”

“The change came last night when the country turned red”

He had matured, he said, and the economy was his number one concern in this election. He called Harris’ early October appearance on ABC’s “The View” one of the most damning moments of her campaign. In that appearance, Harris said she couldn’t think of anything she would do differently than incumbent President Joe Biden.

At that moment, Harris’ campaign mantra of change seemed particularly hollow.

“So you’re already in office and you’ve already said on The View that there’s not much difference between you and Biden. This is a bit controversial. The change happened last night as the country turned red.”

Ron Fournier, a senior adviser at Detroit-based Truscott Rossman Communications Group and a journalist covering the White House for the Associated Press and the Atlantic from 1993 to 2016, agreed that this election cycle, America is looking for someone who can make a difference. and Harris failed to convince voters that she was the inspiring change the nation needed.

“There are many tactical micro-reasons that we can attribute to this loss, starting with Vice President Harris not having enough time to organize a campaign, Vice President Harris not separating himself from Biden, an Arab American and a young progressive issue with Gaza. “,” said Fournier, 61. “There will be all sorts of excuses and reasons.”

But the overall message, he said, is that the country has an angry population at a time of economic, demographic and technological upheaval.

“The country is worse than hell,” he said. “One party listens to them…Trump listens to them. The other party doesn’t listen to them, and we had another election with changes. Voters were hungry for change and this year they decided that the former President was the change agent most likely to bring down the system and that the Vice President was too much involved in the status quo, I think that’s what it comes down to.

“In times like these, change always wins, and in this election, Donald Trump was the change and she was not.”

Was America ready for a woman president?

While Howard was jubilant about Trump’s victory, in Macomb County Erica Richter was dejected as she picked up her morning coffee in Mount Clemens Wednesday morning.

Standing outside downtown stores with her dirty iced tea and caramel apple latte in hand, Richter, 36, of Harrison Township, said she didn’t want to give up hope that Harris could win when the election results came in.

“I’m disappointed and I think just overwhelmed by the idea that hate and anger have prevailed, and unfortunately I don’t think America is ready for a woman to be president,” she said, especially a woman of Black or South Asian descent . .

“This is about more than just progress; it’s about morality and dignity,” Richter said. “Not only that, she is exceptionally qualified; she is more than qualified to do the job.”

Richter said she is concerned about the fate of the country during Trump’s second presidency and is especially concerned that he could abuse his executive powers.

“He said what he wants, and he wants to get revenge on his enemies and gain a sense of power and control, and that’s not what our Founding Fathers wanted America to be,” Richter said.

Sabrina Shulman, director of political action for the nonprofit Vote Run Lead, a nonprofit founded in 2014 with the mission of training women to run for office and helping them win, said it’s impossible to ignore the role gender played in the outcome of the election. presidential elections.

“I think the most disappointing aspect of this is not just the gender dynamics, but that the country elected not just a man, but a dangerous man, a man who made it clear that he would fight for women’s rights. that he will fight for transgender rights,” Shulman said.

“The country elected a man who openly attacked and limited women’s access to healthcare and reproductive health. He and his party made these elections in many states seeking to undermine transgender people, their safety and access to healthcare.

“Clearly, this country chose a dangerous man over an overqualified and incredible female candidate.”

They hope Trump will continue to stimulate the economy

In southwest Detroit Wednesday morning, Richard Fling, 67, smiled as he walked away from a construction project in West Vernor near Clark Park.

Once Trump is back in the White House, he will be free to resign again, Fling said.

Fling worked in the construction industry for 35 years and tried to retire six years ago, but said Social Security benefits didn’t cover his expenses.

He believes Trump will stimulate the economy during his second term. He will have more work, which he says should allow him to retire for good next time.

“He kept us all working,” Fling said of Trump. “There was no relaxation.”

Manuel Barraza, a 60-year-old factory manager who lives in Detroit’s Mexicantown neighborhood, said he doesn’t believe Harris will bring change.

But what solidified his vote for Trump was an ad that said Harris would pay for prisoners to undergo gender reassignment.

“If you killed someone or did something really bad to our society that you deserve to pay for something in terms of time, you should not receive any benefit other than minimal,” Barraza told the Free Press. , working on Wednesday. morning.

He likes that Trump appears tough, a characteristic he feels Biden lacks.

“With Joe Biden in office, we have become the laughing stock of the world,” he said. “He was an old, weak man, confused in his words, fell. … If you’re going to be someone in power, you have to be willing to make tough decisions, be a man of your word.”

Barraza wants to see Trump’s promised tariffs on Chinese imports, even if it means higher prices for him.

Barraza, whose father was born in Mexico, said the only thing that bothers him about Trump is how “he puts all the illegals in one pan, like they’re all murderers or they’re all criminals.” Others I know are hard-working guys.”

Barraza has people who work for him, live in the country illegally and support Trump even though he threatens mass deportations.

“Whether it’s one evil or the other evil, I think it’s the lesser of the two evils,” he said. “That’s the only thing I don’t like about him. But like I said, I’m a Republican and I’m going to be a Republican anyway. I hope he doesn’t do this (mass deportations).”

“Rest, but only for a moment… get up and we will have to resist.”

In Detroit’s Boston-Edison neighborhood, Char Goolsbee was much less optimistic.

“Disappointment is an easy word” to use to describe how she felt in the hours after Trump clinched his victory. “I think fear of what’s possible is the best way to put it.”

Goolsby, 59 years old, worked tirelessly in the run-up to the elections to vote for Harris, opening her home for campaign events, hosting phone banks and canvassers. It’s okay, she said, that Harris supporters can mourn and rest now, but they can’t wallow for long.

“Loss always brings grief, but historically we have not had the luxury of grieving. Black people throughout history have had little time. We were too busy trying to find a way to heal, to run, to hide. , rebel.

“We need to rest, but only for a moment, and we must rise, and we must resist – resist in ways that we are not used to resisting, and then we will have to keep doing it, I just wonder if our skin is thick enough to withstand what we have to go through.”

She worries that a newly emboldened Trump will install the architects of the Jan. 6 insurrection in leadership positions in his second administration and use them to dismantle the foundations of the nation’s democracy.

“I have never been more concerned about the Constitution than I am now,” she said, noting that the U.S. Supreme Court has a conservative majority that is likely to rule in Trump’s favor, and the U.S. Senate has also been captured by Republicans in this election. This raises the possibility that Trump may refuse to leave office at the end of his next term.

“If you believe what he says, he’s in and he’ll never come out,” Goolsby said. “We used to have court fencing. We don’t have them anymore. This man has hundreds of federal appointments he can now make over the next four years. The complexion of this country has changed forever and there will be many groups who will regret it.”

“Take care of the house before you take care of the street”

But Howard disagreed. He said the economy would get a boost with Trump in the White House.

“People are struggling,” said Howard, who works in sales for a telecommunications company. “When you go to the grocery store, buy a couple of things and spend $100, it’s ridiculous.”

His clients can’t afford their internet and cable bills.

“Everything is going up, prices are going up,” Howard said. “So there are people who are paying $200 and $300 bills and saying, ‘I can’t afford that.’ You feel for them. You see it every day.”

Howard hopes Trump will tighten the U.S. border and redirect federal spending away from international aid and toward its own citizens. He wasn’t happy with how the Biden administration handled it.

“Rolling out the red carpet for illegal immigrants when you have people inside your country who are struggling is incompatible. … Take care of the home before you take care of the outside world.”

Public schools, he said, are too liberal for his daughter, who attends a Christian academy. “The school system is trying to take away parents’ parental rights regarding gender, there are drag queens in the school systems, and the bathroom situation is a little ridiculous,” Howard said. “Trump will just restore it, keep it conservative. … I don’t think children should be exposed to this lifestyle. … You can’t trust a child not to touch a hot stove, but all of a sudden they find out what gender they are? Contradictory. This will put things on the right track and I think the country is moving in the right direction.”

Contact Kristen Shamus at [email protected]. Subscribe to the Free Press.