Prior to the presidential election, RoseMary Oliveira was worried about the potential of another Trump term. She thinks the country is already divided, and Trump’s reelection isn’t going to help. Oliveira says that division is affecting her relationships.
"I just had a difficult conversation with someone that I have been volunteering with," Oliveira says. "I generally don’t talk politics because I’m afraid that I’m gonna get backlash, and I did the other day."
Oliveira didn’t specify the content of the conversation but says she could feel as if she and the other volunteer had become strangers. It disturbed her.
"I haven’t had that happen to me before," Oliveira says. "I’ve always known there are people who have different opinions than I do, and some of them I think are a little strident in how they express it, but this just boiled over in the wrong way."
Oliveira says she is sorry that Trump won, but she was more afraid of the public response if he lost. She thinks the country’s division won’t “stick around” because at some point people get tired of being on edge.
Oliveira says she’s seen this movie before — meaning a Trump presidency — and this time she’s more committed to helping ensure things don’t go too far off the rails.
Jordan Stanek says there’s political division in his classroom. He’s a middle school social studies teacher.
"The division is so strong I even see it in my students," Stanek says. "My students who are 13 and 14 years old, I’ve had students arguing back and forth in the classroom itself."
He says he’s challenged with being excited his students are engaged politically, but it’s also clear they’re getting inaccurate information.
The division is so strong I even see it in my students, who are 13 and 14 years old. I’ve had students arguing back and forth in the classroom itself.Jordan Stanek
Stanek says he felt despair at the results of the election, but like Oliveira, he’s hoping to bridge divisions through conversations with his neighbors.
"It’s time that I stop sitting and festering and being angry and bake some treats, go over to my neighbor’s house, and introduce myself and just have a conversation with them," Stanek says. "Not necessarily about politics, but just get to know them because that’s the other part of this I can’t understand. With everything we know, with all the convictions, with all the charges, I just can’t understand how so many of my neighbors voted for Trump."
Stanek says he wants to be angry, but that’s not going to help. He’s just looking for understanding.
While some people are concerned about the growing divide between America’s two parties, 64-year-old Cindy Werner perceives this as an exaggeration by the media.
"This morning we got up and the world was still turning, and there were no fires or anything like that," Werner says. "So, I think it’s more of what’s being presented out there."
I know what President Trump has done in the past, and I see other great things occurring in the future. I do not feel as anxious as some may feel that we are a divided country.Cindy Werner
Werner cast a vote for Trump this year because she feels he’ll be a better representative for the United States on the world stage. However, she believes that based on the message of unity conveyed by both candidates, there is no need to worry about a divided country.
"In Trump’s speech the other night when he was talking about unifying the country and putting America first, he is joining the country together and not dividing the country. It's the same thing with Harris when she finally gave her concession speech," Werner says. "I know what President Trump has done in the past, and I see other great things occurring in the future. I do not feel as anxious as some may feel that we are a divided country."
Nineteen-year-old college student Savion Jarvis believes the United States was going to be divided heading into the election regardless of who won. He says that’s because of the nature of American politics.
"There's a lot of people who never really had strong opinions about any certain candidate but more so they felt like they were picking who they preferred over the other person," Jarvis says. "It’s less of who they personally align with and more so not wanting the other person to win."
Jarvis thinks a lot of people have taken the route of voting for who they think is the lesser of two evils. He identifies as moderate and voted for Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election. Although he has concerns about Trump’s policies, he feels a Trump presidency shouldn’t stop people from having conversations with each other.
"Just because somebody was elected doesn't mean like we don't have a voice or we can't make a change still," Jarvis says.
He says he just doesn’t want people to lose hope in the system.
