East Rock Record reporters are insightful and curious. Two days after the November 2024 Presidential Election, reporters had a Zoom press conference with Molly Reinmann, a former ERR mentor and Yale student who reported on the presidential race from Wisconsin. Reporters peppered Ms. Reinmann with questions about what she learned from voters in that swing state. ERR reporters then wrote their own reflections on the election that had just transpired.
By Quinn Pellegrino
I kind of wanted Trump to win because he can’t run again now. I am scared about the next four years because Trump could do a lot of bad things. In the future, adults should think about what candidates have done for the world. Trump has many convictions and has not done good things. Kamala would have been the first girl president which is pretty exciting. Why didn’t Trump go to jail if he did bad things? I’m also nervous because he lies a lot. For example, he said immigrants eat dogs. People my age don’t talk about elections a lot but my teacher does. I think it’s good because some people my age don’t know they should not ask people who they voted for. I would want the next president to care about people’s healthcare, if they have food, and about homelessness.
By Aarambhika Sinha
I am sad because Trump won. I want a president who cares about people’s housing. I care about caring about each other and caring about the Earth. Maybe Trump can also be a helpful person.
By Weiyue Zhong, Van Smith, Jason Lin, and Ouji Dubee
Although all of us did not watch the election returns, Van did watch the whole time. Van noticed that at the beginning, Donald Trump was pulling ahead of Kamala Harris. When Trump was winning Van was sure that Trump was going to win, even though his family supported the Democrats.
We believe the unfortunate truth is that this country is not yet ready for a woman president. The fact that the majority of people voted for Donald Trump, someone who has made racist, sexist, and anti-immigrant statements, shows that many people in this country think these actions are acceptable.
Because of the election results, we feel worried and in danger. If a war breaks out, there is a chance that there will be mass destruction. We are concerned about what will happen to our community and our country. Women and people of color will likely be affected the most, especially if Trump e passes laws that are racist or sexist. Jason is worried that people in his school may be forced out of the country. A lot of people in Van’s community are immigrants, so he fears that his community may get smaller during Trump’s presidency.
By Leia Vazquez
I was in my bedroom looking at the elections from my phone hoping Trump wouldn’t win, but at 10:20 p.m. my heart skipped a beat when I saw the results. Although he will bring prices down for the groceries there are also pros and cons about this. The cons are that as soon as he makes them cheaper some people might buy more food than needed and could pollute the world. Pros being that we won’t need to pay $400 just for 20 items of food to eat at home.
BY AUTHOR???
Even though Trump’s presidency may be very harmful for the country, we are glad that in four years, he cannot run for re-election. We also hope that either Kamala Harris or another woman will be elected for the next term, because we have not yet had a woman as president, and women tend to be more kind and better teachers.
There are a lot of lessons that adults can learn from young people. If we could talk to voters now, we would remind them that Donald Trump is a convicted criminal, and criminals should not be a president. We would also tell them that they have been misled to believe that Donald Trump could lower prices for ordinary goods. It makes sense to start a campaign to assure we do not vote for someone like Donald Trump again.
Our country is being affected by many problems right now, and the next administration should consider them when making policies. The world would be better if things cost less, and if food were healthier and more tasty. Additionally, the next administration should take our environmental crisis more seriously. We would recommend addressing our pollution problem, making electric vehicles more accessible, and investing more money into solar power. Many people in our country are poor, and they should be given more and better resources to help them, like building affordable housing for people who cannot afford it.
By Nayala Conroe
To start off I am going to say that I hoped that Kamala Harris would win the election. On election night I slept over at a friend’s house. We stayed awake until 2:00 a.m. We went to sleep thinking that Trump would win. We were very sad but still had a tiny little bit of hope. I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and checked my friend’s phone. Trump had won. We had expected this, but it was still incredibly disappointing.
He is now the first convicted felon to be president. How could the first convicted felon be elected before the first woman president on the list of presidential firsts? That is incredibly sad for America. He is also one of the only presidents to serve two non-consecutive terms. This is weird because people voted him out of office but now we are reverting back to him.
What I especially don’t get is how Trump, a convicted felon who cannot legally own a gun, now controls all of our country’s nuclear weapons. That is insane. He is “responsible for the execution and enforcement of laws created by Congress,” and controls the armed forces, as well as many other things. Also, Trump has repeatedly said that he would hand over the health and safety of the American people to RFK jr., a man who does not believe in vaccines and who wants to take fluoride out of water. That is a terrible idea and will definitely have consequences for Americans.
I don’t know what Trump will actually do, but he has said that he will deport millions of immigrants. When this is over I will be 16, and that’s if it’s ever over. Trump has said that he wants to be a “dictator” only on Day One. But dictators don’t really give up power. Calling Trump “a dictator” sounds insane, and it is insane that I can say that about our president, but I have evidence. Vice President, JD Vance has compared Trump to Hitler. Trump has made remarks praising Hitler, Putin, and Kim Jong Un. I do not believe the American people will allow Trump to become a dictator, and I don’t think he has the ability to easily claim that power.
But I do believe he will make these next four years very difficult. But we can work together and get through them. We did it once before. We will make it through, but not unscathed. Many people will suffer. But although the next four years will be hard and there will be bad stuff along the way, as Harris said in her concession speech “On the campaign, I would often say when we fight, we win. But here’s the thing, sometimes the fight takes a while.” Even though we lost this election it does not mean we cannot win the next one.
By Charlie Pellegrino
Why is Trump allowed to run for president if he was convicted of many felonies?
By Eliseo Plascencia
I was in bed when I found out that Trump won the election. I want Trump to focus on something that can help the U.S., like the economy so that he can lower inflation. He said he is going to lower grocery prices. I like that because my dad pays around $300 for groceries every Saturday. So, if Trump lowers grocery prices I hope it will be $100.
By Tusker Pickett
I personally believe that Trump is a terrible person. I do not care that much about his policies as I am a middle schooler and don’t vote or pay taxes. But I think he is a jerk and does not deserve to be in power. I think this because he lies and says terrible things about other people.
By Divera Simon
TRUMP
HE IS AN AWFUL PERSON!!!!!!!
HE HAS 34 CRIMES COMMITTED.
WHO WOULD WANT HIM FOR PRESIDENT.
KAMALA FOR PRESIDENT!!
GIRL POWER FOR LIFE!!
NOBODY WANTS HIM IN OFFICE!!
HE HAS ALSO FAT SHAMED CHRIS CHRISTIE! HE MADE IT CLEAR IF YOU DON’T
By Jordynne Holloway
I’m scared about how the next four years will go with Trump as president because he can do a lot of bad things. Trump has never been to jail even though he’s done bad things to people. He lies a lot and is racist and says that people in some cultures eat dogs even though they don’t. Some people don’t even like Trump. They only picked him because he said he would bring prices down. This is not good for people of different cultures or skin tones because of the things he says and does.
By Alya Kachru Mikkelson
I personally think that it is crazy and extremely worrying that Trump is the official president and he was convicted for 34 counts and has been impeached twice. How can people in the United States so quickly overlook such important matters and choose such a person who has total control over the military, can choose what laws get made and what laws get thrown out the window, who could destroy the United States, or make it shine like a recently scrubbed window? And yet people can turn a blind eye to things right in their face. That’s scary. And the fact that a possible criminal will have control over our country, THAT is scary.
P.S. If Kamala Harris herself is reading this, please know that I wholly support you and I loved the video of you and Maya Rudolph in the mirror on Saturday Night Live. Thank you for being awesome and for inspiring me.
By Julissa Duran
I wanted to go with Trump because Harris would let same sex people go into schools and teach them about it. Some kids go to church and are not allowed to learn that stuff. I should know because I go to church. Also, some people just liked Harris because she’s a woman. Some people fool around online about Trump and people BELIEVE it (and I can’t stand it at all!).
By Cady Ali
Trump has won the presidential election twice, once against Hillary Clinton and another against Kamala Harris. If you notice that there is a theme, he has only won against women which says a lot about American voters. It shows that American voters would rather have a racist, sexist, felon rather than a qualified woman as their president.
By G.G. King
Kamala Harris. Donald trump. The two biggest names that were on every person’s mind. On November 6th, 2024, Trump was elected to be president. But what does this mean for children? What does this mean for immigrants? There are so many questions flying around. There are so many emotions that people are experiencing. I know mine definitely were.
At around 7:00 am, I came into my mom’s room and asked, “What are the numbers?’’ I meant, of course, what the electoral college votes were. I would have never expected what I saw next. I didn’t even think it would be decided! I thought it would take at least three days to be decided. When I saw that Trump won, I immediately felt scared. I am friends with immigrants, people who identify as LGBTQ+, and people of many different races and cultures. What will happen?
That is the main question everybody is asking, Democrats and Republicans alike. The Republicans now have majority in all three areas. That means that Trump will control most all of the laws in this country. Women’s rights, immigrants’ rights and other things that influence people’s lives are in jeopardy. Trump has just taken office. What will he do? Who knows. But the most important thing to me is that everybody feels safe and heard.
By Aarav Lemar
Donald Trump is a convicted felon and still is able to be a president. In my opinion this is not right. I think that this is insane. Felons around the world can’t vote or can’t even have some jobs but Trump can run for president? This is crazy. What’s going to happen now that Trump is president? What will he do? I don’t think that he is going to do good things for this country. But how bad is going to be?
By Summer Phelps
That Donald Trump is a convicted felon and still is able to be president in the U.S.A. is just crazy to me. People have lost their right to vote because maybe they sold an illegal substance that is now legal in the U.S. How could this happen? This should not be allowed. Would they let a different person that is a convicted felon be a president or would are they just letting him run because of some special treatment? How do we know? How do you feel about this problem? To me, this should not be happening.
By Haven Pickett
When I was told that Donald Trump was elected president I was in shock. I mean on January 20, 2025 a convicted felon was sworn into office and now controls the United States of America, the most powerful country in the world. If you didn’t understand how I felt before, I hope you do now.
By Serelle Barsalou
I vividly remember the day that my mom told me that Donald Trump won the election of 2024. I was brushing my teeth in the upstairs bathroom. My mom came in with a frown. I realized from that point on that Trump had won. I went to school and my friends were talking about him too. He has 34 felonies that he was convicted of that he doesn’t have to face.
By Briza Méndez Herrera
My feelings are that I am surprised and sad because I thought Kamala Harris was going to win. Luckily Donald Trump only has four more years to be president because he was already president two times for eight years
