‘Terrified and Grieving’: What do Bristol Uni students think about the US election result

Donald Trump is set to be the new US president for the second time after a close match with competitor Kamala Haris. This election brought many contentious issues including the reproductive rights of women, the protection of minorities and the war in Gaza. We asked what Bristol Uni students thought of the election results.

The response was, as to be expected, overwhelmingly negative.

Students, including many international students from the US, told us it’s “a harrowing day for everyone around the globe.”

Women’s rights

One of Trump’s core running issues is banning abortion. While his stance on a nationwide abortion ban is unclear, one of his Project 2025 policies is to use the Comstock Act from 1873 to ban the mailing of abortion pills. As two-thirds of abortions in the US are performed via mailed abortion pills, this could be detrimental to reproductive rights even for those in blue states.

Since the overturn of Row v Wade, access to abortion has been almost completely banned in 17 states across the country. The overturn of abortion as a constitutional right makes it easy for Trump to restrict access to abortions without needing support from the Senate or House of Representatives.

One American student studying Vet Med at Bristol, Annabelle, told us: “As a woman, I am scared of losing some of my rights in America and worried about how much control Trump will have with the Senate also being majority Republican now. Overall, I am worried about the next four years and unsure if I will go back to the US after I graduate because of the political state.”

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Additionally, Trump has been accused of a slew of sexual misconduct and rape along with making misogynistic comments such as calling Nancy Pelosi a “sick crazy b…”

One student told us the results are “incredibly depressing for women and girls across America.”

Minorities

Trump vowed to bring back his controversial Muslim travel ban as well as encouraging mass deportations across the country. With these raids and deportations, Trump will pursue a dystopian reality similar to President Dwight D Eisenhower in 1954 when his government rounded up and deported people with Mexican ancestry including US citizens.

This “despicable campaign of destruction” (third year politics student) will also target LGBTQ+ people with a focus on attacking the rights of trans youth by banning schools from supporting gender transition. Trump also wants to rescind national protections against the discrimination of LGBTQ+ people as well as promote an educational program of strictly heterosexual marriages akin to Thatcher’s section 28.

One anonymous student told us it is “a sad day for minorities.”

Genocide in Gaza

Another key issue Bristol students stressed was the Democrat’s “support for genocide.” One American international student studying in Bristol told us: “Her (Kamala’s) very pro-Israel stance deferred a lot of people from voting for her.” Adding “Kamala had barely any time to prepare her campaign and to publicise her plans and to deviate her association to Biden and form an independent coalition.”

Harris like current president Joe Biden has repeatedly defended Israel’s right to defend itself when questioned on the suffering in Gaza, some analysts believe this issue lost her the swing state of Michigan which has one of the highest Arab and Muslim populations in the country.

George, a committee member of Bristol’s student socialist society, said: “The Biden-Harris administration has disgusted much of the nation by continuing to arm and provide carte blanche to Israel – a state carrying out a live-streamed genocide of the Palestinian people.”

Economy

Trump’s new administration will attempt to overturn many of Biden’s economic policies, including the Inflation Reduction Act and lowering taxes. These rollbacks could further increase economic inequality and be detrimental to the US economy.

The Bristol’s student socialist society member said: “The old cliche is right: the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the middle gets squeezed.” explaining how some voters felt Trump might be an alternative to this as “The Democrats, by adhering to their corporate donors, rather than to any popular demands have handed the United States to the far right.” George also added, “Trump is terrifying.”

This election has brought fear and grief to students at Bristol as a convicted felon and alleged rapist is set to become president of one of the most powerful countries in the world for the second time.

Louise studying childhood studies told us: “My family are super liberal and we knew that Biden wouldn’t ever have won but Kamala made all of us feel hopeful. My community back home was excited about her and her campaign had so much energy and positivity. I can’t fathom that people chose Trump over her.”