Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 Presidential Election in the early morning of Nov. 6.

Cuyahoga County has continuously voted for the Democratic candidate in every Presidential election since 1976, and Beachcomber surveys over the years have consistently shown strong Democratic leanings among BHS students.

The aftermath of the Nov. 5 election heightened emotions throughout the Beachwood community. 

The Beachcomber conducted a survey in mid-November on students’ feelings following the 2024 election.

Out of 106 students who responded to the survey, 50 identified as Democrats or leaned left. 13 students identified as Republicans or leaned right, 40 did not affiliate with a party and 5 identified as moderates.

Students were asked whether they felt personally affected by the election results. 52 indicated ‘yes,’ 26 indicated ‘no,’ and 27 indicated ‘not sure.’ 

Many of those who felt personally affected cited concerns about Project 2025 such as abortion and immigration rights. Others feel impacted by Trump’s idea to end the Department of Education and return control of education to state and local governments. 

A student who chose to remain anonymous expressed worry about her ability to attend and pay for college.

“One of Trump’s plans is to get rid of the [Department] of Education, which yet again hinders the middle and lower classes because one of the many things that would go away with the [Dept.] of Education is methods of paying for college for those who can’t pull $50,000 from their parents pockets.” she wrote. 

“I personally want to attend college and [pursue] further education, so this plan, which will likely get passed due to the completely Republican congress, greatly affects me.” 

The U.S. Dept. of Education issues $100 billion dollars in student loans each year and $30 billion in grants. If the department is dismantled, the job of servicing these loans would likely move to another federal agency. 

Reporting by Katherine Knott in Inside Higher Ed suggests that shuffling of federal agencies is likely to cause disruptions and impact students who are depending on that aid to attend college. 

Some students expressed concern that many people will lose fundamental rights in a Trump administration. 

“I feel like my rights are being stripped away in so many ways,” wrote one student who wished to remain anonymous. “Trump is a narcissist and only supports those who are white male Christians. He plans to ban gay marriage and the right to abortions, which makes me feel like my future is in jeopardy.”

Some students do not feel personally affected.

“I feel neither happy nor sad regarding the election results, because I don’t know how they will affect me personally,” wrote another anonymous student.

Students were then asked, on a scale from 0 being depressed and 10 being very happy, how they felt about the election results. 59 students voted from 0 to 4, 20 marked 5 and 25 indicated from 6-10. 

Many students who picked 0 reported feeling disappointed in the country. Many wanted Kamala Harris to be the first female president or favored her over Trump because he is a convicted felon. 

An anonymous student explained her disappointment after learning the election results.

“I believe Harris had the chance to make this country a safe, accepting place for everyone no matter what and it saddens me that we didn’t get to see that happen,” she wrote.

Most students who marked 5 claimed they did not care about the election results. Others believe both candidates were unfit to run for president.

One student explained their neutrality and questioned why they should care about the election if they can not impact the outcome.

“I understand that they may affect others, but the way I see it, if I’m not even old enough to vote, then why should I care about the outcome? The fate of this country is simply out of my control.” he wrote.

Those who picked 10 claimed that Trump is the best fit to run the country. Many students are happy about the election results because they agree with Trump’s economic policies and foreign policy towards Middle Eastern countries. Others believe he is the best candidate who could bring economic prosperity and social stability to the United States.

A student who remained anonymous expressed his support for Trump and his policies. 

“I am very happy about the election because Trump is a very strong president and knows how to control and set laws and rules regarding the people of the USA, and I think he is a major key to stopping wars and preventing them,” he wrote.

BHS students have varying opinions about why Democrats lost the 2024 presidential election. Some students believe Harris lost because she had a weak campaign strategy. Others believe she did not have enough time to run a successful campaign. 

Freshman Heeba Sossey Alaoui explained why she believes the Democrats lost the election.

“I think a lot of people who usually vote for Democrats, like young people and minorities, may not have shown up to vote,” Alaoui wrote. “Some might have felt frustrated with politics or didn’t feel excited about the candidates. Issues like the economy, inflation, or jobs may have made Republican ideas seem more appealing to some voters. Kamala Harris only had three months to campaign, which didn’t give her enough time to connect with voters or make a strong case for her leadership. On top of that, the power of social media propaganda played a huge role, spreading misinformation and influencing opinions, especially in swing states. The Democrats might have also focused on topics that didn’t connect with what many people cared about most.” 

Junior Meir Bickart outlined several reasons why he believes Democrats lost the election.

“The Democrats lost the election for a few reasons,” Bickart wrote. “1. Kamala wasn’t seen as a real candidate, rather she was a “anything is better than trump” candidate, even her slogan was “we can’t go back”. This made people not take her seriously. 2. Kamala Harris had to try so hard to separate herself from the Biden administration which many people felt had “done nothing”. 3. Kamala scared [off] many minorities that are generally very left leaning, such as Muslims (issues with support of Israel) and Jews (thought she was too harsh on Israel). (lose lose situation).”

There is controversy surrounding Trump’s convictions and whether it will interfere with his presidency. Most Democratic students are disturbed that people elected a convicted felon to be our next president. Others feel his convictions will not interfere with his second term. 

One student expressed their concerns about Trump’s convictions.

“I think having a convicted felon as a president-elect raises serious concerns about leadership and accountability. It sends a complicated message about the standards we hold for the highest office in the country.” she wrote.

Another student believes that Trump’s convictions will not impact how he runs the country. 

“Just because you’re a felon doesn’t mean you’re not properly able to run a country, because during Trump’s term from 2017-2021, our country as a whole was many orders of magnitude better than it is today,” he wrote.

As it is after every presidential election, the state of the country after the next four years is uncertain. BHS students have a wide range of predictions as to where the country will be socially, politically, and economically after Trump’s second four year term.

“I see lots of citizens being unhappy, immigrants being deported, and people feeling like they can’t express themselves,” one student wrote.

One student hopes the country will be a safer place for Jewish people. Anti-Semitism and hate crimes against Jewish people have been on the rise in recent years.

“In five years I see our country as hopefully a safer place where people do not have to fear showing their identity in public or at universities where hate crimes against Jewish people have been on constant rise.” he wrote. 

Sophomore Tamar Klein sees the country with stronger foreign relations with countries such as Russia and China.

“I see our country in a better place than it was in recent years,” Klein wrote. “Since President Trump was elected, and even before he took office, he has already accomplished so much for the country and contributed to making the world a better place. Just two days after his election, a senior Hamas official called for an immediate end to the war in the Gaza Strip.” 

“Additionally, Vladimir Putin expressed his willingness to engage in negotiations with Trump regarding the war in Ukraine. Xi Jinping of China stated that they hope for peaceful coexistence with the U.S. in the future. A second term under Trump’s leadership could also quote, “mark a new beginning in China-US relations”. In the past two weeks, Donald Trump has accomplished more for this country than Biden and Kamala have in the last four years.” she added.

Bickart, as well as many other students, believe the country will become more politically divided.

“Our country will just become more divided over senseless things like political stances, while ignoring the real issues,” he wrote.