Americans voters explain their election choices and discuss views on the future

In this deeply polarized country, there have been many competing emotions in response to Donald Trump’s reelection. To better understand how many in the country feel, Judy Woodruff checked in with some of the people she’s met during her ongoing reporting project, America at a Crossroads.
Geoff Bennett:
In this deeply polarized country, there have been a range of reactions in response to former President Trump’s reelection this past week.
To better understand how many in the country feel, Judy Woodruff checked in with some of the people she’s met during her ongoing reporting project, America at a Crossroads.
Chris Vitale, Trump Supporter:
You know, I won’t tell you that I’m not surprised. I’m surprised it was as big as it was. But I am happy. This is the person I wanted to win. This is the mandate I wanted America to see.
Lewis Terry, Harris Supporter:
Last night when, I went to sleep, there was still hope. But when I woke up this morning, I saw that he actually won. It was a feeling of, here we go again. We’re back to — we’re moving back in time.
Judy Woodruff:
Some very different and very strong reactions from some of the Americans we have met across the country about what took place this week.
Jeri Levasseur, Trump Supporter:
The first day we had early voting here in Massachusetts. I voted for Donald Trump. And I was excited throughout his campaign because I saw him as hope.
Pastor Marty Calderon, Trump Supporter:
I think it was a very comfortable and very happy feeling that he’s going to be back in charge.
Beau Hancock, Trump Supporter:
Well, I was really, really excited. And to be honest, I always had faith. I was never really doubtful that he would win.
Diane Doyle Smith, Harris Supporter:
I’m still in shock, but I didn’t cry this time, like I did when he originally won. So that’s something.
Judy Woodruff:
Why do you think you didn’t cry?
Diane Doyle Smith:
I have lost my naivete of, I mean, about Americans and the goodness of them.
Ryn Botsford, Harris Supporter:
I woke up really early, just like — I just roused. And I just checked my phone, being like, oh, it’s going to be totally fine. And then I was just awake. And I held my son. And it’s not the future that I wanted to give to him.
Jeff Brooks, Harris Supporter:
One of the reasons that I didn’t vote for Donald Trump was because of the last election. So I feel like I need to stand on that now, that these are the election results. This is what the American people want. And we go from here.
Judy Woodruff:
Supporters of former President Trump found many issues to vote for, top among them, the economy.
Marty Calderon:
With the prices and the different and the variety of things that we are already purchasing, from food, groceries to gas.
Chris Vitale:
I expect it will open up opportunities for jobs in manufacturing. I suspect it’ll keep a lot of jobs in the area.
Judy Woodruff:
So, for you, is it mainly the economic piece of this that matters to you? Is that fair to say?
Chris Vitale:
The economics certainly a big part of it. Another part of it would be the concerns I had over — it seemed like there were many on that side of the aisle that wanted to control speech, that wanted to shut people down, that wanted to censor.
Jeri Levasseur:
Well, the other thing is illegals coming across this country. There are so many people here we don’t know.
Beau Hancock:
You know, being male and white in recent years, we have been told that we’re the problem in society. And we’re always the ones causing issues. Everything that’s going bad, everyone that’s “oppressed” — quote, unquote — is being oppressed by white men.
And DEI and all these things that are meant to lower the amount of white men in any sphere are things that Trump ran on.
Judy Woodruff:
Harris supporters, as well as one woman who voted for Jill Stein as a protest against U.S. support for Israel, felt concerned about where things might be headed over the next four years, including on the economy.
Raya Abdelaal, Community Activist:
I know so many people that can’t afford rent. They can’t afford to have food. They’re working two, three jobs. It’s a serious issue. And then we have people like Trump that’s going to come in. And he’s like — he’s a businessman. His only interest is his business.
That’s only going to make things worse for American people.
Lewis Terry:
The tariff that he’s going to put on China for import, not just China, but on imports that’s coming in, that’s going to cost people like me, who — a lot of things I have in my home says made in China or made here, made there. And if this is going to be a tariff on it, we’re going to have to pay more money for these things.
Diane Doyle Smith:
I think it’s going to be terribly different, maybe not for me. I’m an older postmenopausal white retired woman. But I had friends that text me yesterday that their transgender children were up all night having panic attacks and crying.
I have a niece who’s in a gay marriage. I can imagine the Supreme Court is going to be going after that.
Ryn Botsford:
I am wildly concerned for my family specifically. I’m wildly concerned about a lot of things, but I gave birth to our son. My wife is my legal wife and spouse and is on his birth certificate. I am very concerned that, legally, my marriage will be dissolved and that my wife will not have the same legal rights to our son.
Jeff Brooks:
My hopes are that what other people see in him is what will happen. My hopes are that I’m wrong on how I’m reading him and that this is going to be a turning point. My fear is that the worst of this will result in us being more separated, us feeling that other Americans are the enemy and we’re not all one team together.
Judy Woodruff:
Some Trump supporters said they hoped this could be an opening for the president-elect to find common ground with the other side.
Marty Calderon:
I would hope that that’s an effort within his Cabinet and within the people that he puts in leadership, that we have to work together. I mean, there’s no ifs, ands or buts about that. We have to work together.
Chris Vitale:
You know, this guy is a dealmaker. He likes to make deals with people. He is on the same page as a lot of Democrats. And yet they cannot seem to find common ground.
Jeri Levasseur:
I mean, if Kamala got in, I would have been, OK, here we go, what am I going to do? But I wouldn’t go out in the streets and burn cars and turn things over. I would try to see, what is she going to do to make it better for everybody?’
Beau Hancock:
I would say the election points to the fact that we’re not as divided as we might have thought, that it’s not about identity politics. It’s not about — I’m sure millions of Americans who voted for Trump don’t like him as a person.
But it shows that we have things in common. We have beliefs in common. We want legal immigration. We want a good economy. We don’t care that he might — I think I said the same quote a few months ago, last time we talked. We don’t care that he might say some off-color things. We don’t care if he has a mean tweet.
Diane Doyle Smith:
I see no hope of him unifying the American people. I think he’s a rotten human being. Every time he speaks, he denigrates a certain group, whether it’s immigrants or — I could go on and on. We all know what he’s like.
Jeff Brooks:
If I’m at work and I’m rooting for Larry to get the promotion, but Darren gets it, then either way I’m not personally invested. That’s the logical part of me. The emotional part is, I’m concerned. I’m concerned of where we’re going to wind up at the end of this.
Lewis Terry:
I have seen a lot of hate come out of people. When Trump was in office, when Trump lost the election, I have seen a lot of hate come out of people. And some of the hate that I saw coming out of people were some people that I knew for years.
Ryn Botsford:
I am unwilling to compromise who I am as an individual for somebody else’s comfort. I am unwilling to go back in the closet. I am unwilling to go back to being a woman, instead of the nonbinary person that I am. But building bridges where they can be built, yes, absolutely.
Raya Abdelaal:
I think we all struggle with the same things at home, paying our bills, holding down a job, taking care of our families. Health care is a big issue for all of us. We have the same problems and we have a — in my opinion, a common enemy, which is these politicians that use us to gain power and money and whatever it is that they’re going for.
Jeri Levasseur:
They should all have the betterment of this country first and foremost.
Chris Vitale:
I think Democrats have an opportunity to work with Trump to put the brakes on some of these mega-mergers, multi-borderless corporations that pay taxes into the Netherlands or Ireland or something like that. They have an opportunity to bring some of that back to this country.
Marty Calderon:
I pray that people can work together, OK? You know what? The person you want in there is not in there, but he’s going to be there for four years. What can we do to make things better? How can we work together to make America better?
Judy Woodruff:
For the “PBS News Hour,” I’m Judy Woodruff in Washington.