Shell-shocked voters have told of their dismay and devastation on the streets of Philadelphia after Pennsylvania swung red for Donald Trump. Hope turned to heartbreak and Democrats were left in tears when the death knell sounded for Kamala Harris’s White House dream.
At election results parties across the nation, her supporters cried, prayed and watched with their heads in their hands as the electoral votes rolled in for her Republican rival.
The night had begun in high spirits with confident chants of “we vote, we win” in Philadelphia. But the mood soon turned sombre as it became clear that although the city voted blue, strong Trump support in suburbs and rural areas meant he claimed victory across the swing state.
On Wednesday morning, one furious Philly resident branded Trump’s victory “atrocious”. He added: “Donald Trump has got more convictions than I do.
“How the hell did he get into office? I’ve got a conviction of simple assault, why I can’t run for president?”
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Devon Zilinek, 29, said her sadness was turning to anger as she saw “the way that people who are so pro-Tump are celebrating and using some horrible rhetoric this morning”.
The marketing worker said she feared for the future of reproductive rights and people in minority groups. She added: “I think the USA is lost.
“Trump initially running in 2016 really threw a wrench into both the Republican and the Democratic parties, with him not really aligning with either and just going after what he wanted.
“After 10 years of having to battle against Trump, the Democratic party has kind of lost the plot in what they stand for. They’re leaning way more centre than I ever would have imagined to see in my life.”
At a nearby Democrat campaign office, the atmosphere was funereal. Asked if he could comment on the result, one exhausted Harris backer replied: “Not a chance in hell. I frankly don’t have the mental energy.”
Healthcare worker Alexus Bennett said she felt she was now living in “Doomsdale”. The 31-year-old added: “I don’t feel safe. I didn’t expect it to go that way. I had faith in Kamala, I really did.
“I don’t feel like Trump is in our best interests, I don’t feel like he cares about the minority and Black community.”
However, not everyone was disappointed. Hotel engineer Sean Pitt, 38, emerged from a subway station with his fists raised, chanting: “Trump!”
He told the Express: “I’m happy as hell. Trump, that’s my guy. A man of principles, he’s about bringing money to the economy. It’s time for a change. Make America great again.”
