Stay with WTOP on air, online and on the WTOP News app for the latest local and national election developments. Sign up for WTOP’s Election Desk weekly newsletter to stay informed through Inauguration Day.
Voters across the D.C. area shared their thoughts after former President Donald Trump’s comeback, resulting in the 45th president of the United States becoming the new president-elect.
Trump will return to the White House following his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025.
That’s where WTOP found a D.C. woman reflecting Wednesday morning, after Trump was declared winner of Tuesday’s presidential election.
“I walked here at sunrise and just kind of have been sitting here… I know we’ll find a way to move forward, but I don’t really know,” said Jackie, who lives in Northwest D.C.
“I just feel very strongly that the election was, in many ways, kind of a vote between hate and love. And I’m just super-disappointed that it seems like hate was the thing that won,” she said. The Associated Press reports that 92% of D.C. residents voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the incredibly blue district.
- Democrats hoped Harris would rescue them. On Wednesday, she will publicly reckon with her loss
- PHOTOS: 2024 Election Day in DC region
- Q&A: Who showed up for Trump in the polls?
Nearby Va. county celebrates Trump win
Meanwhile, in nearby Fauquier County, Virginia, Trump won 60% of the vote. That slight increase from 2020 numbers, when the former president received 58% of the county’s vote, reflects a larger conservative shift in the region and across the nation.
WTOP talked to voters looking forward to a second Trump presidency, with a focus on the economy.
“We were anxious, but we can’t go through another four years like we were going through now,” said one man outside a gas station along Route 29. Another voter said he would like to see Trump “actually getting us back economically stable.”
DC voters are still reeling from the speedy results
Back in D.C., voter Jeff Bedia, who lives about three blocks away from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, told WTOP he was glad AP declared a winner to the 2024 presidential election early Wednesday morning.
“I thought it was for the best that it did not drag a day or two, or a week later. So at least there’s a sense of finality for all of us. It’s such a relief to wake up with a final sense of ‘OK, the election is over,'” he said.
Was Bedia shocked by Trump’s election victory? “No, considering what’s been happening the last four years, self-reflection and just self-realization.” Bedia called Trump’s win “a mandate.”
“Whether you like (Trump) or not, it’s a comeback, it’s a resurrection, and it’s resuscitation and it’s a new coalition — the Republican Party and the Democratic Party and the independents have been redefined, rehashed,” Bedia said. “I hope this transition of power will be as peaceful as we want it to be. Like how it used to be (before Jan. 6, 2021). But we don’t know, because I’m sure there are people who will be angry, who are angry that (Harris) didn’t win.”
Bedia added: “I think we should take a moment to breathe and say a prayer of thanks and sustenance for our country and for our political social detractors. Because at the end of the day, we’re still here.”
Darren from Dupont Circle told WTOP the election results left him with a sleepless night and a sense of dread.
“I’m exhausted behind these sunglasses. I have cried. I have had, like, many panic attacks. And it’s this fear: This is (Trump) is back,” he said, adding he’s encountered a similar mood of sadness and misery among people he had seen Wednesday morning.
His message to other Americans who had planned of a different outcome: “We all need a minute. Everyone will process this differently. We all know trauma and grief. Everyone is going to process this differently. Check on your friends, check on your loved ones.”
A pair of women, both Harris supporters at Howard University shared similar sentiments with WTOP. One said: “It’s kind of frightening. I’ve had people call me and ask me ‘where are you moving for four years, where are you going?'” The second concerned woman said she “just can’t even think about it.”
WTOP’s Luke Lukert reported from the White House. WTOP’s Kyle Cooper reported from Howard University. WTOP’s Neal Augenstein reported from Fauquier County.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
