STAFFORD, Va. — Protests across the country against President-elect Donald Trump have continued nearly a week after the election outcome, spreading even to high school students in the D.C. area.
In the past two days, hundreds of high school students from D.C. and Montgomery County schools skipped classes to march through the streets in protest.
But while Hillary Clinton won the electoral votes from Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, there were still plenty of counties in Maryland and Virginia that voted mostly for Trump.
So what do residents in some of these pro-Trump counties think about the recent student protests?
The first stop was Calvert County, Maryland, where according to unofficial results, 56.8 percent of voters cast ballots for Trump and 38.4 percent turned out for Hillary Clinton.
“I think they have every right to do what they’re doing to an extent,” said Harold Smith. “As long as they don’t turn it into where it’s a physical riot.”
He added, “I really think we should at least give the man — and we are giving the man, since he’s going to be our next president — a chance to make things better.”
“We live in a free country and they have the right to protest; however, they should also learn to accept what is,” said Deborah Distad.
Lawrence Frederick wondered about the aims of the protests, saying, “Walking out of class is not going to make any changes in the election, so why do they have to walk out of class?”
The next stop — after a scenic drive — was Stafford County, Virginia, where unofficial results show 51.3 percent of voters supported Trump, compared to 42.3 percent for Clinton.
Rob Glumac said he didn’t think much of the student walkouts and asked, “My first question is, do any of them know anything about electoral votes?”
Dorcas Rodgers, who has a 13-year-old daughter, felt differently. “I think if it were my daughter and she walked out, I would support it. She’s a great student, straight As, she’ll make it up,” Rodgers said.
“We teach them to think for themselves and to make decisions, so hopefully the decisions that they’re making, the consequences, whatever they may be, will be worthwhile,” she added.
Lyn Perry said if the student demonstrators were serious, they were going at it all wrong. “When I was in high school, I was politically active. I wrote letters. I testified before a congressional subcommittee hearing. Protesting and just blocking streets is not how you do things in America.”
Perry said the students were “echoing irresponsible adults” and added, “This is how you have college students who don’t have to take midterm exams because they’re too sad. I’m sorry — welcome to the real world. You don’t get a trophy when you get second place.”
