The day after the 2024 presidential election, students and faculty at Sacramento State started their day like any other regardless of their feelings about the results.
Donald Trump has been elected as the 47th president of the United States. The ripple of this landslide victory has spread throughout the country and reached the Sac State campus.
As a result, students are more outspoken about their concerns over the shift to conservatism throughout the country.
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Alexandra Garcia, a senior majoring in biology, said that, although she felt optimistic when the race was close, election night was exceedingly stressful for her. She said Trump’s eventual majority in the electoral college made her lose hope.
Garcia said that she has family members who are at risk of deportation, and they are in more danger than she is from the results of the election.
Trump has stated that he intends on using the military for the mass deportation of Mexican immigrants, including those who immigrated through methods such as work visas.
Garcia says that her family has been in the U.S. for a long time and would struggle heavily with displacement. Having younger siblings, Garcia said she is worried about how the actions taken now will affect them in the future.
“I have some people in my family who are undocumented, so [if] the deportation does start happening, I’m very scared for them,” Garcia said.
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Carlos Gaxiola, a fashion major in his second year, said that this election felt very different than previous elections.
“I had a feeling it would come down to what it came down to, but actually seeing it in real time,” Gaxiola said. “Even right now, I’m just shocked.”
Sandra Nnanna, a senior majoring in child development, said that when she found out the results, she was not surprised but angry.
“I’m pretty upset about it,” Nnanna said.
One of Nnanna’s concerns was Project 2025, a comprehensive guide by far-right think tank The Heritage Foundation outlining a plan for the next Republican presidency. The plan has been regarded as an attack on the protections of marginalized groups, such as people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals and women.
“I’m scared, especially about Project 2025 and how women are not going to [be able to] get abortions,” Nnanna said. “I live in a blue state, but it’s kind of scary to know how most of our rights can be taken away.”
Nnanna said that although she lives in California, the rest of the country now feels unsafe to her. She says the results of the election may affect her ability to seek education and work in the future.
“I wanted to move out to go to a medical school in a different state, but after everything I feel like the best solution right now is to stay here,” Nnanna said. “California is one of the couple states [where] women’s rights is actually taken seriously. It’s taught me that I need to be more careful.”
Nnanna, Garcia and Gaxiola all say they feel the need to be cautious of their safety following the election. Gaxiola said this feeling of apprehension and fear looms over the whole campus.
“Elections always matter, but this one just felt really different, and a lot of emotions arose,” Gaxiola said. “I feel like everyone’s tiptoeing afterwards, which is such a bad feeling to have. Everyone’s cautious, including myself. You kind of have to be.”
