When asked for opinions on the presidential election, the students in the second-year design class expressed their wonder at how a man like Donald Trump was voted as the 45th president of the United States of America. They drew comparisons to Brexit and how no one thought that the U.K. would actually vote to leave the EU, much like they thought Trump wouldn’t be elected president.
A lot of them were wondering if Trump’s campaign was just an ongoing joke. All of them, myself included, were shocked by the results. A professor apologized to me when I walked into class. But life goes on.
Class seemed normal as students worked on their designs — selecting fabrics, choosing colors, perfecting garments — with cheery music playing in the background. I felt like I was on the outside looking in on this relatively unaffected group of people.
The reactions were wide and varied:
“I don’t understand… I just thought it was a joke,” Annabelle Preston, second year
“My commiserations.” Jill Kirkham, University of Sunderland professor
“The Trump situation? I think it’s ridiculous. How could anyone’s husband, brother, uncle, vote for him knowing his opinion on women? If my brother was voting for Trump, I would wonder how he could do that having a sister.” Lauren Raywood, second year
“He’s disgusting!” Emma Simpson, second year
“It’s like a sick joke. He’ll take his toupee off and wash off his fake tan and say ‘I’m joking!’” Meg Hawe, second year
“Our generation is more educated than this. The older generation votes based on racism that they grew up with.” Umme Shah, second year
“I knew he was going to win, I knew he was. I couldn’t believe it. I just hope he’s not as bad as everyone thinks he’s going to be.” Josephine Okuniewski, second year
“I didn’t think he’d win.” Shah
