Trump Triumph Sparks Fear, Elation in DC Area

Many Prince George's County residents said they fear the impact Trump's presidency will have on people of color

Donald Trump's stunning victory over Hillary Clinton sent a shockwave through the D.C. area, with many supporters on both sides expressing surprise.

Emotions on Trump's win ranged from elation to fear. 

Trump's triumph, not declared until well after midnight Wednesday, will end eight years of Democratic dominance of the White House. As he claimed victory, Trump urged Americans to "come together as one united people'' after a deeply divisive campaign.

Several Trump supporters told News4 on Wednesday that they believe the president-elect will unite the country.

“He’s going to bring everyone together. Right now it’s a total shock for everyone, but at the end everyone will be united," Trump voter Hosna Jami said.

Jami, who was born into an Afghan-American family, watched Clinton's concession speech in Vienna, Virginia, with Virginia Women for Trump members.

Carolina Valero, who attended the same watch party, also said she believed Trump can bring the country together. She said she was thrilled by his win.

"Wonderful. Wonderful. I'm so happy," said Valero, who was born in Colombia.

Many people who support Trump no longer feel like they have to hide their feelings in public, said Alice Butler-Short, who drives a red pickup truck with a huge "Virginia Women for Trump" sign.

"People were afraid to put bumper stickers on their cars. As [Valero] and I drove around, we would find people picking them up inside the car and showing them to us," Butler-Short said, noting she felt a "huge sense of relief."

Trump supporter Natalie Harrod, a black women who wore a "Make America Great Again Hat," also spoke about unity.

"We're very to one side or the other, and I think we need to come together at this time and kind of mend the wounds that have been created, like Trump said last night," she said.

Many Clinton supporters said they were still getting over the shock of Trump's win. 

"I walked around and talked to a lot college students and asked them, 'What do you do tomorrow?," because I don't know," Clinton supporter Tammy Portnoy said. "It's seems like a movie out of a 'Hunger Games' series. We have a President Trump. That's weird."

Many Prince George's County, Maryland, residents said they fear the impact Trump's presidency will have on people of color. The county is the largest and most affluent predominantly African-American community in the country, and Hispanics make up its second largest group.

Claudia Quinoez, who benefits from President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, said she fears the Trump administration will revoke her legal work status.

"There is a likelihood that I lose my ... work permit," she said.

Madai Ledezma, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, said she worried about her family's future. Still, she said she is hopeful.

"If love helped me to cross a border, then love is going to help us tear that wall down that he wants to build," she said through an interpreter.

Supporters of both candidates gathered outside the White House as the election results poured in early Wednesday. 

"I thought America was better than this, if I'm being honest," Clinton supporter Austin Daily said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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