‘I’ll get through these next four years’: Pitt students divided over Trump’s victory, with mixed emotions on campus

Looking up at the overcast sky on Wednesday afternoon, Kate Augustin felt the weather reflected the campus atmosphere.

“It’s awful,” Augustin said. “Look around. Nobody is outside.”

As the news of Trump’s victory echoed across campus, Pitt students are grappling with mixed emotions about how the new commander in chief will shape their future.

Kira Grushow, a sophomore political science major who works with a voter registration and mobilization organization, was “heartbroken” to hear of Trump’s reelection. As a queer woman in political science, she expressed concerns about her ability to obtain a job writing policy under Trump’s presidency.

“We need to do what we can to keep each other safe, alive and healthy,” Grushow said. “We need to keep fighting. This is not the end.”

Ultimately, Grushow maintains an optimistic outlook on the country’s ability to “move on” from this “battle.”

“Trump has had a presidency before. We can pick up and move on from this,” Grushow said. “This is like a battle. This is not the end of the war. We can keep going.”

DJ Kreiss, a senior political science and communications major, who describes themself as “a little distraught” by the election outcome, has been focusing their energy on supporting friends impacted by the results. For Kreiss, the weight of the election extends beyond personal concerns to broader worries about public health and marginalized communities.

“I tried to make sure my friends were doing okay because a lot of them are affected by the changes,” Kreiss said. “I’m mostly worried about Project 2025.”

While many students struggled to come to terms with Trump’s reelection, others like Michael Mathias, a first-year business analytics and finance major, said they saw the result more favorably. For Mathias, his support for Trump wasn’t rooted in personality or party affiliation, but in the policies that resonate with his values. 

“For me, it was very much policy over person,” Mathias said. “I think that he’s what’s best for the country and that he knows what he’s doing … especially compared to [Harris].” 

Mathias said his vote might be a reflection of a broader shift in how people are evaluating candidates. 

“I think a lot of people are starting to realize that we need someone who’s qualified for office, rather than just someone that we like or who fits a certain image,” Mathias said. “It’s about getting back to picking leaders based on their abilities, not just their appeal.” 

Mathias added that his vote was also a reflection of his thoughts on the current administration’s performance. 

“I prioritized Trump’s economic policies,” Mathias said. “And then just looking at his four years, from what I remember and what I’ve researched, compared to these last four years, it just seems incomparable to me.” 

Ethan Gubin, a first-year bioengineering major, pointed to Trump’s broad support base as a key indicator of his victory. 

“I wasn’t necessarily surprised that he was going to win,” Gubin said. “There was a lot of support that he had from a lot of different countries, a lot of different states.” 

Gubin favors the Republican Party’s economic policies, which he believes are better suited to address the country’s financial challenges.

“I believe that the Republican Party has policies that will make the economy generally better,” Gubin said. “They want to bring back steel. They want to bring back the oil industry.”

Although a few students were steadfast in their support for Trump’s reelection, many more reacted with a mix of anger and disbelief. Meghan Johns, a first-year psychology major, was “pissed off” upon the news of the election, while Gloria Howe, a first-year computer science major, felt frustration toward those who supported the former President.

“Anyone who voted for that asshole [Trump] is either a racist, homophobic, woman-hating, evil asshole … or stupid,” Howe said. 

Howe noted that the primary defense she had heard from his supporters centered around his economic policies, but she remains unconvinced that this rationale justifies his actions or behavior throughout his presidency.

“The only defense that I’ve seen is that he is better for the economy, and he is a businessman that has managed to bankrupt a casino twice,” Howe said. “He’s a felon.” 

She also expressed concern about how a second term for Trump could affect her personal rights. 

“I just wanted to protect my own rights and not have them stripped away even further,” Howe said. “Just really simply, I would like to not have crazy people in power.”

Despite her dissatisfaction, Howe is determined to push through and stay focused on what she believes.

“My professor had some really good advice today,” Howe said. “Just focus on what’s important. I’ll get through these next four years.”