Joy and relief on the streets of Palm Beach at election result
The streets of Palm Beach were eerily quite the morning after Donald Trump’s historic presidential election victory; those who emerged were only too happy at the result.
Joy and relief were the dominant emotions on the manicured streets of Palm Beach on Wednesday morning (Thursday AEDT), the morning after Donald Trump’s historic comeback was confirmed, as locals walked their dogs with an extra spring in their step.
Monica Muhart, a registered independent and Palm Beach resident, said she was “feeling awesome, I have more than excitement – it’s like a most intense feeling of relief, I was up all night.
“I’ve been saying for months we have to win more than they can cheat,” she told The Australian, expressing her shock at how well Trump did in New York State, where she said she spends a big chunk of the year.
“I voted for Clinton way back. I vote for who I want, I’m American not party,” she added.
Florida, with a population only a few million short of Australia’s, voted overwhelmingly for Trump, who won 56 per cent of the vote to Harris’s 43 per cent, a significant improvement on his performance in 2020 when he won 51 per cent.
A few blocks down Laura Levine was walking with her mother and dog, telling The Australian she was “very excited and relieved” at what she called “truly a red wave”, before unloading on the mainstream media.
“The polls were wrong because I think a lot of people were scared to say they back Trump and I have to say, sorry, I also think the media lies,” the activewear-clad real estate agent said.
“But we’re ma lost smarter than they are giving us credit for … I mean, she didn’t have any policies”.
Daryl Wortham, 58, one of the few morning without a pet in tow, said he felt “terrific” and wasn’t surprised by the scale of Trump’s victory.
“I was out in Georgia the last few weeks, proudly wearing this T-shirt through the airports, the train stations, and I could just feel he was going to win big,” he told The Australian, pointing to his Trump shirt.
Did he feel sorry for Kamala Harris? “No, it’s just life, she’s the Vice President, she’s making how much money for doing next to nothing. I work harder than she does,” the technical program manager in the life sciences industry said.
“By the way, I’m a walk away from the Democratic Party, ever since 2019,” he added, crediting Donald Trump with his transition from blue to red on the political spectrum.
Jay Brown, in between picking up after his dog on the sidewalk, seemed almost ready to tell someone how happy he was, although joy tinged with “shock that the Democrats get as many votes as they did … people are ignorant and brainwashed”.
“We’re done with the liars and criminals for the last four years, and the eight years before that when Obama was president,” he told The Australian.
“Hopefully this country will return to a state of greatness like it used to be,” the yachting industry worker added, before slamming his native Illinois, which voted solidly Democrat as usual.
“It’s just sad and pathetic; Democrats have run that state to the ground for the last 50 to 75 years,” he added.
Irene, who declined to give her surname, said she was “very happy” with the outcome, her accent giving away she’d immigrated to the US from Russia in 2007.
“Yes I’ve always been Republican since I moved here, I just didn’t feel things were bad when Trump was president, it’s going to be fine,” she added.
She expressed hope Trump would follow through on his promise to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“I would love that, it’s complicated, it’s very hard to get flights home, so for 3 years I haven’t been back, and I also have a problem that my dogs aren’t allowed to come back with me if I go,” she explained.
Real estate appraiser Dale Kissel was one of only a handful of Harris supports who were willing to speak to me, after two ladies made it clear they “weren’t happy campers” and palmed me off.
“Basically everything I voted for lost, so it’s not the best of days for me,” Kissel said, offering two reasons for Trump’s success: “the cult of personality around him and number two this is certainly a right leaning country.
Was he worried about the threat to democracy? “I think the system will keep him in check,” he said.
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