NEW YORK ― They came to celebrate the election of the first female president, gathering appropriately in a massive room with a clear glass ceiling. They left the Jacob Javits Center here in Donald Trump’s hometown stunned and in tears.
Mothers tightly clutched their little girls’ hands. Many ignored reporters as they scurried out, fists clenched, heads down, their hopes to make history dashed in the cruelest of ways. Clinton staffers walked around staring at their shoes as CNN played to an increasingly empty hall under that still-unbroken ceiling.
Advertisement
Almost everyone leaving held the small American flag they were handed out earlier in the evening, rolled up tightly in their hands.
It was supposed to be a victory party for Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night. Instead, as one supporter remarked casually to a friend, “It feels like a morgue.”
Outside the convention center, where just hours earlier an excited throng of supporters had gathered at an organized “block party,” it was dead silent. Eerily so.
Advertisement
On the surrounding streets, most supporters had their headphones in, their heads down.
One man was still desperately trying to sell T-shirts that said “First Female President.” No one was buying. “It’s over!” someone yelled at the seller, walking by.
People crowded around windows, looking into bars from the sidewalk to see election results come in.
One woman walked by muttering “fuck” to herself.
A woman had come so close. By midnight, it looked increasingly like she was going to lose the race for the highest office in the land to a man who bragged of sexually assaulting women, who proposed a ban on an entire religion, who has never held political office.
Clinton looked poised to lose to a man whom most of her supporters here tonight said they feared. They despaired for the country.
“I brought my 12-year-old daughter here to witness history,” Sarah Alexander said, walking out of the Javits Center at the Clinton event looking stunned. “Not sure that’s going to happen.” Her daughter Natalie was in tears.
Advertisement
They came up to New York from Washington, D.C., where Alexander had been working on the Clinton campaign for the past 14 months. “We’re in total shock,” Alexander said, as her daughter listened with big, sad wet eyes. Alexander said their excitement tanked after Natalie looked at her phone and saw reports from The New York Times projecting Trump to win. Alexander was less upset that a woman had lost her shot at breaking the glass ceiling, and more disgusted that Americans would elect Trump.
“Everything he stands for is something I disagree with,” she said.
An older couple sporting matching Clinton T-shirts looked stunned. “I thought she’d win,” said Carole Levine, who was heading back home to the Upper West Side with her husband. “But there’s a lot of resentment in this country. ... It’s a nightmare.”
Two young women were crying inside the Javits Center; they’d been tearing up off and on throughout night. Both said they felt emotional while voting this morning.
A few celebrities filtered out along with the sad throng of supporters.
Richard Schiff, who played Toby on “The West Wing,” had a tough time stringing his thoughts together.
“I don’t know how polling can be this wrong,” he said. “I don’t understand it. ... The country scares me right now.”
Advertisement
“It’s a nightmare,” actor Melanie Griffith, best known for her leading role in the 1980s classic “Working Girl.” She said she was less upset that Clinton seemed to be behind and more upset that the country seemed poised to elect Donald Trump. “Hillary is fucking awesome,” she said. “I’m upset because Trump will take us to World War 3.” She said the cons with Clinton were minor compared to the cons Trump brings to the table. “People are missing the big picture.”
Clinton Supporters React After Election Loss
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.