Trump’s Win: Photos From Swing State College Campuses After the 2024 Election
In November of 2024 I was hired by Teen Vogue to document how students on the University of Michigan campus (located within a swing state that went to Donald Trump) were responding to the 2024 election results. The other student photojournalists and I were primarily struck by the lack of protests, unlike the one that followed his 2016 win. Instead, we were presented with almost empty campuses and a weary student body. You can read the full story below:
“We’ve still got a lot of races, and I’m looking at the little races, local and state elections, and those are all the wins — the little wins. I’m trying to focus on the little wins…. Watching the races that I care about, at home, the people I’ve supported, they're winning different policies across the state of Michigan." Akhila, 21
Gavin Dyer, 21, removed his Harris-Walz lawn sign on Nov. 7.
On Nov. 6, usual crowds of students on their way to class were absent from outside the University of Michigan's Angell Hall.
Junior Ian Moore (right) and senior Olivia O’Connell, both members of Students for Harris, watched Vice President Kamala Harris’s concession speech at The Union on Nov. 6.
"Rather than teaching our daughters that they can achieve their dreams, America has taught our sons that they can mistreat, lie, abuse, and still become the most powerful person in the country." Dani, 21.
Alexandra Eason, 25, a staff member at UMMA, scraped voting decals off the walls on Wednesday. The museum had been transformed into a registration and voting location for Election Day.
Harris-Walz lawn signs remained standing after Election Day in Ann Arbor.
“I felt a little bit helpless, like now I don’t know what to do. I worked here at the UMMA, I’ve canvassed, I’ve knocked on doors, and a lot of people I know have done that stuff too.” Jack, 19
Pink posters reading “My pussy will persevere” were taped onto bulletin boards around the University of Michigan campus on Nov. 6, the day after Election Day.
"Many Gen Z men have been radicalized into this philosophy of racism, toxic masculinity, and misogyny by celebrities like Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate. Maybe the Harris campaign didn’t do a good enough job reaching out to that demographic. Even on my college campus, votes for Trump went up compared to 2020, and I would be willing to bet that a lot of the reason for that is young men." Jamie, 21
Junior Trini Sernas, 20 (left), and freshman Lizzy Sandru, 18, watched Vice President Kamala Harris’s concession speech while organizing for TEDxUM at The Union on Nov. 6.