The Daily - Celebration and Sorrow: Americans React to the Election

Episode Date: November 9, 2020

This episode contains strong language.The sound of victory was loud. It was banging pots, honking horns and popping corks as supporters of President-elect Joe Biden celebrated his win.But loss, too, has a sound. In the days after the U.S. election result was announced, some of the 71 million-plus Americans who backed President Trump are grieving. Can the country overcome its differences? In discussions with voters in areas both red and blue, we traced the fault lines of the country’s deep rifts.Guest: Astead W. Herndon, a Times national political reporter, spoke with voters in Mason County, Texas. Robert Jimison, Jessica Cheung and Andy Mills, producers of “The Daily,” and Alix Spiegel, an editor, also reported from across the country.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily Background reading: In his victory speech, President-elect Biden vowed to try to unite all Americans, despite ideological differences. But President Trump’s refusal to concede could undermine Mr. Biden’s perceived legitimacy in some corners of the country.In the aftermath of the election, a crucial question emerged for divided families and a divided nation: What happens now?

From The New York Times, I'm Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Across the country this weekend, there was both celebration and sorrow as Americans absorbed the outcome of the election. Today, we hear from supporters of the president and the president-elect. It's Monday, November 9th. My fellow Americans. This is Robert Jemison in Georgia. Tonight, we're seeing all over this nation, all cities and all parts of the country, indeed across the world, an outpouring of joy, of hope,

renewed faith in tomorrow. Bring a better day. On Saturday night, I went out in Atlanta, where hundreds of people were gathered in the streets, looking at their cell phones and nearby TV screens set up at sidewalk bars. Good evening. Thank you. Thank you. As Joe Biden and Kamala Harris delivered their victory speeches as the president and vice president-elect. And what a testament it is to Joe's character that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers

that exists in our country and select a woman as his vice president. But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. And while it was Pennsylvania that delivered the Democrats the Electoral College votes they needed to get across the finish line, the polls in Georgia were showing that it's looking increasingly likely that the state will flip blue for the first time since 1992. If that happens, it will be because of the increasing diversity of the state, Atlanta in particular, and a massive get-out-the-vote effort in recent years. So I spent the night walking around, talking to people about how they were feeling.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris just finished speaking. What are you guys feeling right now? Excitement. I got emotional about it. For me, that's amazing. Not only the first woman, but it's a black woman and a woman of color. You can't really explain how it feels to be a black woman. I feel like you can finally see yourself in politics.

You see so many young women in Kamala. It's being a black woman and seeing Kamala be the first black vice president, female. It just feels really good. I'm sure so many little black girls out there are so emotional about it. Yes. Black or of color, period. Period. They can, yes.

Like to see in that kind of role. I have little cousins, little black girls, and they can look up to her and realize that they can be vice president. They can, yes. Like, to see in that kind of role. I have little cousins, little black girls, and they can look up to her and realize that they can be vice president. They can be president. They can be whatever they want to be. I took my little niece to the polls with me, and she was so excited. But to actually see it come to life, and she's like, Auntie, I helped you vote. I helped make that happen. So today when we won, she was like, I can't believe it, Auntie. And I said, baby, you can do anything you want to do. And that's exactly how I feel tonight. I just got

overwhelmed. I just, the tears just start flowing and I just feel like it happened in my lifetime. I told my niece before I got here, baby, because she is, you can. And I told her to repeat that to me. I just want her to know that she can because she did. I think that's the most important part for me. The next generation. That's what it means to me. My niece can see that in her lifetime. It definitely makes a difference for younger people, but I talk to people like my mom that's in their 60s and they're just as emotional about it because it's something they didn't think they would see.

Did you call your mom today? Absolutely, yeah. What was that phone call like? I called my mom and my stepmom, which are both around the same age, and they're just so ecstatic. And my stepmom specifically said, I'm so relieved for my people. Honestly, it just means that the possibilities, like President-elect Biden said, they're endless. So now that we have an African-American woman as the vice president, the door is open.

We're just going to walk in. I heard Vice President-elect Harris talk about, she had a very inclusive message. What does that mean to be standing in such a diverse community and hear that message come from someone about to take an office in the White House? Yeah. I just feel like everybody, the weight is lifted. I feel like everybody feels like just hope. We're a gay couple, and so it just, how do you feel? This means I get to marry her and not fear that we couldn't get married in our state. This means we can have kids.

I don't have to fear for my dad's life as much as I used to. Why did you fear for your dad's life? I mean, being a black man, you're always worried. Every time he leaves the house, you're always worried. And I'm not saying that's completely gone, but it just gives me a sigh of relief. Like, you can just breathe a little bit. But this just means we get to finally be in a world where we can see some change. We were really worried about things being reversed, a lot of stuff.

So it just changed. It changed a lot. For me, it was less happy and more relief. What do you guys both make of Georgia turning blue this year? I think it's fucking awesome. Yeah. Just in general to say that we live in Georgia that has turned from red to blue. We turned blue, baby.

So that's the only thing that matters. We turned blue. So I feel like it's a miracle. It feels like a true miracle in Georgia that we are blue. I just can't even believe it. As the numbers kept coming in and it got more and more of a lead, what did that feel like? We felt super anxious. I mean, I kept thinking could this reverse? Like, could it go back? So I actually watched it closer because of that.

Like, we've had the TV on since Tuesday. Listen, I really, we have to give a big shout out to Stacey Ables because I really feel like she is a big part of what changed in Georgia. Getting out there, she may have lost to the governor, but she was like never again.

And she came out, she made sure that people were voting, people who felt like they didn't get a chance. She just was hitting those streets. And I really feel like that played a big part in Georgia flipping. I'm so happy about it. I can't believe it. I don't think it would have been this way if every vote had not been counted.

At the end of the day, we would still be red. do you know there's something fishy going on here and I think the other side is resorted to shenanigans to sway the bull This is Elise Spiegel in Philadelphia. night, before the election was called for Biden, I went downtown to the Philadelphia Convention Center, where poll workers were counting, trying to figure out which candidate had won the state.

All day long, there'd been these unsubstantiated rumors on social media claiming that the people inside were altering and destroying Trump ballots and not letting observers stand at a reasonable distance. So some protesters had shown up, including this small woman with long hair named Lauren. She was a Trump supporter who drove all the way from her home in New Jersey because she said she had to do something. You know what I mean? And if there's something criminal going on, especially here where the Declaration of Independence was signed. We all deserve to know. We all deserve to know what's going on.

And if there's a cover-up happening, shame. Shame. Lauren had traveled so far because the idea that the poll workers inside were stealing the election was horrifying to her. But maybe just as bad in her mind was the fact that outside there were hundreds of people celebrating that injustice. Some local Democratic groups had decided to put on a dance party after Biden pulled ahead. So all around us, there were people swaying and laughing. And to Lauren, it felt like they were literally dancing in the streets as her rights were being taken from her. The fact that people are seeming to be not concerned at all with the possibility that malfeasance has occurred is what makes me sad.

I mean, I'm just seeing a real lack of critical thinking in so many people. I just want fairness, and I want to know that my vote counted. Lauren said that since COVID, her life had really nosedived. She'd lost her small business when the Democratic governor of New Jersey ordered a COVID lockdown, and her kids were also having a hard time. You know, my kids, what is there for them now? You know, my daughter was very socially active in her school and very involved in extracurricular activities that she literally has no zest or desire to do anymore. These kids are sitting in their houses, in their bedrooms, doing nothing.

I mean, she tells my husband that she doesn't even wanna go to college and I'm okay with that. Cause you know what? I'm in fucking debt. I have student debt, hundreds of thousands of dollars, okay? What do I tell my daughter? She didn't have her first day of high school. She didn't have her eighth grade formal.

I don't know what we're gonna do as a community to heal. I don't know how we're ever gonna heal from this. I don't. America fucking sucks. Really fucking bad. I want my life back. And it's just being stolen. Stolen.

I don't, you know what? I don't even, look at that. Hello? Is that Lauren? Yes. The morning after Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election by every major news organization, I called Lauren back to see how she was doing. And she sounded as bleak as the night I first met her. You know, I feel this declaration is really

a dangerous, reckless act on the part of media. you know, what's going to happen if this goes the other way? Like, I feel like it was just like so irresponsible for any public figure to come out and take like a position on who the president elect is. This is a no way over. Not even close. I mean, there's a Supreme Court case. That was the one bright spot for Lauren. She felt like history was on her side. I mean, I lived through the Gore-Bush episode, too.

So I realized that sometimes these things are... I realized that people jump the gun, you know, and so, you know, 37, what was it? 37, 38 days that Al Gore actually thought he was president and then had to concede. and had to concede. I mean, I know that it's probably going to be a flow drip of information. And I know that there's going to be a lot of rhetoric that tries to downplay and delegitimize

an effort to have an election that has integrity. I mean, listen, all of us need to be concerned about what's happening right now. If there's fraud, don't you want to know about it? Or is it OK that there's fraud as long as, like, it's not your candidate that's getting pushed out unjustly? Lauren said it was all so discouraging. She couldn't bring herself to listen to Biden's victory speech the night before. Hell no. Hell no. And was still cycling rapidly through emotions. Anger, sadness, depression, anxiety, a little bit of fear, concern. I'm actually, I'm just like eager. I'm actually, I'm just like eager. I'm really hoping that our justice system has an intact set of values and principles that our founding fathers envisioned for this nation. And that's really the best that I can hope for. And it's just integrity, constitutional integrity.

Well, Lauren, thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate it. All right. Have a good car closing sound. I'm Ested Herndon in Mason County, Texas. Mason County is about two hours outside of Austin. It's very rural, only about 5,000 people, and about 75% of its residents are white. Did I miss the service? Yeah.

And on Sunday, I showed up to a parking lot at a church here, hoping to talk with people about the election. Good morning. Good morning. How are you all? My name's Ested. I'm a reporter with the New York Times. Oh my goodness. And we're in Mason County today partly because the county had the biggest increase in voters of the Vendee County in Texas in this presidential election. And I'm just talking to people about... Well, praise the Lord the way the people got out and voted this year. Praise the Lord for that, you know, to exercise that freedom.

However, whatever side anybody's on, it doesn't matter. What a joy to see people... I came to Mason County because the early data tells us it had the highest increase in voter turnout in the entire state of Texas during this presidential election. And it went overwhelmingly for President Trump,

by about 78%. It's places like this that President-elect Joe Biden is now trying to reach out and say, I know you didn't vote for me, but I'll be a president for all Americans. I'll be a president for you. He's asking for these Trump supporters to give him a chance. And so I wanted to know if that message resonates in a place like this. Are people here open to Biden's appeals for unity? He impressed me in one speech he made after the election by talking about the Ecclesiastes scripture. There's a time for all things and this is a time for healing. Some people, like Ann Monken, a lifelong conservative who actually voted for

Biden this year, did seem open to it. I feel like now that it's over with and I know who's gotten the, you know, the most votes probably, you know, this has been such a conflicted election. I feel like, I feel kind of a sense of relief and I feel like, I'm gonna be hopeful because I feel like if the Democrats or the administration in power, they can address the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter situation in a way that maybe we weren't as Republicans addressing. So maybe that scripture there's a season for all things. Maybe the season of change a little bit will help in addressing things

that haven't been addressed. And I just, I like that he's a man of faith. I really like that. And like when he said last night on the speech that one of his favorite hymns was on eagles' wings. I'm sorry, those things appealed to me. And I like his wife. But for others in town, it was hard to imagine Biden breaking through any time soon. I'm walking up to this house.

It's quite possibly the most Texas street ever. We see some Trump signs. We see some more Trump signs. Hey, how are you all? These are some of the folks we met at the church earlier. They have a big Trump pin sign at their front door, and they're sitting outside on their porch. Hi. Thank you all.

How are you? Air bump or fist bump, whatever. Fist bump is fine by me. My name is Ested. Ested, have a seat. Thank you. How long have you all. Ested, have a seat. Thank you. How long have you all been in Mason County? Life.

Your life? Born and raised. We were high school sweethearts. We've been married 47 years. We're going to be coming December the 9th. We'll be 48 years. How old are you? I'm 69 years old. You're 69. How old are you? I'm 69 years old.

You're 69. How old are you? I'm 67. Tomorrow. Well, happy birthday. Hey, look at that. So we're here in Mason today, partly because the county was one of the ones that had the highest increase in voting

out of any county in the state. Really? Yeah. And so one of the things we're talking about is how folks are feeling, how they've looked at the presidential race and just kind of where they see the country going right now. You can see I'm a Trump. No, I see. I see.

We got the Trump sign right there. So there's no... It fell off and I had to... So anyway, it's not a... You know, I'm not going to complain about Biden or nothing. I don't like a lot of the things that he stands for and that. But if he makes it president, I have no problem. But be fair about it.

I don't want to see any cheating to get somebody in there. And I think there's some of that going on and different things in that. And that's my point of view. At this point, do you feel like Biden's the president-elect, or do you still think we've got a longer time to go? I think we've still got a longer time to go. I don't think all the votes are candidates, right? Until they get that candidate right, then I'm done.

I mean, if Biden gets it, I have no problem. That's my president then. That's who I'll claim. I'm not going to be like these Democrats if they're so fit about Trump being in there for the last four years. And I don't think the Democrats have stood behind him and helped. And, you know, helped him get through with what he's done. He's done a lot, in my point of view. What he's done in the face of a hoax, in the face of impeachment, My eyes is on Christ.

My eyes is on the Lord. And he's the one who says what or not. We would submit to the presidency of God. I would not agree with a lot of it. And I think he is a, what do they call that, the Trojan horse that comes in. And the liberalism in the far left, that's not good for our country. This country is founded on freedom.

You know, I see that. But socialism, I don't agree with. You know, Biden says that, you know, I beat Bernie Sanders. I'm not a socialist. He said yesterday during his speech how, you know, even people who didn't vote for him, people like you all, that he'll be a president for you, that he'll listen to you, that he wants to bring people together.

When you hear that, what do you think? I don't believe it. I'm sorry. When they fought tooth and nail, resisted, obstructed, all the things that the Democratic Party and Biden have done is not right. And now they want healing? Oh yeah, let's all come together. You have not earned it. If the American people voted for him, yes, it will hand over and that will be fine. Do not tell me that I need to follow someone who cheats to get that. What do you most fearful of and what are you most hopeful for going forward? for going forward. I was hopeful that Trump will get his votes right and be re-elected.

And most fearful of is that the corruption, the bias, could take hold. I don't want that. I want to say the most hopeful is that if either side cheated to win this election, if either side, I don't care which side you want to put it on, if either side did, I hope they get caught, and I hope that they get, they've served the time that they need to serve for doing it. I hope that they catch them and I hope they hang them. Well, my sisters and brothers, this is Sunday number 34. In the COVID-19 season in the year 2020, the year that pastors became producers all over the world.

What a blessing it is to share together this morning in this virtual worship experience. I praise God this morning to bring you greetings from the back patio of the Parsons of the 911 in Greer, South Carolina. I am Reverend Telle Lynette Gatson, and that's a lot to say. So affectionately, I am known as Pastor T. And for this, I give you praise. Let me share with you that I've taken a break from being on vacation over these last few weeks for this special Facebook Live sermonic experience.

Why, Pastor T? In celebration, honor and respect of the history we have witnessed this week with the elections of a man named Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. man named Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. from Scranton, PA, and a woman named Kamala Davy Harris from Oakland, CA, respectively to the highest offices in the land of these United States of America. With the voices of the vote, my sisters and brothers, the people are singing a new song this morning. The Bible says, oh, sing a new song unto the Lord. We're singing a new song of life and new hope with the blessed assurance of new leadership. No, we haven't. It's not. It's not.

It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not.

It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not.

It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not.

It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not.

It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not.

It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. Every factor brought me over For every trial Every time I'm kind of low, shall they do their strength? They shall mount up with wings like eagles

They shall run and not be weary, they shall part in not faith I wanna say to President-elect Joe Biden 78, gonna look great on you, sir. I see your mojo is still working. I believe that there's a woman named Kamala Harris that would declare to us good luck. It just don't crack. And it doesn't matter when they count you out because they can't count. Hashtag count every blessing. Name them one by one. I believe I can hear from the balcony of heaven. Don't let anybody steal your possibility.

I hear Martin say, King me. Sojourner say, tell the truth. Barbara say, cross Jordan. I heard Barack say, yes we can. Michelle say when they go low we go high is there anybody here that heard Kamala say excuse me but I am speaking it's a paraphrase of let the redeemed of the Lord say so if you you're blessed this morning, you ought to throw up some hearts and let the world know that I am blessed. From the crown of my head to the sole of my feet, I am blessed. And I won't let anybody steal my possibility.

I gotta count every blessing. I voted for him in 2016. I was pro-Trump from the beginning because he's a person who really believes in this country and the values that it stands for. Were you born in this country? Were you born here? I'm from Cuba. I came when I was a year and a half.

But my parents taught me what it was to have to flee a communist country. The younger generation, the young kids, are the ones that are fighting. They don't know any better. They've accepted the propaganda. I'm Jessica Chung, a producer on The Daily. About a year and a half ago, during the height of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, we met a woman who asked that we

call her Herminia. When we spoke to her, she was holed up in her home with the curtains drawn because she was living in the United States illegally, and the White House had ordered surprise ice rates across the country that weekend. So on Sunday, I called her to check in. Hello, Jessica? Yes, hi. Hi, how are you? I. Hi, how are you? I'm good. How are you?

Oh, finally, like, what can I say? I don't know, it's so many words, you know, to describe this happiness I feel. And yeah, I really want to talk to you about that. So one thing I want to establish is I've been calling you Herminia because you're not here in this country legally. And I know that the last time we talked to you, you feared deportation. How do you feel about using your real name now? I'm fine. I'm not scared anymore.

Will you tell our listeners what your real name is? Berta. B-E-R-T-A. Got it. So Berta, why do you feel like we can use your real name now? Why? Because I'm confident I trust this administration that we're going to have with President Biden. And I know it's going to be different. You know, I can't describe it exactly right now, but I know it's going to be different because with Biden administration, I feel like it's Obama administration. And yes, Obama deported so many people and whatever a lot of people say, but it was different. I don't know. I can't really explain, you know, it's different.

Mm hmm. Can you describe to me where you were yesterday when you found out that Joe Biden was going to be the next president of the United States? I was about to leave my job and I was getting ready when I was watching the TV, when I saw the projection coming. Oh my God. And immediately, you know, when I saw that news, oh my God, my tears start coming out from, I start crying. You know, I was talking to my brother in Nicaragua

and he just look at me and say, Bertha, you are crying. And I say, yes, I am crying, but I am happy because finally this nightmare is going to be over. It's not only me. It's not only what is good for me. It's not only immigration. It's the hate, the division.

Remember, I'm here in Miami. And it's really hard to see the same Latinos threatening you, you know, telling you nasty things, go back to your country, you know, having a license to spread the hate. You're saying Latinos were saying that to you? Latinos, yeah, the same Nicaraguan community, because most of the Nicaraguan voters here in Miami are with Trump because they always have that hope that Trump is going to relieve Nicaragua from, you know, from the regime. You remember we have in Nicaragua, we have a president that is a dictator. So most of the Nicaraguan community that can vote, they vote for Trump, just like the Cubans. I am in the heart of the Cuban and Nicaraguan neighbor. I live around them and I have family and I have friends that I had to stop talking to them because, you know, this guy divided this country. I mean, the wall that he said he was going to build, it wasn't a physical wall. It was the division against friends, against family.

against friends, against family. You described the election of Biden as almost like a new day for you. Are there still lingering fears you have even with Trump out and Biden in? I'm not going to lie to you. I'm kind of scared because we still have two months to go so I know that I am still

under this administration but I think after January 20 that's my hope now that Biden come and try to heal that pain of people that suffer the separation. Yeah, I hope that's going to change. He said he's going to take care of that. And I hope he, you know, he do it. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk. Yeah, just stay safe and good luck with everything.

Yes, Jessica, thank you so much. I know a lot of people that support Trump is going to be mad. But, you know, just being, you know, we are human beings. So, you know, I hope things change and we finally have a relief. This is Andy Mills, and last week I went up to northern Wisconsin with my colleagues Reed Epstein and Luke Vander Ploeg.

And while we were there, we met a very anxious bartender named Debbie. She seemed pained over who she was going to vote for. She was nervous about what was going to happen if either candidate won. And she was especially nervous about just how divided the country is. Al Jen. Hi, is Debbie there? Let me check. Hold on one second. Thank you.

And so on Sunday night, on the other side of Election Day, I decided to give her a call and check in. Hi, this is Deb. Hi, Deb. Hi. This is Andy Mills from The New York Times. How are you? I'm well. How are you doing? I'm doing okay. I'm calling because the last time that we spoke, you were feeling anxious. Right. And now that the election is over, I just wanted to call and ask, how are you? I'm good. I'm glad it's over. Yeah? You're feeling better?

I don't know. I guess we'll see how Biden does. It's too early to tell. It's nice that it's over. Unfortunately, there's still so much negativity going on about the election. Yeah, it still makes me anxious. I have Republican and Democrat friends, and they're all very negative. So I just wish that, you know, people would get along better. Can I ask you, did you ever make a decision on who you were going to vote for? I did. And I'm not going to tell you who I voted for because I didn't even tell my boyfriend. Yeah. It was a tough one, but yeah, I finally did choose who I wanted.

And you feel good about it? And you feel good about it? I feel okay about it. I can't say I feel good about it, but, you know, I feel okay. I voted. It always makes me happy when I vote. What do you think it would take for you to feel less anxious? I don't know. I don't know I don't know

I guess I guess for the public for the voters to just come together and not be so angry all the time everybody's so angry I've taken myself off Facebook because people are so nasty. Facebook was always fun. I enjoyed it, but not with all the politics going along in it now.

And that would make me feel less anxious if we all just got along, I guess. So a good bellwether for things being better would be me to come see you at the Algen sometime in the future. Absolutely. And have a drink and just relax. Yeah. And then you tell me that you find Facebook and other social media to be enjoyable again.

That would be wonderful. I would love that. We'll have to wait and see, I suppose. Yeah. Yeah, we do. Well, thank you, Deb. Have a good night. Yeah, thanks.

Bye. Bye. Thank you. We'll be right back. Here's what else you need to know today. On Sunday, President-elect Joe Biden unveiled his transition website, buildbackbetter.com, readied a series of executive orders touching on climate, immigration, and the pandemic that could be signed once he's sworn in, and prepared to announce the members of his coronavirus task force. to announce the members of his coronavirus task force.

Every living former U.S. president, Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, congratulated Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, as did a growing list of foreign leaders, including the prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, and Canada. But for the second day in a row, President Trump refused to concede defeat and continued to raise baseless and false

claims about election fraud. That's it for The Daily. I'm Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow.