Life appeared to go on as normal on the streets of Belfast following the re-election of Donald J Tump as the 47th President of the United States of America.
However, just a mention of his name provoked a strong response from the public revealing fear and anxiety which is simmering below the surface.
Queen’s University student Joy (26), who is doing a PhD in translation, was hoping to celebrate Kamala Harris becoming America’s first female president on Thursday morning — but instead she woke up to a shock.
“I just have no idea how people want to vote for him, with such a capable woman in power,” she said.
“I’m just so disheartened they would vote for a felon over her.”
QUB student Joy (26)
The scholar said she believes sexism and racism both played a role in Harris’s defeat and expressed concerns that people have become entrenched in extreme views and ideology.
She worries about the consequences on foreign affairs, including the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East.
“With such a resounding win for the Republicans across the board, it seems that there’s very little power left for the Democrats,” Joy said.
“It seems scary — and the effects it will have on the world after this.
“I dread to think what will happen… he has free rein now to bring in all his terrifying ideas.”
QUB postgrad student Ethan Crawford (23)
Physics PhD student Ethan Crawford (23) was also shocked by what has been dubbed the greatest comeback in political history.
“He did it before, and did it again,” he said.
“I had a hunch… US politics seems to influence general world [events], so I hope Trump will do something good.”
Mr Crawford expressed hope that Trump’s “good links” with Russian President Vladimir Putin will help resolve the situation in Ukraine — but was sceptical of the president-elect’s claim he could do so within a day.
“Fingers crossed — but that’s me probably being too optimistic,” he said.
“I think 12 months would be a good shout, but if he can do it in 24 hours who could complain?
“I think if he can resolve it, it will be a good mark for his presidency.”
Acknowledging the role of social media during the campaign, Mr Crawford said Trump’s stint serving fries at McDonald’s, his time in the driver’s seat of a garbage truck and his three-hour sit-down with Joe Rogan on the world’s biggest podcast “managed to get voters out the door”.
“It was an incredible idea… I think it was a good promotional campaign,” he added.
Anne Tannahill (82)
Anne Tannahill (82) was “depressed” as she made her way to a lecture at QUB just hours after Trump’s victory speech, but she said she wasn’t surprised.
“It was a big ask of the Democrats to put up a woman of colour,” she said.
“There are going to be a lot of people in the privacy of a poll booth who’ll find it impossible to vote for a woman and won’t vote for a woman of colour.
“So that made it a bit easier for Trump.”
Ms Tannahill said Trump and his campaign team, including former adviser Steven Bannon, who was released from jail last week, were successful at “brainwashing” voters into believing they have been victims of political targeting referred to as “lawfare” in the run-up to the election.
“I believe they are crooks. And Trump’s a crook,” she said.
Bannon, a conservative podcast host who was key to Trump’s 2016 win, was convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress in 2022 for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena related to a January 6 Capitol riot investigation.
Ms Tannahill also cited Israel and Ukraine as her key concerns, in addition to the impact of Trump’s trade policies on Ireland.
QUB pharmacy student Lydia Alttyr (19)
QUB pharmacy student Lydia Alttyr (19), who is from Kuwait, didn’t even know the election was happening and was appalled when she woke up and saw the headlines.
“America is destroying itself,” she warned.
“I’m shocked they let him [Trump] run again. I don’t like either of them, but I especially don’t like Trump.”
Ms Alttyr said she would have avoided the ballot box entirely if she was a US voter.
“I’m not sure if Kamala would have brought abortion rights back,” she added.
“If that was the case, I probably would have voted for her because abortion is healthcare and I believe in pro-choice.”
A 40-year-old female member of staff at QUB, who did not want to be identified, described the result as “really shocking” as she expressed concerns about the implications.
“It’s going to be scary to see where all this goes,” she said.
“I do wonder who these people are who vote for him. I can only imagine they live a very different life to me, if this is a viable option for them.”
Sean McErlean (76) expected to be disappointed when he woke up to learn that the electorate “have been bluffed”.
“America is an absolute mess,” he said.
“Trump is a dangerous man and I think he could cause havoc. He’s nuts.”
Trump triumphant by a landslide – how and why did he win the American people
The pensioner was critical of the Biden/Harris administration’s handling of the war between Israel and Gaza and accused Kamala of “totally ignoring genocide”.
Meanwhile, Jim McDermott (73) expressed the same sentiment as he admitted he resigned himself to “the worst possible scenario” before going to bed on Tuesday night.
“[Trump] seems to be in cognitive decline, which can only get worse — and his authoritarian instincts will sharpen with that.
“He has a compliant Supreme Court and control of Congress, which will back him to the hilt.
“There are very little checks and balances any more; it’s a terrible situation for the world.”