{"id":1835,"date":"2016-11-09T11:31:47","date_gmt":"2016-11-09T10:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/11\/09\/de-amerikaanse-verkiezingsnacht-hillarys-kater-heet-president-trump\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:07","slug":"de-amerikaanse-verkiezingsnacht-hillarys-kater-heet-president-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/11\/09\/de-amerikaanse-verkiezingsnacht-hillarys-kater-heet-president-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"Election night in America: Hillary\u2019s hangover: President Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The \u2018grab her by the pussy\u2019 video, the Lucky-TV ballad or the leaked emails: the run-up to the American presidential election was never boring. And tonight it was time for Americans to go to the ballot box and elect their president. EM compiled an \u2018overnight journal\u2019 of election night in the Rotterdamse Schouwburg (theatre) where almost everyone was hoping for a Hillary Clinton victory.<\/p>\n

19.58: Henri Beunders on the (angry) white man<\/h3>

Visitors are immediately presented with a choice at the theatre entrance: are you going to pin on a Trump button or a Clinton button? This was also the moment your \u2018American affairs correspondent\u2019s\u2019 intention to remain neutral vanished. Once inside, the theatre resembled Democratic Party headquarters with a conspicuous number of Hillary buttons to be seen.<\/p>\n

Studio Erasmus kicked off the evening with academics shedding light on the American elections. Professor Henri Beunders spoke about the rise of the angry white man, which would explain the popularity of politicians like Trump and Dutch Wilders. Even though the audience was mostly made up of white men, none of them seem to identify with the profile described by the professor. The buttons they\u2019re wearing show a radiant Hillary, not Trump. When Professor Dianne Bevelander speaks about female leadership and calls for an end to stereotyping women, her words are received with loud applause. This call will be repeated often and each time it is met with enthusiastic cheering from the audience.<\/p>\n

22.04: Hillary\u2019s night?<\/h3>

Election night continues with First Lady Night?. Host Francisco van Jole opens by asking who in the audience would vote for Hillary. Hillary is by far the favourite and hopefully tonight will mark an end to Trump\u2019s political games. The speakers share their stories about Clinton and explain what her victory would mean: women\u2019s liberation, a continuation of Obama\u2019s political agenda, and husband Bill as \u2018First Man\u2019.<\/p>\n

Former politician John Leerdam relates a story about meeting Hillary when he was a student in New York. He claims that even 25 years ago he could foresee her becoming president. Leerdam isn\u2019t alone in thinking he has the gift of prophecy, as later in the evening there\u2019s a Skype session with Maurice de Hond who predicts a Clinton election victory, to much cheering. Nothing seems to indicate that he\u2019s wrong.<\/p>\n

The Dutch-American journalist Clarice Gargard says that she\u2019s finding it hard to say goodbye to Barack and Michelle Obama. Eight years ago she followed her heart and voted for Obama. Voting for Hillary was a rational choice. The speakers in attendance support Hillary not just because she has political experience or because she\u2019s a woman. Above all, she is everything Trump is not.<\/p>\n

The other guest speakers are also expecting Hillary to win the elections. As the final speaker of the evening, the leading candidate of the GroenLinks party Judith Bokhove sums up the hopes and expectations of everyone present: \u201cClinton will win, without a doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n

2.12: A neck-and-neck race<\/h3>

When the visitors leave the theatre, the first exit polls start to trickle in. In the theatre lobby an election livestream is briefly available, but most people decide to either watch the rest of the election at home or to go to bed.<\/p>\n

The preliminary results quickly show that Trump put up more of fight against Clinton than previously thought. The swing state Florida is carried by the Republican candidate by one percentage point, the slimmest of margins. Similarly, other states considered decisive for winning the election also go to Trump. The CNN commentators can hardly believe what they\u2019re seeing, never mind the people watching in Rotterdam who earlier this evening cheered Maurice de Hond\u2019s prediction.<\/p>\n

9.02: The breakfast hangover<\/h3>

\u201cThis is what Americans refer to as \u2018the morning after\u2019. I\u2019m suffering from a hangover and I\u2019m sure you are too.\u201d Francisco van Jole thought it would be a good idea: an American breakfast get-together to look back on the events of election night. Instead, after Donald Trump\u2019s victory, the mood is sombre as the people in Rotterdam watch in horror and disbelief as Trump and his supporters celebrate. Van Jole continues: \u201cLet\u2019s hope it\u2019s won\u2019t be as bad as we expect, Donald Trump himself didn\u2019t think he would win.\u201d Van Jole says he\u2019s an optimist, but his remarks in closing suggest the opposite: \u201cBut I don\u2019t think things will turn out better than expected. I fear the worst.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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