LAist spoke with four women from across the political spectrum about their reactions to former President Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the moment they realized Vice President Kamala Harris had lost.

Harris would have been the first woman to be elected president – ​​and her campaign relied on a great deal of support from voters. In California, while Harris got California’s 54 electoral college votes, about 40 percent of the ballots counted so far in the state went to Trump.

Here’s what we heard:

Janette Robinson Flint, Los Angeles

When Janette Robinson Flint woke up in the early hours of November 6, she turned on the TV, then immediately turned it off.

Janette Robinson Flint

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Courtesy of Black Women for Wellness

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“I was like, ‘Oh my God, four years? Oh my God.’ And that’s when I decided I had to go for a walk,” she said.

So she went for a walk, bought some flowers, then called her daughter. All the feelings were hitting her at once.

“It’s a deep sadness for this country,” Flint told LAist. “And confusion, but still no. It’s anger. It’s a disappointment, just a deep disappointment.”

Flint is the executive director of the local nonprofit health advocacy group Black Women for Wellness. That means preparing for what a Trump presidency could mean for the health of black women across the country, who already face significant health disparities, including death from pregnancy complications at a rate nearly four times that of the general population.

“(A Trump presidency) means the barriers to getting an abortion are going to go up, which means the barriers for women of color are going to go up because they’re already there,” Flint said. “And frankly, these choices are scary for all women in terms of seeking the health care they need and deserve.”

Flint said the history of resistance by black people in this country is what keeps it going.

“We need to look at all the lessons we’ve learned and put them together to create a road map going forward,” Flint said. “We have to look at it for the long picture, because the short picture would leave us feeling helpless and in despair.”

Madai Rodriguez, San Bernardino

Madai Rodriguez did not have time to follow the election results. A former Uber/Lyft driver, she is currently pursuing a degree in nutrition while being a busy mother of two elementary school-aged girls, one with autism.

Madai Rodriguez

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Courtesy of Madai Rodriguez

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“I’m always running,” she told LAist. “I go to school in the morning, then I pick up my daughter and then she does speech therapy, occupational therapy, tutoring. So sometimes I’m just looking at the phone and I’m like, what’s going on, you know?”

She said it’s hard to keep up with all the news, but when she heard Trump won, she was excited.

“I was glad he won because I feel like we need him again,” Rodriguez said.

She said a big part of her support for Trump is that her ex-husband, who is a truck driver, said his pay and the economy were better while Trump was in office.

“He was saying we need Trump again because when Trump was here the prices were decent,” she said. “Because right now, living in California is very expensive. I hope the economy improves. We could have more jobs. I’ve noticed that food is getting expensive, so I hope (Trump) cuts that down.”

She said another reason she’s happy about Trump’s win is because of her concerns about what her children are exposed to at school. She shared an anecdote about a recent conversation with her 8-year-old daughter, who has autism.

“He knows mom and dad are separated, so he asked me, ‘Are you going to marry a woman?'”

Rodriguez said that was at odds with her beliefs. “And I was like no. I have been a Christian all my life. My parents were Catholic. I grew up in the Catholic church. So I think God made a woman and God made a man to be together.”

Rodriguez also said that same day, her daughter said she learned at school that it’s okay if she wants to be a boy.

“To put our children’s minds, as a mother, I don’t feel comfortable,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t think it’s right for kids to know that at school. I have nothing against people who are transgender. I respect them, but I don’t want my girls to feel confused.”

Krista Suh, Redondo Beach

Krista Suh decided to watch the election on her laptop at a local taco shop.

Krista Suh

“I had a lot of people tell me, like, we’re not looking at it, we’re just going to cross our fingers tomorrow morning and see what happens,” Suh ​​recalled. “And I decided I was going to be optimistic.”

She had just returned from canvassing for Harris in Phoenix, Arizona and was feeling hopeful. But when the Pennsylvania results started coming in, her feelings soured.

“I was more shocked than anything,” Suh ​​said. “I knew, of course, that it was a possibility. I just couldn’t believe it was happening again. I thought I would be more prepared this time… I feel really disappointed and almost a sense of awe at the work that lies ahead.”

Suh is an artist, screenwriter and activist. She is one of the creators of the famous pink “hat” — a response to Trump’s Comments from 2005 that women would let him “grab their pussy” because of his fame and wealth. The hat was worn by thousands of women across the country during the 2017 Women’s Marches following Trump’s first presidential victory.

She said she feels more tired now.

“I feel like a lot was sacrificed to have this Trump win,” Suh ​​said. “A lot of people were really focused on the economy and felt that economically they would do better under Trump. This at a great price, where he promised to roll back the rights of women like me and all the anti-Asian hate he put out there.”

Hate crimes against Asian Americans barbed after Trump’s rhetoric calling the COVID-19 pandemic the “Chinese virus”.

“I think that’s really hurtful, the feeling that people would rather pay for cheaper eggs than actually care about my eggs and basic humanity,” Suh ​​said.

In the meantime, Suh said she’s working to figure out her next steps as an artist and activist.

“I’m kind of in that creative brainstorming mode,” she said. “Patriarchy is so deeply ingrained in our minds, and that’s something I want to challenge, whether it’s through activism or art or both.”

But for now, he needs some time to recover.

“In terms of self-care,” Suh ​​said, “it’s like french fries and being with my dog.”

J. Carrie Torres, Laguna Niguel

J. Carrie Torres didn’t expect to know for days who America’s next president would be when she went to a watch party at Muldoon’s Irish Pub in Newport Beach.

“When we got a winner, it was unbelievable,” Torres said. “I was in shock. I just couldn’t believe he won. It honestly brought me to tears. I was so excited. I was so happy. It’s like… everything’s going to be OK again.”

J. Carrie Torres

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Courtesy of J. Carrie Torres

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Torres, a real estate agent and mother of two grown children, said she was excited about Trump’s win because she believes it will improve the economy, limit young children’s exposure to transgender experiences in schools and secure the US-Mexico border .

“We will get back on track again. I’m so excited I can’t even… I took my second day off and just sat here in disbelief to take our country back,” Torres told LAist.

Torres said she believes the backlash against Trump’s rhetoric on women is overblown and that women who have accused him of sexual assault or inappropriate behavior are lying.

And while she personally believes women should have the right to an abortion, she said that right should be decided by individual states, not the federal government.

“I don’t look at myself like, ‘I’m a woman, you’re a man, he’s black, she’s Asian,'” Torres said. “I don’t care. We’re all just people. And in this country, we’re Americans. I’m an American and I stand for American values. And so does Trump. And I’m so glad he won because he stands for me, for my values. The dearer, of course, is family and God and our country.”