These 28 memories from Election Night 2016 are a really important reminder of how people felt when Trump won

As the 2024 presidential election comes to a close, people are reminiscing about the drama of last election night. We asked the BuzzFeed Community, “Where were you on Election Night 2016 and how did you react to the news that Trump won?” Here's what they had to say:

1. “It was my birthday, I was playing bar quizzes and the whole night was shit. The next morning I had to break the news to my teenage daughter that sex offender Manbaby had won the highest office in the land over those far more qualified.” Ms. Not a great birthday present.

2. “I went to bed early with the certainty of a Hillary victory because HOW could anyone vote for this criminal? Woke up, blew two tires on the way to the office and spent the next few hours in a tire shop, devastated and overdressed.” ”

— jodidowdellclawson

3. “I fell asleep because the results weren't official yet, but I thought Clinton definitely made it. Oh man, waking up the next morning was hard. And since I'm a teacher, I have to face my students.” The disgusting truth was harsher.

– puifangong

4. “I worked at a restaurant and we were very busy. I didn't have time to follow the action and we didn't broadcast the news at the bar. My friend and I picked me up.” He got in the car and looked at me and said, “Trump's awake and it looks like he's winning,” and we sat in silence the whole drive home. He went to bed early and I stayed up all night, sure the results would change. They had to change.

5. “As a Brit, I think I was asleep in bed, but the next morning I saw the news and was upset. They came in after we were devastated by the Brexit decision and the world has gone downhill ever since.”

– starcrossedloversagain

6. “I went to bed early. I woke up, looked at the headlines and thought, 'Oh. This is not good.'”

– Stay level-headed

7. “I was staying with my family in Pennsylvania. I cried when Trump won.”

8. “Well, I voted for him and was a Republican then, but now I’m a Democrat and I’ll never make that mistake again. We will never give in!”

— shylegend9523

9. “My friend and I watched the results on TV at a restaurant, but eventually went home and went to bed. At 3 a.m. I got up to go to the bathroom, so I turned on the TV. The election was called.” Trump, and I didn't even realize what a depression I had sunk into until another friend said it was NOT good.

– Baobaopanda

10. “I moved to Prague safe in the knowledge that my country of origin was in good hands with Clinton. I remember staying up all night, pressing refresh over and over again in disbelief. I was so sure she had it! I I'm still in disbelief. How can anyone, especially now, have him as a leader? If my grandfather acted like him, we would put him in a home.

11. “I don’t remember how I felt when Trump won. It’s a feeling I’ve suppressed and hopefully I’ll never experience again.”

— jmacxjr

12. “I was at home. I went to bed early peacefully believing that Hillary was in charge. I woke up feeling a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach that lasted for four years.”

— ashleyjaeger

13. “I was 24 and hosting an election night party with my coworkers in my first solo apartment in Dupont Circle in Washington, DC. Around 8:30/9:00 p.m. it got dark. My apartment was empty at 9:45 p.m. because everyone wanted to come home and watch the train wreck unfold from their own bed.

14. “I was 10. I went to bed scared. The next morning my parents sat my little siblings and I down to tell us the news. I'm 18 now and proudly vote for Harris. There is only one choice.” Choice. 💙💙💙”

— katiehaas25

15. “I was 16. Even though I couldn't vote, it was the first election that interested me. So many of my friends were women, queer people, or both. I cried when they called for the race.” The next morning I came to school and found most of my friends crying and afraid. I just felt so hopeless and disappointed in our country.

— frecklefreak14

16. “I went to bed that night before I heard the result. The next morning I found out and cried in my bed. Later, I left my apartment building to go to work and saw two young girls wearing headscarves (there were a lot of them). of Islamophobia in Trump's 2016 campaign), and I thought about their future and started crying again.

17. “At home. I was devastated and horrified. But the next day I learned that my 9-year-old niece thought our family would be deported because we are Mexican. Hate and racism are his platform. This was also the case with their pragmatic child. However, we were obviously not welcome and had to leave our home. That broke my heart.

– golupe

18. “I worked at a restaurant in Austin, Texas with other extremely dedicated colleagues. The host updated us on the news and we were very hopeful until that wasn't the case. The next afternoon I had to work with the same people, and we definitely drank at work to numb our feelings.

– Rugggggs

19. “I was at a well-known pub in Philly with a large group of friends, casually checking out the results as we hung out, fully expecting Hillary to win, so not worrying and enjoying the evening. This was the last presidential election. “That didn’t mean everyone was glued to the television, desperately watching MSNBC and hoping that democracy can survive another four years.”

20. “That was the night I had the worst ugly cry in my entire life. A few years later I found out that my daughter and granddaughter also had the ugliest screams of their lives. I pray that bastard never sets foot in the house.” The White House again.

— babycapricorn129

21. “I was dating my Trump-supporting ex. I'm Hispanic, but I was also naive and ignorant back then. I hadn't fully developed my belief system yet. I remember laying in bed and pestering my ex with questions about Trump's life. Politics because my gut knew it would be bad, but I didn't know enough to understand why it was a deal for me these days Breaker is being a Republican and especially a Trump supporter.

– Gigi

22. “I was in college. The next day was… eerily quiet. There was a great state of shock across the entire campus.”

23. “I was at work managing a medical clinic where every person on shift was female, POC, or LGBTQ+. Many tears were shed. 😢 I’m really worried about Tuesday.”

—ARAN12

24. “I went to bed that night and my mother woke me up and told me the news. I immediately started crying. The next day I went to my 10th grade Spanish class, and the kid I was sitting next to told me “to go back to where I came from.”

— Kitkat0120

25. “I was in New York my senior year, drinking champagne and investing all the money I saved on birthdays and Christmas in the stock market, getting a return of almost 20%. When I was in school, until the pandemic, I was able to spend money in college. It was a great time and I hope (but don't bet) we can do it again on Tuesday.

26. “At home. In bed. I was upset that he was the one chosen for the Republican Party and still stewing over the fact that he had somehow defeated the other Republicans who wanted to run for president. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought of him.” would win.

“Since he did that, I personally feel like he has ruined the Republican Party forever. I now only consider myself a conservative moderate who absolutely refuses to vote for this miserable man and for what the party has become. His vice president is a… also an idiot.”

— Sleepingminion78

27. “I live in Brooklyn and work in Midtown Manhattan on the 5th. When I woke up the morning after Election Day, I got the news that Trump had won. To say the least, it felt like steaming hot cat diarrhea was being poured over my head.” If he wins again, there will be a full-body immersion at the Cat Crap Spa on Wednesday.

– Bread

28. And finally: “I worked at a county elections office during the 2016 election. It was an exciting and busy day; we worked for 20 hours straight while voters and ballots arrived in droves. We regularly snuck away from work to get updates.” When I realized Trump was going to win, my heart sank.

What are your plans for tonight? Will you be watching the election results at home? With friends? In a bar with plenty of alcohol? Let us know in the comments.

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.