TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- Residents in the Capital City are split in their opinions of Donald Trump becoming the next commander-in-chief.
For Joe West, it was a pleasant surprise Wednesday morning to learn Trump was elected president. He said Trump gives the country much-needed change.
"I think he's the right person," West said. "I felt that way since the day he announced his candidacy, and everyone on both sides of the aisle was like, 'Oh, no. Not Donald Trump.'"
The Leon County Republican Party called the election a "success." Chairman Evan Power said it was a "tremendous night for our party and our country," congratulating Trump on a "hard-fought election."
"I think he's going to be probably one of our best presidents in a long time, simply because he understands business," West said.
While thousands attended Trump's rally in Tallahassee in October, the majority of Leon County voters picked Hillary Clinton to be president. These voters have concerns that a Trump presidency would negatively affect several issues, including LGBT rights.
"If we pile that Supreme Court up with conservative judges who don't have that perspective, then we may see a backtrack on the progress that's been made," said Andy Janecek, president of Capital Equality.
Local students took to social media with tweets like "Our worst nightmare has come to reality," and "If you voted for Trump, you chose the side of the oppressor."
"When we look at the values of an American society, Donald Trump does not represent that," Janecek said.
"I'm truly grateful that the election turned out the way it did," West said, "and I hope the rest of the country now can put aside a lot of its differences."
"We've got to make sure that people who voted for Donald Trump understand why that vote is so hurtful to so many of us," Janecek said.
