The U.S. media projected early this morning that former President Donald Trump had won the 2024 U.S. presidential election, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris. Early Wednesday morning, Trump secured enough Electoral College votes by flipping key swing states, including Georgia, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, positioning himself for a second term.
But there was more to come, Republicans are also poised to regain the Senate majority, securing at least 51 seats, though control of the House remains undecided.
This afternoon, at 4 PM, Harris delivered her concession speech, urging her supporters to accept the election results. She expressed her willingness to assist in the transition process, stating, “I understand the range of emotions people are feeling right now. But we must respect the outcome of this election.” She added, “Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory and assured him of our support for a peaceful transfer of power.”
“Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is don’t ever give up,” she added. “Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place.”
President Joe Biden also reached out to both Harris and Trump by phone on Wednesday, according to the White House. Biden congratulated Trump on his win and invited him to a meeting at the White House, with plans to arrange a specific date. Biden emphasized his commitment to a smooth transition and the importance of unity for the nation. Additionally, he commended Harris for her campaign efforts and will address the nation tomorrow to discuss the election results and the transition ahead.
This morning, our community responded with a mix of strong emotions. Many expressed frustration with fellow Americans, especially those who felt there was no real difference between the candidates.
More than a few voices advised the community to stay vigilant against “devoted MAGA” supporters, with some warning that these individuals were ready to purge anyone who didn’t support Trump, particularly targeting Pagan representation.
We should note that quite a few individuals favoring Democrats said they were leaving social media.
Below are some responses shared with The Wild Hunt, spanning perspectives from prominent leaders in the Pagan community to new members.
Unfortunately, comments from Pagans celebrating a Trump victory were unsuitable for publication due to their content and the citing of well-debunked statements about the 2020 election. These individuals expressed hope that the country would now head in a “positive” direction, emphasizing binary gender roles and advocating measures to “protect” the public from immigrant violence. Many of these comments included imagery of an impending “red wave.”
Belladonna Laveau
Today, we have received a call to action! More than ever, we see the need for Pagans to be involved in politics. We do not have the luxury of not paying attention to politics. Those of us who feel called to do something, there are paths for you to get active in your local community. Those of us who don’t have time, but do have money, we need you to make a serious effort to help financially support the institutions that feed your spirit and support your lifestyle. It is always possible that we lose everything for which we have fought. It is also possible that this greater adversity calls for us to put our smaller differences aside and stand together to grow, nurture and support the hidden children of the Goddess in ways that times of ease never would.
Christopher Penczak
In the wave of emotion we must remember all is opportunity for initiation in whatever form it manifests. We still do the work, the good, that is before us to do and hold to our ideals in our hearts. Invoking hope amid grief and shock. Be gentle with yourself. You don’t have to do anything today but be with it.
Rayna Templebee
US Imperialism is alive and well. Anyone who is not a straight white Xian male needs to circle the wagons and protect themselves. Our artists will lead the way with revolutionary ballads and art.
Ivo Dominguez, Jr.
Check List:
Take care of yourself and others.
Breathe, meditate, and gain focus.
This is not a time to be reckless, you’ll get wrecked.
When you are ready look at ways that you can work locally to help create a world that matches your hopes and ideals.
At those times that you have enough emotional and mental fortitude, try to open the minds of others to issues and life circumstances outside their experience or understanding.
Don’t waste energy on those who are not ready, not interested, or are more interested in sparring than dialogue.
Love and support to all of you.
Byron Ballard
We all are here.
We all are here.
All manner of good things will come to us now.
How often have you heard me sing this at the beginning of a class or ritual? As we breathe our way to grounding, to calm, to connection.
How many times have we stood in circle together, either in person or through the internet? We reach out and take the hands, not of the person beside us but the person beside them. We grasp hands and snuggle our bellies into the strong hands clasped in front of us.
That’s how it feels when your community protects your most vulnerable place.
Remember?
Then we move our clasped hands to the back and we feel those same strong hands at our backs.
That’s how it feels when your community has your back.
Remember?
We stand shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, calf to wheel.
Remember, remember, on the 5th of November, that we are strong, connected, interwoven communities. Circle linked to circle, forming first a chain, then chain mail.
These, my friends, are the times we were made for.
Per ardua ad Terra.
I have faith in you. I have faith in us.
We are the leaders now and our work continues. Together.
Remember, remember, the 5th of November.
Manny Tejeda y Moreno
“It is better to conquer our grief than to deceive it.”~Seneca
Mortellus
Today is a day of grief. We will mourn the loss of a talented and qualified president. We will mourn that half of this country would choose a felon—a rapist—rather than see a woman in power. We will mourn the family, friends, and acquaintances that we are soon to lose because knowing that that was the vote they cast is a stain that they can never wash away.
But tomorrow, we will fight. This won’t be okay, and tomorrow won’t be just another day. Today we shed our tears, and tomorrow we lace up our boots and open our arms for those who need us while never forgetting that arms are open to us. For it is only through community that we can weather this coming storm.
Jason Mankey
There are things I want to say but I’m not sure how to get the words out. I spent most of the night tossing and turning, a pit in my stomach caused by literal fear for my friends. I know that for some such remarks sound like hyperbole, but in this case I don’t think they are an overreaction. In 2022 women lost autonomy over their bodies, I fear that by 2026 many of my friends will lose their right to marry, and that some will have their very humanity taken away by the courts and a GOP Congress.
The rhetoric has always been cruel, an attempt to transfer blame from the elites who have decimated our middle class onto immigrants, trans-folks, and the all evil menacing communist libs. The melting pot has always made us stronger, but pointing at a marginalized group of people you don’t know is always easier than assigning blame to a shadowy cabal of people who like to claim they care about you. I have always held onto the hope that Americans are smarter than that, that we are more compassionate than that, but apparently we are not in the year 2024. The coarsening of our society is now complete, Presidential politics is bread and circuses, the carnival barker is more entertaining so let’s put him in charge, who cares if it was a disaster on a dozen levels last time, at least groceries were cheaper.
I’ve read a lot of apocalyptic stuff about dictators for life this morning, and while I don’t think that’s going to happen, we are going to have a government built around one man and serving his whims, instead of “serving we the people,” the traditional role of our government (even if we have only rarely lived up to this ideal). Rights will be taken away, especially in red states, and people of color will demonized, detained, and treated as less than.
The orange man will not be in office long before he’s shown the door by his eyeliner-wearing sycophant. America will retreat into itself inviting our enemies to assert themselves across the globe, undermining democracy and world stability. Our economy will contract, ask the UK about the repercussions of such journeys. I will not say “I told you so” when it happens because I will be too busy trying to help my friends.
I wish I had more encouraging words to share today. I know some people will say “we’ve been here before,” but this time there are no guardrails. We have elected a felon in clear cognitive decline whose idea of governing is more akin to a mob boss than a democratically elected President.
I hope I’m wrong. I hope his tariffs don’t decimate our economy. I hope he can govern with wisdom and sound judgement. I hope he can be a President for all Americans, but we’ve been here before, and I think we know that’s probably not going to happen.
Stay strong my friends. Much love and resistance.
Laura Tempest Zakroff
I had such hope for a bright future on the near horizon for all of us. That horizon is much further away this morning. I sit with grief, exhaustion, loss, and many other things knocking at the door.
Moving forward, we will do what we can to take care of ourselves and each other. Because that is what we must do. That is who we are.
Much love to all of you.
Noelle Bowles
I was “nauseously optimistic” going into Tuesday night’s election results but was shocked when my own previously reliably blue county went red as well. My heart is broken for all of us whose lives are, in one way or another, now so definitively on the margins. Living as a religious “other” in a state that has gone from purple to solidly red over the years has made me cautious, but, prior to last night, I still felt a degree of support and acceptance in the wider world. Haters and extremists might howl and froth and even pass regressive policies, but I had hope that inclusiveness and kindness would ultimately prevail – and perhaps they still may, but I don’t see it from here. The pendulum has swung into darkness. Today, I bought salt licks-for the deer and bird seed for the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks who know nothing of the weight I feel. Winter now approaches the northern hemisphere, and I fear the spring may be years in coming. May we keep each other safe through the long night.
Julia Benson-Slaughter
“A Republic, if you can keep it.” I have never been so disappointed in humankind, that so many of them voted for hate. They did not learn from history, so now we get to watch a repeat.
MKB who is a student, a soldier, a son
I left the polls yesterday with hope—cautious hope, but hope nonetheless. I was confident we would turn the page. I asked Freya to ease my mind and prepare me for the time to come. As the night passed, I watched in abject horror as the nation I was proud to serve betrayed me. I felt as if my country, my people, my brothers and sisters in arms had stabbed me in the heart. People I thought I knew took to social media to rejoice in their fascist victory. Men and women I have served with, who knew me, voted for an individual who would erase my people, our gods, and goddesses from the history books.
Today, with a heavy heart, I still ask Freya for guidance and peace of mind, hoping the future isn’t as bleak as I fear. We in the Pagan community must remain strong and unified. Though this is a challenging time, it is not the end. We must ensure that the guardrails of democracy are deeply embedded in our minds and work to prevent such betrayal from ever happening again.
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