Election day, 2016 marked the end of the most controversial presidential campaign season in history. Though some were dismayed by the results that came early Wednesday morning, the American people rode a long road to get there.
As early projections from the New York Times pointed out Tuesday morning, Hillary Clinton was on track to collect the 270 electoral votes she needed in the election race with ease. She was supposed to deny Donald Trump of the win and become the next president-elect, according to the data.
That didn’t happen.
On Jan. 20, 2017, the whole world will witness Donald Trump as he is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States of America.
Here is an approximate photo timeline of what happened Tuesday evening in Manhattan, complete from when voting stations were open to when the next leader of our nation was announced.
3:45 p.m.
Maya MacDonald, 31, had just come from from the voting decked out head to toe in her pink pantsuit and all things Hillary Clinton. When asked about why she went out to vote in this election she said “I’m really ready for a woman president. I think it’s pretty absurd that we haven’t had one yet, and I’m excited to have had the opportunity to vote for one.”
9:15 p.m.
The Empire State Building was lit in a spectacular fashion as it showed live updates of the electoral vote count for both presidential candidates throughout the night. The landmark also displayed a montage of the past 44 commanders-in-chief. It was around this time when it was announced that Clinton had won the state of New York and the building illuminated in blue.
9:30 p.m.
Trump Tower in Midtown was surrounded by a wall of sanitation trucks, scattered police security and a sizable gathering of tourists taking selfies in front of the then-presidential candidate’s private building. The trucks were there as a line of defense against any sort of attack.
9:50 p.m.
A crowd of mostly Trump supporters gathered at the Fox News building on the Avenue of the Americas. Megan Kelly and her team could be seen from outside their studio as they reported live on the presidential election. Amongst those cheering in the crowd every time Trump won a battleground state, a lone supporter wearing his ‘Make America Great Again’ cap spotted me through the crowd.
10:15 p.m.
NBC’s Rockefeller Center, temporarily renamed Democracy Plaza, was swarming with onlookers gazing at the gigantic screens that were streaming a constant feed of coverage. Clinton had not led in the electoral vote count the entire night, but onlookers in the Clinton camp were still charged with hopeful energy.
10:45 p.m
Times Square was pretty much its usual self- congested and crowded with enough bodies to induce more than mild anxiety. However, there was an unusual lull. A tense silence that was alien to the usual hustle and bustle that the strip was infamously known for filled the air in the landmark district.
11:00 p.m.
People look up at the gigantic screens above them, hoping and praying for the margin of electoral points between Clinton and Trump to narrow. As swing states began to fall, the atmosphere in Times Square became more and more tense. Looks of shock and denial pointed towards the giant monitors above.
11:30 p.m.
A silent performer holding a sign that reads ‘American Voter’.
12:00 a.m.
Khrystin Radonski, 19, continued to hold her sign proud and high as the race for Pennsylvania was underway. “I’m against Trump because I don’t want to be set 100 years back to the time when women could literally do nothing… We are human beings, we have the right to our body, to do what we please, and we have the right to live the way we want to live.”
12:15 a.m.
“In French TV, we follow a lot of the election of the U.S., and the majority of of the French TV are for Hillary. In France, we are afraid of Donald Trump, because Donald Trump is a very dangerous man for the French people because he is crazy,” said French tourist Gaetan Dedieu, 31. He went on to discuss how Donald Trump far-right rhetoric was strikingly similar to the French right-wing politician Jean-Marie Le Pen, who later congratulated Trump on his victory.
12:30 a.m.
“What has America done?” Kris Gingrich, 45, asked while staring at the electoral vote count. At the time, the electoral count was steady at 209 for Clinton and 244 for Trump. “As Canadians, we’ve seen this go on for the past 18 months, and it’s kind of scary to have America as our neighbor if Trump becomes president.”
12:45 a.m.
Brian Pflanzer, 49, came all the way from Long Island to see a Trump victory, but he remained calm as the race for Pennsylvania began to wind down. “I haven’t seen 270 on the board yet, and until I do I don’t want to get too excited.”