Mayor Kenney, Philadelphia React to President-Elect Donald Trump

During a short, teary-eyed speech, Kenney both congratulated Trump and consoled the city. Here's what some Philadelphians have to say.

Mayor Jim Kenney watches Hillary Clinton's concession speech. Courtesy of the City of Philadelphia.

Mayor Jim Kenney watches Hillary Clinton’s concession speech. Courtesy of the City of Philadelphia.

Yes, it’s true. Donald Trump will be our next president.

This isn’t welcome news for (most) Philadelphians. In fact, it’s terrible news for roughly 82 percent of the city.

A teary-eyed Mayor Jim Kenney gave a short speech at City Hall just before noon, after Hillary Clinton delivered her concession speech in New York.

“In Philadelphia, our diversity and our inclusion has always made us stronger,” Kenney said. “And we will continue to rely on that strength as we work to find unity.”

Kenney congratulated both Trump and Republican Senator Pat Toomey on their victories before telling the city to “take your time to mourn and take your time to heal” and not to “let yesterday or today or the next couple days drag you down.”

“I want to just tell you that tomorrow will come, and the day after tomorrow will come, and we will still be a great country, and we will work out what we need to work out. But we will never change who we are in this city. We are stronger together because no one is going to break us apart.”

Kenney issued a statement shortly after his speech.

In other reactions, Philadelphia-based writer Jennifer Weiner wrote an essay for the New York Times about what it was like — as a mother — to witness the first woman to win a major nomination party lose the election.

“What did my daughters see at what was supposed to be the revolution?” Weiner wrote. “They learned that, as we inch toward equality, there is still work to be done. They learned that ‘boys will be boys’ is still a valid argument, even when the boy in question was 59 at the time. They learned that men get excused for their misdeeds, while women are blamed for their mistakes — and those of their spouses. They learned that, if you try to break a glass ceiling, you’d better be prepared to get cut.”

Here’s more of the discussion happening in Philadelphia:

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