Donald Trump’s stunning defeat of opponent Hillary Clinton in the wee hours on Wednesday morning not surprisingly brought forth some strong emotions from poker players on both sides of the political fence.
Many poker players went from sharing bad beat stories and chip counts to sounding off on the results of the US presidential election. Donald Trump will become the 45th president of the United States. The billionaire businessman pulled off a stunning victory following a heated campaign.
The poker world, much like the entire country, is divided today. Some poker players weren’t hip to the idea of an “outsider” in the Oval Office, but others were ecstatic.
Daniel Negreanu recently became a US citizen. After obtaining citizenship, he said he couldn’t wait to vote against Trump. A staunch Hillary Clinton supporter, Negreanu lashed out at those who voted for a man he refers to as a “racist.”
“To any/all millennials who care about climate change but didn’t vote cause ‘they both suck’ I hope you understand what you have done,” Kid Poker posted on Twitter Tuesday night shortly after Trump was declared the winner.
Negreanu posted frequently throughout election day. His posts were positive at the start. Initially, like most, he expected a resounding Clinton victory. But as the results started coming out, his mood changed.
The Mouth Rejoices
Mike “The Mouth” Matusow has ruffled some feathers this election season. An avid supporter of Donald Trump throughout the general election, Matusow probably felt like he just won a World Series of Poker bracelet while watching the GOP candidate’s victory speech on Wednesday morning.
“I cant sleep im on 10 day win streak Trump is president, & my health is best its been in 2 yrs even though I get pain 30%,” he wrote on Twitter.
Matusow wasn’t a Trump supporter from the get-go. He backed Clinton’s Democratic opponent Bernie Sanders initially. On Tuesday night, he suggested Sanders would have won the election if he wasn’t “cheated.”
Mercier Calls It Early
Jason Mercier, the 2016 WSOP Player of the Year and a Florida resident, projected Trump to be the winner long before any members of the media. Many people on Twitter, not just poker players, were critical of the media for taking so long to call Florida for Trump.
As the evening progressed, Florida remained in play for Clinton, according to several networks. But with most of the vote in the Sunshine State counted and Trump holding a solid lead, the possibility of Clinton scoring those 29 electoral votes seemed nearly impossible.
Later on, with Trump on the brink of surpassing the necessary 270 electoral votes, the mainstream media again continued to push the “she can still win” narrative. Mercier had given up.
“He wins…and CNN acting like Hillary has a chance. #itsover,” Mercier posted.
He was right. It was over. Donald J. Trump will become the next president of the United States. He will be sworn into office on January 20 in Washington, D.C., om the steps of the Capitol Building at noon. And a new era will begin for America, love it or hate it.
