Election Day 3:17 p.m.

For Tristan Gillis, a three-time Donald Trump voter, this election boils down to security, both on the world stage and on the southern border.

“I think we’re still a great country, but I just feel like right now, we’re not necessarily feared,” said Gillis. He believes if Trump is in office, he will bring that fear and respect back to the United States so the country can lead by example and police the world. 

Gillis pointed to an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris in which she spoke about Iran. “Their words to these terrorist organizations was just ‘don’t,’ where Trump just flat out said, ‘I’m gonna fucking bomb the shit out of it’ or whatever. It’s like he does not mess around.” Gillis acknowledged that Trump might seem “unhinged,” but believes this same sentiment is why other countries don’t provoke North Korea or Russia.  “I think he does a good job portraying that [strength] to world leaders out there.”

The southern border continues to be a huge issue for Gillis. “There’s so many immigrants, even illegal immigrants here today that deserve to be in this country more than people that were born here. That they’re more productive members of society. But, unfortunately, there’s a shitty, you know, policy in place right now,” he said. 

He believes that the immigration process should be fixed and that it takes too long to become a citizen, but people still must follow the law. “If you pick and choose what laws you follow based on your morals, then you might as well throw democracy out the window, and you should just, you know, live as a vigilante,” he said. 

Gillis wished that during the campaign process both candidates focused more time on proposing actual border reform policy rather than bash or blame each other for the current failed policy.

“The world’s a mean place. I’d just rather be on the winning side of that, and if that means we have somebody who’s an asshole, but it means my kids are gonna grow up in a little bit safer world, then, you know, that’s kinda what drives it for me,” he said.