I woke up Wednesday morning disheartened, dissatisfied and disappointed – but not surprised: America has elected a convicted felon before a woman.
I understand that policies are at play; many people who support Trump cite his economic policies. But the president of the United States is not a faceless, nameless economic policy. The president is America’s mouthpiece and represents the country on a global stage. As the head of state and the head of government, the president is the corporeal manifestation of America and its values. Yet, as an individual, Trump is America’s antithesis.
Not even four years ago, Trump attempted to overrule our democratic process, inciting the riotous Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. Now that the election favors his interests, he clearly considers the process fair and correct.
Trump is unabashedly sexist, infamously telling someone they need only grab a woman’s genitals to get what they want. It is unfathomable that Trump does not alienate half of the population with his blatantly misogynistic attitude and words.
I am not, and will never be, an emphatic supporter of Kamala Harris. I do not believe in cultivating a cult of personality around a candidate, as MAGA Republicans have over the last eight years. I concede that Kamala Harris does not have an impeccable track record, but in comparison to Trump, her rap sheet is superior. The juxtaposition between a felon and a former prosecutor running is astonishing in and of itself, but the felon actually winning is the most unfortunate irony. I understand that it is difficult to elect someone standing as the beacon of change, as Harris did, while they are the sitting vice president; it begs the question, why didn’t she make those changes while she had the chance for four years? That argument is valid; but arguments favoring Donald Trump about his economic policies would have more validity if Trump had all but called U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi a misogynistic expletive on Election Day and constantly disparaged women.
I cannot change the electoral votes. Donald Trump is the president-elect and Kamala Harris conceded the race. I have faith in our democratic process and will not tout voter fraud or any bogus excuses that Republicans employed in 2020. I believe whole-heartedly that Donald Trump won not only all of the battleground states, but the popular vote; that fact saddens me more than any speculation of voter fraud. I will not spend the next four years with cynicism, but I will spend the next four years holding my breath when checking the headlines that say “President Trump,” hoping America’s values do not erode before my eyes.
It saddens me that America elected someone with “concepts of a plan;” someone who dwells on fictitious absurdities like people eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio; someone who uses his power of the pulpit to imbue Americans with damaging rhetoric that creates division, not unity. It saddens me that America may go backwards regarding a woman’s right to an abortion or the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. America has made their four-year bed. In January, we have to lie in it.
-CL
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