What’s Next in the Trump Era
Wednesday morning, November 9th, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. Americans woke up to a reality of a victorious nominee who many believed could never be elected. The dream of the first female U.S. president being elected was shattered by a faux campaigner who was accused of sexual assault by multiple women. Trump’s campaign was built upon hatred and bigotry. He has outwardly been an advocate for misogyny, islamophobia, xenophobia, and racism. Given our new reality, it is easy to feel helpless when coming to terms with the possible effect a Trump presidency could have. It is hard to see a way to fight for the continual progress of inclusion and equality with a president who rejects these objectives. However, we have to accept that even though fighting for progress and inclusion will now be seemingly harder we are going to have to put in more effort to make sure these ideas are advocated and protected. We cannot give up and become cynical because while we do that Trump will have the platform to create lasting impressions on our country for generations to come.
Since Trump has been elected, it has become clear that Trump intends to continue the themes of his campaign during his presidency. Trump has begun to nominate his government and cabinet positions. The individuals Trump has chosen not only are inexperienced, but also project ideals of racism, xenophobia, and other forms of hate. This is clearly seen in Trump’s nomination for Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, who was rejected to be a federal judge by the senate due to alleged racist comments in which he defended the KKK and called NAACP and ACLU ‘un-American”. Another one of Trump’s picks is his nominee to lead the Department of Labor, Andy Puzder, who is a fast food executive who has discussed replacing working class workers with “robots”. Trump has chosen individuals to run departments that they have previously fought against, like his nominee to run the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt. Pruitt has previously been a lobbyist for oil and fossil fuel, and has also discredited the reality of global warming. These past several weeks has shown that a Trump presidency is going to be as unpredictable as his campaign.
We must use Trump’s election to fight for those in actual danger during a Trump presidency. This means to not just go on angry rants on how it is not right, or complain about the people who voted for him. We have to take these emotions of anger, frustration, and sadness, and actually take action. You can make a difference by donating money, volunteering, and expressing your right to protest and have your voice heard. Make noise and force younger and older generations, as well as the rest of the world, to hear that you refuse to normalize hatred and the language and actions Donald Trump.
Organizations you can (and should) be supporting: