Election Aftermath

Now that Donald Trump will be President of the United States, how do I feel? How am I supposed to feel? Scared, excited, worried, relieved? Is America doomed or will we become great again? There is only one thing I feel, and it should be the same thing that everyone else is feeling as well: hopeful.

We have crawled our way through the most memorable presidential campaign in US history. We have heard the locker room talk, read  the emails, and faked the heart attacks (especially fellow libertarians). At the end of it all, we are left with Donald J. Trump – one of the 45 candidates who has been deemed worthy to lead this great country. The person who we will entrust with the intentions of a nation.

No matter who you voted for, everybody, from the Bernie Bros to the Nasty Women to the Deplorables, should be feeling hopeful. Yes, it is okay to be aggravated but not angry. It’s okay to disagree with the outcome but not to deny it. Everyone rioting and protesting the election of Donald Trump needs to realize he will be president. You can have your voice be heard on the streets, but it will make no difference in who enters that office on January 20th, 2017. It is the intention of every President to leave the country in a better place than when they entered into office, so everyone must have hope. With the existence of marchers and protesters creating a divide in our country, nothing will improve. It is the job of every American to give President-elect Trump a chance.

Personally, I am very hopeful and almost excited for Trump to take office. There were times during his campaign that I was disgusted by his comments and befuddled by his ideas, but as election day grew closer and now in the wake of his election, I have grown more confident in him.

I believe there are two halves to every president. First, the economic half. Trump is a businessman, and a great one at that. He has built a real estate empire in the boroughs of New York City and around the world. He has made billions over the years through his ventures and has made the name Trump a synonym for wealth and power. It’s easy to point out the few times Trump has failed, where he has lost money, where a business of his has gone under. But look at anybody who has succeeded, from inventors to entrepreneurs to athletes, and they will tell you the same thing: you will fail thousands of times in your life. There is no difference here with Trump. He knows how to make money. With a country $19.5 trillion in debt and taxes higher than they’ve been,  Trump is the kind of person we need.

I am also an avid believer in his idea of charging countries that use our military. America was the world’s police at one point, but times have changed. The world has grown up and countries can now take care of themselves. It is not up to the taxpayer to send money or their military sons and daughters to countries who aren’t willing to repay our help. I also believe that Trump will be able to distribute the in-government wealth in a more efficient way and help lower taxes while still providing essential government duties.

The second half to every president is the social side. This is the controversial side, the side that gets the media coverage, and causes protests, rejoice, and riots. From a domestic standpoint, Trump’s position on Planned Parenthood worries me. Yet I hope in an ever progressing society that congress and the rest of the government will be able to uphold this progressive belief. On the other hand, it brings me joy to see Trump supporting the LGBTQ community, especially as this is not a popular viewpoint with many high ranking Republicans.

Now to Trump’s most infamous social stance: the wall. The entire idea sounds like a load of nonsense to me and from an economic view it’s, quite plainly, stupid. It was clearly a strong campaign strategy, but I personally hope it falls through. I do, though, still believe in how he plans to deal with the refugee crisis. Any opinion on this subject will get backlash from at least half the people who read this so I’ll leave it at, quite simply, I support it.

I also believe that, while what Obama did was helpful in progressing the country,  our nation needs four years of calm. Socially, I love the direction the country has been heading in. On the other hand, I also think that social change has been rapid over the last eight years, going against many of the very morals that an entire generation of current leaders holds dearly. There is currently a generational divide between the Baby Boomers and Millennials while Gen X is split 50/50. Trump will be a good buffer in this tension as minimal social changes will come during his presidency, allowing a more socially progressive era of leaders to be ushered in.

Overall, I am hopeful that Trump will bring sound economics back to America while giving the nation a break from the social chaos. I know many people will disagree with my stance on some things, but there’s no point fighting before anything has happened, so let’s sit back and see what these next four years have in store–let’s give President Trump a chance.