The Day After: Donald Trump is the next President of the United States

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November 9, 2016 — Walking back home dejected last night i just couldn’t believe that Donald Trump was going to be the next president of the United States. Donald Trump! As I walked, head down trying to make sense of it, I teetered between utter disbelief and laughing at how ridiculous the sobering reality was as I pictured Trumps profile photo in the “class photo” of presidents. Bill Clinton. Johnson. Kennedy. Obama. Bush. Carter. Nixon. W.Bush. Reagan. Donald Trump.

C’mon.

Months ago, I had resolved the hypocrisy and lack of rationale that went into his voting base; it just didn’t matter to them. What I couldn’t reconcile at the time was voting in a candidate with no experience in any office. No military experience. A questionable business resume and even more questionable behavior. All because he’s a political outsider and said shit differently? What about the content of those words much less the validity?

I ask those questions rhetorically because I also eventually came to terms that no matter what came out of his mouth or how he behaved, those same actions weren’t interpreted in the same way. What I saw as silly and ridiculous, bordering on self-parody was apparently a battle cry for the other side.

Fine.

Now I’m slowly dealing with what a Trump presidency means.

Now I’m slowly dealing with what a Trump presidency means.

Now I’m slowly dealing with what a Trump presidency means.

And not just his winning, but by a very large margin. His presidency is one thing but what Ill struggle with the most is the electorate that voted for him. All of them that brought him the presidency in a shocking landslide upset.

I remember when George Bush was elected. I had a similar disbelief yet this one is completely different. That was an actual difference of opinion on political and social issues. This? This election wasn’t about issues. To me this feels like a stamp of approval of a certain type of xenophobia, misogyny, racism, discrimination and bullying. All the things that made America “great” many decades ago.

As a minority (x2), I’m shaken because the results feel very much like a mob chanting “its still our country and we’re coming for you!” As an American, I’ve never been more uncertain of what the future holds. This is uncharted waters on so many levels. And I’ve seen talks of leaving the country or separating states. That’s unhelpful. What we need to fight for are fewer borders between us, not more.

All that said, I’ve never felt more connected to my communities. Especially the ones that feel the most in peril by this referendum.

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