Waking up to the news of the election today was awful. I never thought that I would experience two Donald Trump presidencies in my lifetime, but alas, here we are. I am sad, scared, and angry, but mainly, I am in shock. The polls had said the race would be close, but this was a blowout in the wrong direction. Throughout the Harris/Walz campaign, and up until Donald Trump passed 270 electoral votes, I had maintained a certain level of faith in the American people and even more hope for the future of our country. As the news trickles in today, I can see that faith was misplaced. 

I am devastated and terrified for the future of our country, and for all who will suffer under the Trump administration. I am hurt that millions of Americans voted to take away my bodily autonomy and human rights, and I am hurt for the millions of other Americans who are feeling the same way. I am scared of the fallout that will occur from Trump’s bigoted policies, how the economy will suffer, and to what degree of dystopia Project 2025 will lead us. I have been scared of these things for as long as they have been a possibility, but now they are a reality. None of this hatred that Trump spews is news to me, but what has scared me more than anything today is seeing this hatred win. The lack of care for others, and the explicit statement that those who don’t agree are the “enemy from within” and need to be dealt with is terrifying. The issues brought to the forefront of this election were not on the minds of much of the electorate before Donald Trump and his MAGA goons told them to be. His effectiveness at swaying the priorities of the people is alarming and disrupts the usual election discourse. This results in people in the Dakotas who say their biggest issue this election is border security. 

This election has brought to light many flaws in the current state of American politics. The clear lack of education on political and economic policy nationwide is astounding. The blatant sexism, racism, and overall bigotry that has been allowed, and now approved by the majority of voters is abhorrent. The moral issues that have come to light after this election and the division we are experiencing as a country seem hard to move past at the moment. Today, I have heard many people say that differing political views shouldn’t hurt personal relationships. I would generally agree with this sentiment; that if someone has a different opinion on tax cuts than you, that shouldn’t mean that you cut them out of your life. The issue with this election, and every election since 2016, is that those across the aisle from you are voting against basic human rights. They are choosing to vote for a convicted felon and rapist, spewing hateful, racist, misogynistic rhetoric every moment he gets, and who sees those that disagree with him, which is much of the American public, as the “enemy.” Choosing to vote for a Republican versus a Democrat has now become choosing to vote for human rights versus choosing to take them away, a vote for your fellow man versus a vote for yourself. 

There are many other issues that I have been thinking about after the election, but the majority of them boil down to this: How did the Democrats get this so wrong? By the end of the campaign, the polls were leaning in her favor. She was up 3 points in Iowa while looking great in many other crucial swing states. She was on the ground, knocking on doors herself, getting people rallied together to take down Trump. It finally felt like the Democrats were going to do it and his time in the spotlight would be over… until it wasn’t. She lost every major swing state by a decent margin, overall voter turnout was lower than in 2020, and Trump gained points in every demographic. Although the Harris/Walz campaign had only been around for about three months, they hit the ground running. Raising over a billion dollars and organizing one of the most refreshing and hopeful campaigns I have seen in a long time, and all this in under 100 days is a feat that should not be forgotten. 

While it is easy to sit and think about what could have gone wrong or what more could have been done, there really isn’t any time for that. I acknowledge that it is important to grieve the future so many of us had hoped for and to take the time to let this new reality sink in, but now is also the time for action. That reality is looking bleak for many Americans, which is why it is more important than ever to build community and reach out to those around you. I am not saying to reach across the aisle, because frankly, I don’t want to waste my time and energy thinking of those who didn’t think of me when casting their ballot. I am saying to build community with those feeling the same dread many of us do. Whether that is found through volunteering, organizing, community groups, or even art classes, now is the time for us to work together. We have 75 days until he is sworn in, so let’s use it to be proactive in our defense of those who will be affected most. 

I hate that this is the reality we are faced with, I hate that rights are being stripped from so many people, I hate that half of the country doesn’t care about their fellow man, and I hate that this is what our country has come to, but I’m not going to let that hate win. Sometimes I want, and it would be very easy, to stoop down to their level, and play dirty like they do, but you cannot fight fire with fire. The only way through this is forward and after watching Vice President Harris’ concession speech earlier, the hope that her campaign brought me was reignited. I will try to keep that hope alive in the work I do to protect myself and those I care about, and stay optimistic about this country I love even when it doesn’t love me back. As Vice President Harris so eloquently stated (an eloquence I will sorely miss over the next four years): “May the light of optimism, faith, truth, and service guide us – even in the face of setbacks – toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.” While we might not be moving forward in the way we had hoped, we’re certainly not going back.