On Nov. 6, the United States of America elected the first convicted felon into office, despite warnings from celebrities, the democratic party and even some of Donald Trump’s past top officials, advisors and colleagues. With Trump’s victory, the nightmare of losing democracy in America is beginning to become realized. With Trump’s radical ideals, it is important for Americans to be wary of his actions in office and prepare the nation for a struggle at the end of his term.
Trump has had a history of promoting violence in the U.S. and has based his political platform on hate. Through hateful rhetoric, Trump sends a message of intolerance to the American people that is not okay.
“In this specific election, negative attitudes toward ethnic minorities and immigrants swayed independents and some Democrats to opt for candidate Trump,” Marc Hooghe of University of Leuven wrote.
On the morning of Jan. 6 2021, Trump, in a rally, alluded to an attack on the capital.
“We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,” Trump said during his Jan. 6 speech.
Later that day, a group of people stormed Capitol hill. Jan. 6 is a blatant warning for the kind of violence that Trump can incite. During the riot, 11 rioters were arrested and over 1,000 have been charged with entering restricted grounds. In total, seven were killed. Now, some of these offenders are going to ask the President-elect for a pardon.
“Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore,” Trump said at an event in Florida during the 2024 election campaign. Here, Trump is glaringly telling these voters that if he was to be elected he would do away with the Democratic system that America is based on. Trump’s actions at the end of his term in 2022 are evidence that this threat to democracy is very substantial. As a nation, there is evidence, when Trump struggled against admitting defeat in the 2020 election, that this threat against democracy is very real.
Trump’s emboldened attitude will not prove beneficial for America and its citizens. Through racist policies, mass deportations, tax breaks for the rich, reversal of many pro-LGBTQ and civil rights policies, tariffs and privatization of education, Trump will effectively rupture the already fragile nation. While America is known as a world power, it is reasonable to conclude that currently the country is very divided on many issues. For example, the current immigration issue is a divisive topic in the U.S. Some Americans believe that the U.S/Mexico border should be closed to cut off the flow of criminals, but others believe that it is beneficial to keep the border open to allow families to search for a new and better life in the U.S. America, as an already divided nation, will only be torn further apart through Trump’s hateful rhetoric.
“What is most important to me? Preservation of democracy,” Kevin Borland, a public service lawyer at Mullor Borland, said when asked about what is most important during the 2024 election. This sentiment was shared by many Democrats on election night, concerned about what America’s future would look like under a second Trump presidency.
However, we should not disparage the nation. Tyranny is not inevitable, even with Trump in office. The nation needs to have hope and faith in our checks and balances system. While many believe that Trump will force all of his ideals onto the country, this is not the truth. As a nation, people must look to the Supreme Court and Congress to protect the integrity of the country if Trump’s actions put it in jeopardy. This nation should not be led by hatred or bigotry, which Trump has openly displayed, but by love and peace. Regardless, Trump will be our president for the next four years and by then the nation will either have felt repercussions or benefits of the President-elect.
The famous line “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” from the Declaration of Independence highlights all that Americans need to keep in mind during Trump’s administration. To not be wary of Trump’s past and future actions would be ignorant and would not be preparing the nation for a possible future that leans father towards fractures in the United States. However, it is imperative that no Americans lose hope and all continue to fight for the rights the forefathers of the nation fought for.
