Alright, so that happened.
The Trump presidency begins in 70 days, ushering in a new wave of uncertainty.
Let’s get something out of the way; we voted yesterday. We cast a vote not just for president, but for thousands of down-ballot races as well. Some people’s candidate won, and some lost.
That’s how it works. This is a country that depends on peaceful transitions of power. The election is over. Trump supporters, be gracious in your victory. Clinton supporters, lose with dignity and don’t be hypocritical.
It’s imperative now in this uncertain time that we find a way to come together, a message I thought President Obama said well this morning.
I’m nervous, but not in the ways that are circulating social media. I don’t fear the end of the country or civilization, like some other columnists I admire. Paul Krugman at the New York Times, for example, wonders if America is now a “failed state,” a claim I find a little alarmist while we’re still watching the dust settle from last night.
I have no idea what a Trump presidency will look like. I know nothing of his policies, his plans to handle ISIS in Syria, whether or not he’ll follow through on this ridiculous wall or deport 12 million people. If I knew a little, I could be scared. However, I know nothing. I don’t even know what to think.
I am worried for some friends of mine. As a straight, white male, the social policies of a Trump administration will arguably not impact my life at all.
My friends in the LGBT community, though, are worried. Friends are worried if their marriages will still be valid.
My friends of Mexican heritage are worried. Some had peace of mind because President Obama’s actions allowed them, children of undocumented immigrants, to stay in America. They wonder now if they’ll be asked to leave the only country they’ve ever called home.
However, these are issues to deal with as they come, and we have at least two months to worry about it. What’s important now, no matter who you voted for, is to get back to business.
It’s time for self-reflection, America. No one is walking out of this election with bloodless hands. Everyone joined into the feeding frenzy, ready to take shots at the “other side.” In our haste to destroy each other and come out on the attack we found ourselves bloodied, tired and wondering how Trump got to the White House.
We’re a nation that seizes any chance to segregate ourselves, by race, class, job, education, gender, sexual preference or any other silly thing. None of that matters.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a Wall Street tycoon, a struggling actor in Los Angeles, a recently laid-off miner in West Virginia or a gay man in Austin.
What should matter, what should always come first, is the “American” label.
We’re all in this together.
It’s a time of uncertainty, absolutely. Even now, as I sit on my living room couch writing this, my friend and former ASU student Anthony Schaan is sitting across the room.
In a quick burst that pierces the silence, Anthony looks up and says, “Wow, this is just surreal. Donald Trump is president.”
It’s a little scary, to be sure. Change always is. But any opportunity for change is an opportunity to change for the better.
We've seen tough times, and we've weathered them all. We'll survive a Trump presidency, but moreover, he deserves at least a chance to prove naysayers wrong.
We can moan, complain and whine that things didn’t go our way, or we can buckle down and work harder for the things we believe in. We work together to make this a better country for all of us. We work hard to make this a place we can be proud of.
We need to unite, and this needs to be a time for healing. I still believe in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
I think that’s the lesson that this election has taught us. It’s the medicine we, like children, have been forced to swallow. It’s bitter, nasty and it definitely doesn’t taste like grape, but it will makes us stronger in the end.
Reach the columnist at cjwood3@asu.edu or follow @chriswood_311 on Twitter.
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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