As someone who was ecstatic because she thought that she had just voted for the first female president, Wednesday morning came as a huge and disappointing shock to me, like many others. But now Trump actually has the job. And he has to do it.
Once he gets his first official security briefing, hopefully, he’ll sober up. Fast. Once he realizes that real and urgent issues of national security are now his responsibility, and he can’t buy or "charm" his way out of them, he’ll get a real wake-up call to the immense responsibilities of his job. And he’ll surely take that responsibility very seriously, considering what’s in the best interest of the entire country.
He’s a businessman, and in business, you hire the best people. There have been a lot of rumors about his staff and advisors floating around, but I urge everyone to wait until it is decided who will hold key positions before panic about this begins. I do not think that Trump is naïve enough to believe that he’s a political expert. He must surround himself with experienced advisors and staff who can offer options and measures that are politically feasible.
He’s now responsive to the court of public opinion. Undoubtedly he’s seen the massive negative response to his election this week online and in the form of protests and petitions. During the election, he could focus on his base and disregard, and even insult, the nay-sayers. Now, he must represent all people, not just those who agree with him. While there is probably very little Trump can do to appease those who disagree with him and his beliefs, he must make concessions if he wishes to have an effective and popular term in office.
If he wants to be a president of everyone, maybe we should give him the chance. It's not like we have any choice, regardless. Due to all of the inflammatory rhetoric and scandals in the 2016 presidential campaign, the American public actually knows relatively little about Trump as a politician and what kind of politician he could be.
He's said many downright rude and offensive things, and the leaked tapes can’t be disputed, but his campaign rhetoric succeeded in capitalizing on the fears and concerns of many Americans. Although running a campaign based on the fears of the electorate is not what I want from my leader, he may have used such strong language to get into the news and fire up his base. Unfortunately, in the process, he managed to offend, insult, and even endanger millions of Americans.
One of the major fall-outs from this strategy is that some people use Trump’s behavior as an excuse to act that way themselves, like children mimicking the behavior of adults. As president, Trump needs to do everything in his power to curb this effect because he is now responsible for the safety and security of all Americans, even if they didn’t vote for him.
Also, shocking as this was, it’s not surprising that he had a larger than expected turnout. Before Tuesday, some people might not have wanted to publicly declare their support for Trump even though they voted for him anyway.
None of this excuses the way he’s treated religious minorities, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and immigrants, which has been unprecedented and abhorrent, to say the least. Many members of these communities, as well as people who are not, have legitimate fears about the future. As do I.
But, in order to keep my sanity, I have to hold on to hope that once he gets into office and has the awesome responsibility of running this great country, he’ll behave more appropriately. He is not the man who I want as the public face of my country, and he definitely does not represent the American public as a whole, but he has the job, so now, let's see if he can do it.
