The 2016 election was historic for many reasons. This is the first US President that has never had any political experience. It is our first billionaire president. It is our first president who has numerous legal misadventures. Trump has been an icon, willing or not, a good icon and bad icon, since the 70s. America was holding its breath November 8th, and it seems to have let it all out in a rush following Hillary's concession. Part of America letting out that breath was the protests, some of which turned into riots.
I have to say that I am stunned at the reaction to Trump becoming the president-elect. One of the many great things in America is the peaceful transition of power. Hillary showcased this with her class-act move to concede the election, although all the electoral votes were not in. However, starting riots because your candidate did not win is a child-like act. Protests are acceptable, but when you turn this long-standing peaceful act to looting, burning and damaging local businesses, there is a perversion of what is trying to be accomplished. I ask you: What good does damaging and looting from local businesses do to change the status of the president-elect? Nothing. You are simply enjoying carnage for carnage's sake, and hurting a local family and economy who literally had little to no control over our electoral college.
Yes, he is not my first choice. Nor was he my second or third choice. However, he obtained the election for very real reasons. People were tired of corruption in our high-level political offices. I heard it described somewhere that Donald Trump is a molotov cocktail to the establishment. He ultimately won not because he was more popular than Hillary Clinton, not because he is a billionaire businessman but because he got in touch with what Americans are worried about. While it is a shame that he could not stand to be more politically correct in his speech, or curb his rough "euphemism" a little, he did, in the end, get out the message that he wanted. It was "I hear you. I hear what bothers you. I will do my best to change what bothers you." Now I do not pretend that Donald Trump pandered to everyone in the US, not by a long shot, but there is a reason he is the president-elect, and it isn't just pure dumb luck.
After everything that has happened and continues to happen, I am not going to sit here and say that I am not worried. I am worried about our soon to be vice president Mike Pence. He has beliefs and values that seem horrid in comparison to my own. But never forget about our checks and balances that the government has in place. While Trump can get a lot done through executive action, the other branches of the government can help and hinder greatly wherever this new White House duo steps too far.
We won't really know how the next 4 years are going to be. No one does. It's all speculation. But, unless we, as Americans one and all, come together and make it clear how our country shall be run no matter who the top brass is currently, there will be some unfortunate times ahead. Division in our nation only serves those who seek to tear it apart. America's citizens have made its voice heard in the past, and we can and will keep making our voice heard.
