I’m not going to lie and say I’m not upset over the outcome. I’m disappointed by the way fear and hate, from both ends, has taken over our country. I support the decision of the thousands to peacefully protest the candidate they feel is not the president for them. After a blazing campaign trail fueled by loaded statements and hate rhetoric, it is easy to empathize with their well-placed fears. However, I do not support the protests that have turned into riots. In a time like this, it is easy to let fear and hate consume you but we cannot, and we must not, perpetuate and inflame the fears that in part played into his election.

It is incredibly baffling to me that a man scheduled to go on trial for raping a 13-year-old girl can still gain the support of millions of people. A man with absolutely no political experience and a tantrum of a two-year-old. A man whose own campaign team took away control of his Twitter account because they could not trust him is now to be trusted with the safety and lives of millions of people; many whom he bashed, shamed, and dehumanized on his way to power. A man who now has control of half of the nuclear weapons in the world.

His supporters are saying that we have to respect him since he is now our president. The same people who, for eight years, has disrespected, mocked, and mistreated our current president. A president who has never been involved in a scandal. A president whose wife is a beacon of class and modesty, the ultimate role model (unlike our new First Lady whose nudes are only a quick Google search away). A president who has dutifully served and represented the people of this country to the best of his ability.

This election has been both informative and incredibly polarized and divisive. I do not wish Donald Trump to fail; that would spell disaster for everyone involved in this country, even his own supporters. No, I wish him a successful term. I hope this serves as a learning experience for him and for many people. I hope this allows people to acknowledge their own privilege, prejudices, and fears and turn it into something positive and productive. Will it happen overnight? Absolutely not. This country has been founded upon generations of systematic oppression and this election shined a spotlight on the darkest aspects of America.

We will feel the ramifications of this election for the rest of our lives; this will not be over in four years. For better or for worse, we have to come together to finally put an end to the perpetuation of the toxic hate in this country.