In the early morning of November 9, 2016, the unthinkable happened – Donald J. Trump surpassed all expectations and became President-elect. I think I speak for most people – considering the Donald did not win the popular vote when I express my dismay about his ascension. However, Trump being President is not what prompted my reaction to the results of the election; what he brings to the White House is far more disturbing. The racism, misogyny, and xenophobia that formed the bedrock of his campaign are definitely disturbing, but the people he will nominate to act upon these ideas – once reserved only for the disgusting underbelly of America – are far more disheartening than the Annoying Orange with a Toupee sitting in the Oval Office.

To that end, we have recently seen glimpses of the utter disaster that will be, upon the likely confirmation by the Republican-controlled Senate, the President-elect’s administration. From the once-rejected-to-be-a-federal-judge Sen. Jeff Sessions as Attorney General , to the Republican ideologue Rep. Mike Pompeo as CIA director, Trump has managed to fish out the most extremist right-wingers our Republican Party has to offer. Trump has already courted the brash, in-your-face bigotry of the Alt-Right movement by appointing Steve Bannon as his Chief Strategist. If these are to be Trumps nominations, the progress we’ve made in the past eight years under President Obama will be stunted, if not completely decimated. Trump’s proposed administration offers only troubling prospects for all of us.

We (those who took the responsible step to vote against Trump and the monstrous coalition of deplorable individuals that will staff his administration) are at the beginning of a battle that will last the next four years. We must fight against racism and bigotry at every step of the way. Now more than ever, the country needs steadfast realignment with our shared values of tolerance, love, and peace. The hateful have been emboldened by the election of Trump, but they cannot succeed in dividing us further.