Donald Trump won the 2016 United States Presidential Election. That makes him the next President of the United States of America, for better or for worse. That is non-negotiable. A substantial number of American citizens, rather than celebrating these results, are still coping with them. This has led to the frequent use of the phrase “not my president” that is now being echoed through our country.
This would be a powerful protest statement, except for the fact that it fosters discontent without action. Denial is not the answer. If you are an American citizen then, however unfortunate, Trump is your next president. Everything he accomplishes in the next four years will affect every aspect of your life. The laws that will be passed by Trump and his administration will not go away and, even if they do, it certainly will not be a speedy retraction.
It is not the time to throw a tantrum, scream that he is not your president, and sit at home. Accept that he is now your next president and go do something about it. Work to prevent the things you disagree with from happening. Go vote in the midterm elections. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 seats in the Senate will be on the ballot in 2018, and those seats could mean a whole lot in the two years following. Take the opportunity to change the course of the next four years. Do not sit at home and pretend November 8 never happened, fight as hard as you can to make your voice heard.
Clinton won the popular vote, but that does not mean anything now. It was wrong, our system needs work, but at this point, none of that matters. Trump is the one who will take office on January 20 and Trump is the one who will decide the immediate fate of our nation. Take the anger you feel and use it as a launching pad to become an activist. Become someone who votes in every election, because the “little ones" matter too. Become someone who has an educated voice, because citizenship is an entitlement.
If you want to chant “not my president”, go ahead, as that is your first amendment right. But please, I implore you, do not stop there. Do not let yourself be led into denial that will cause you to do nothing but complain for the next four years. Stand up for your rights before any of them are taken away.
