No, Everything Won’t Be OK
The election of Donald Trump to the most powerful office in the world is cataclysmic.
I won’t speak to the physical insecurity that many Americans and people around the world are feeling—many women, racial and religious minorities, denizens of the Middle East and the Baltics and Central and South America.
I won’t speak for environmentalists, who fear an EPA headed by climate change deniers. I won’t speak for the ill, whose healthcare may soon be recklessly revoked without any plan for alternatives. I won’t speak for the disabled, who soon face a leader who lacks a modicum of respect for them.
Though it may sound like it, I will not preach hellfire, something we are not sure actually exists.
I will instead discuss, objectively as possible, what we know is almost certainly coming next, if President-elect Trump’s word means anything at all.
- The First Amendment will be severely weakened. The amendment to our Constitution that guarantees the rights to speech, assembly, free practice of religion, a free press, and petition is the fundamental keystone of our democracy; without it, popular confidence in democracy and the rule of law are diminished and the people are no longer able to check the government they supposedly compose. In his campaign, Donald Trump expressed disregard for freedom to practice religion, calling for a ban on Muslims entering the country and surveillance of mosques. He undermined the free press, revoking the Washington Post’s press credentials and threatening to do the same to the New York Times if its coverage was not positive. He had people forcibly removed for his rallies, including his own supporters, if he suspected them to not genuinely support him.
As president, with more power and potential to do damage, we cannot expect him to completely reverse course. The First Amendment will emerge much weaker than it was. The “media” as a hegemonic block may cater to his whims, and if outlets with integrity don’t and end up removed, there will be only favorable informed coverage of our president. What, then, separates us from an autocracy with a state-supervised press?
- A skeptic of intelligence, Trump will trust his inexperienced instincts without regard for the facts, which will directly result in the loss of life. People overseas will die when President Trump, who claims to “know more about ISIS than the generals do,” acts on impulse rather than on information. He said he will murder innocent people—in other words, commit war crimes—and doubled down on those threats when confronted about them. He has speculated about using nuclear weapons. His temper, temperament, and reactionary impulsivity has been discussed and criticized throughout the campaign; as commander-in-chief of the world’s most powerful military, the consequences of his impulsive decisions will be devastating.
- He will attempt to imprison his political opponents, setting a precedent that dissuades minority parties from pursuing office. This is a cancer to democracy, not just for the 2020 election but beyond. Even if Hillary Clinton does not end up in prison, that Trump was elected—that someone who has threatened this can still win an election in the United States—proves that our democracy is already weaker than we thought it was.
There is much more to be said, about our healthcare and education systems, economic policies and trade deals, and so much else. Many people think Donald Trump alone can’t change all this. They may even think that all of his political appointees to lead federal departments and agencies can’t change all of it. They may be correct. But with a GOP-controlled Congress led by a Speaker and majority leaders and whips who all formally endorsed Donald Trump, and with a soon-to-be-filled vacancy on the Supreme Court, he won’t have to work alone.
Don’t give up on our democracy. Stay informed. The next four years are going to be extremely challenging for our nation’s institutions and values. Maybe the collateral damage will be very limited, but I am not holding out hope.