Last weekend, we turned our clocks back an hour for Daylight Saving Time—and this past Tuesday, we may have turned our country back decades with the election of Donald Trump as our 47th President. Trump, who during his first term was impeached twice, instigated an insurrection, faced 88 criminal charges, been convicted of 34 state felonies, and found civilly liable for assaulting E. Jean Carroll, is back in power. He has threatened retribution against his enemies, promised mass deportations for immigrants, and pledged to abandon our allies. On Day 1, he vowed to govern as a dictator. Trump's administration will likely continue its assault on the LGBTQ+ community, while backing efforts to strip women and Black Americans of their rights. Meanwhile, he aims to eliminate the civil workforce and dismantle the Department of Education. Yet, despite this record, a startling number of Americans have decided that this is the path they want for the country.
Vice President Kamala Harris did all she could in the limited time available to her—mounting an impressive presidential campaign in just 100 days. She was more than qualified to become the first woman and the first person of color to hold the office of President, but in the end, her qualifications weren’t enough. Harris could not overcome this nation’s deep-seated misogyny and racism. The rules that applied to her—having a detailed plan for every issue, doing countless interviews, being perfect in every aspect of the campaign—did not apply to Trump. For him, mediocrity, entitlement, and grievance were enough to recapture the White House.
There was nothing Harris could have done to change the outcome of this race. The pundits who argue that Democrats need to appeal more to the white working class are missing the larger truth. To many, Trump represents the preservation of White America—a country where white privilege and supremacy are protected, where the contributions of Native and Black Americans are erased, and where women’s rights are rolled back in favor of maintaining a racial hierarchy. There are those in his coalition who would rather see the country burn than accept a multiracial democracy. To them, Trump embodies the defense of White America and will go to any length, including violence, to preserve that vision.
Now the question is: where do we go from here? Trump will return to the White House angrier and more emboldened than ever. He is likely to nominate two more justices to the Supreme Court, ensuring a conservative majority for decades. He will pardon himself and the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The rich will continue to get tax cuts, while the working class suffers. The most vulnerable will be targeted simply for existing. The radical proposals of Project 2025 will begin to take shape, radically transforming America as we know it. The question remains: how do we resist a man with absolute power—and, with the support of a stacked Supreme Court, absolute immunity?
The defeat of Harris still feels raw, and it is difficult to answer that question in the moment. Never before in American history have we installed a fascist leader to oversee the decline of our democracy. But even in the face of such despair, we must not lose hope—that’s exactly what they want. They want us to be apathetic, to feel powerless, and to concede without a fight. So, we must fight. We must fight for a better future—for our children, our loved ones, and for the generations to come. But not today. Today, we mourn. We mourn what could have been, while we prepare for what is to come.
In these extraordinary times, take care of yourself. Unplug. Log off. Unfollow. Block. Read a book. Drink some water. Exercise. Spend time with those close to you. Rest and reset. Because you will be needed in the fight ahead.
Vice President Kamala Harris did all she could in the limited time available to her—mounting an impressive presidential campaign in just 100 days. She was more than qualified to become the first woman and the first person of color to hold the office of President, but in the end, her qualifications weren’t enough. Harris could not overcome this nation’s deep-seated misogyny and racism. The rules that applied to her—having a detailed plan for every issue, doing countless interviews, being perfect in every aspect of the campaign—did not apply to Trump. For him, mediocrity, entitlement, and grievance were enough to recapture the White House.
There was nothing Harris could have done to change the outcome of this race. The pundits who argue that Democrats need to appeal more to the white working class are missing the larger truth. To many, Trump represents the preservation of White America—a country where white privilege and supremacy are protected, where the contributions of Native and Black Americans are erased, and where women’s rights are rolled back in favor of maintaining a racial hierarchy. There are those in his coalition who would rather see the country burn than accept a multiracial democracy. To them, Trump embodies the defense of White America and will go to any length, including violence, to preserve that vision.
Now the question is: where do we go from here? Trump will return to the White House angrier and more emboldened than ever. He is likely to nominate two more justices to the Supreme Court, ensuring a conservative majority for decades. He will pardon himself and the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The rich will continue to get tax cuts, while the working class suffers. The most vulnerable will be targeted simply for existing. The radical proposals of Project 2025 will begin to take shape, radically transforming America as we know it. The question remains: how do we resist a man with absolute power—and, with the support of a stacked Supreme Court, absolute immunity?
The defeat of Harris still feels raw, and it is difficult to answer that question in the moment. Never before in American history have we installed a fascist leader to oversee the decline of our democracy. But even in the face of such despair, we must not lose hope—that’s exactly what they want. They want us to be apathetic, to feel powerless, and to concede without a fight. So, we must fight. We must fight for a better future—for our children, our loved ones, and for the generations to come. But not today. Today, we mourn. We mourn what could have been, while we prepare for what is to come.
In these extraordinary times, take care of yourself. Unplug. Log off. Unfollow. Block. Read a book. Drink some water. Exercise. Spend time with those close to you. Rest and reset. Because you will be needed in the fight ahead.
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