Former President Donald Trump won the presidency on Wednesday, Nov. 6, after clinching key battleground states that pushed him over 270 electoral votes. He is the first convicted felon to assume the Oval Office.
If you aren’t a big fan of reading, I’ll give you the gist in numbers.
Donald Trump will be the first president to have:
34 felony counts.
2 impeachments.
6 bankrupt businesses.
27 allegations of rape, harrassment and sexual assault.
Most people wouldn’t let anyone with nearly as many allegations come within ten feet of their children. He would be soundly rejected if he was running for school board, or interviewing to be a teacher, or being hired as a pastor, or pitching a business idea, but because he is Donald Trump, he will be pardoned by his supporters, defended passionately, covered under the pathetic excuse of “vote for policy, not character.”
The next four years are projected to mark a significant regression in our country’s stance on fundamental American values, including reproductive rights, economic equity and gun control. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 (thanks to Trump-appointed conservative justices), he boasted that he was able to “kill” the critical constitutional right that protected abortion. Currently, 13 states are enforcing bans at all stages of pregnancy.
Economists project that, if he enacts his tariff plans, he will cost the average American almost an extra $4000 a year. Furthermore, his proposed tax plans will increase taxes for the working and middle classes (with the biggest increase of 4.9% affecting the country’s poorest citizens).
In terms of gun control, in 2017, Trump signed a bill that revoked a measure enacted by Obama that required people with mental illnesses to be added to the national background check database. In that same year, his administration purged over 500,000 names of “fugitives from justice” who would have been prohibited from purchasing firearms.
Many of Trump’s biggest voter blocs will be negatively impacted by his promised policies.
But beyond these immediate concerns, I also fear that the coming years will represent a dangerous setback in our ongoing struggle toward a more inclusive society. With the rise of divisive political discourse that will worsen under a figure like Trump, who depends on harshly polarizing his supporters, I worry that we will witness the resurgence of racist rhetoric, harmful stereotypes and blatant disinformation aimed at fostering division rather than unity. During Trump’s last term, hate crimes rose almost 20%, and the former president fanned the flames with his mischaracterizations of marginalized communities. Trump is a selfish individual who knows that his supporters hope for a leader who will distinguish them from those they deem inferior in order to protect their sense of inflated nationalism. Inflammatory language and hate-fueled agendas are part of Trump’s campaign, whether his supporters are willing to admit that or not.
Even though Trump won this election, this is not a win for America. If you don’t believe me, look at the numbers.
Disclaimer: This is an opinion article. The Student Movement is open to perspectives from the Andrews community, so please feel free to reach out to the AUSM team (Editor-in-Chief: stefanescu@andrews.edu, Faculty Advisor: kharris@andrews.edu).
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.