I fear Trump’s presidency

The election is over and the American people have spoken. Donald Trump is to be the next president of the United States of America. Never have I written a sentence that strikes more anxiety into my life and into the lives of marginalized groups throughout the country.

The millionaire from Queens has somehow infected the heart of America, but this is not the America I was taught existed.

America is supposed to promote diversity, unity and respect. Trump’s promised policies do not conform to these ideas as a whole and serve only to further divide our people rather than unite us.

Trump has called Mexicans rapists, motioned for the banning of Muslims from entering America and encouraged violence against the disabled, people of color and even journalists. As a president of the United States, he is expected to uphold the constitution yet what he stands for does not support the fundamental rights that important document grants the people of this country. If he doesn’t believe in the values of the constitution, how can he possibly expect to “Make America Great Again?”

These statements and actions are unlike any president-elect of the past. Trump has bullied his opposition at every opportunity and has fed off of hatred and fear to gain supporters. He assured Americans that Hillary Clinton was evil, a hater of freedom and a “world class liar” all while lying about facts and events to gain a political edge.

Trump claimed that $6 billion went missing while Clinton was at the State Department, yet no money was ever recorded as lost or stolen. He claimed Clinton had no policies on child care and that she wanted to raise taxes on middle-class Americans all while Clinton had previously made statements contrary to his words. According to Politifact’s Truth-O-Meter, Trump has flat out lied to millions of Americans on over 168 occasions compared to Clinton’s 36 occasions. That is a margin of nearly five to one.

Beyond the human issues and the lies, Trump does not have the experience required to properly run this country. A man who has faced trial after trial for botched business deals and sexual assault has somehow become a more appealing candidate than a woman with a law degree and actual political experience in the Senate and as Secretary of State. By feeding off of fear and hatred, Trump was able to abuse sexism and racism to gain the vote of the uninformed and of people who couldn’t bother paying attention to the election for more than a day or two.

The future is scary. Social media claims that the next four years will be a nightmare and I am certainly not expecting it to be pleasant. Truthfully, I am afraid of what is to come under the Trump administration. He has shown that he doesn’t listen to others, he doesn’t play by the rules and he doesn’t care about non-white Americans.

If America is supposed to promote unity then please help me find what unity comes from Trump as he stands by his racism, sexism and xenophobia over the next four years of our history.