Saif Sarfani, Viking Fusion Reporter
The general election is over. Republican Donald J. Trump is president-elect and he’ll be inaugurated as president on Jan. 20, 2017. Much like my friends, I, too, was in disbelief because I cannot resonate with Trump. As a candidate, he regularly expressed his racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic and sexist views. Oddly enough, these views and a lack of political correctness did not affect the ticket for Republican nominee for president. A man with no regard for decency ascended to the highest office in our country, and he got there fair and square. According to The Associated Press, Trump reached 290 Electoral College votes, exceeding the 270-vote requirement. Democrat Hillary Clinton won 232 votes.
People blame the Electoral College because it did not choose Clinton. However, they don’t realize that she won the popular vote (i.e., more voters casted their ballots for Clinton than Trump). Clinton got 61,047,207 votes, while Trump fared closely with 60,375,961 votes.
Numbers aside, things happen for a reason and the best thing to do now is trust that President-elect Trump will unite the country, gain trust with his naysayers and uphold the title of Mr. President. According to The Guardian, Trump has other issues he must also tackle as president next year including immigration, foreign policy, national security, women and gender rights, Wall Street, climate change (hopefully he’ll realize it’s not a hoax invented by the Chinese) and criminal justice.
Furthermore, will he live up to his campaign slogan of “Make America Great Again”? According to CNN, after his meeting with President Obama on Nov. 10, Trump said he would compromise on his pledge to “repeal and replace Obamacare.” Trump also said he is fine with same-sex marriage. Vice Chair of Trump’s Presidential Transition Team and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said Trump’s Muslim ban is no longer in effect. Trump himself said the border wall between Mexico and the United States could look more like a fence.
Based off of this, who knows what the Trump administration will actually do in office next year? A few things are for sure: if Donald Trump wants to become a president for all Americans, he will need to change his rhetoric on some of the most divisive issues that have characterized his campaign. These include misogyny, racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia. As president, it would be good to see him forge relationships with the National Organization for Women (NOW) and Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Trump could also work to improve relations with African Americans and address police brutality and injustice. A visit to a mosque to foster interfaith dialogue with Muslim Americans could also help.
Outreach to Hispanics might take extra effort given his staunch criticism and xenophobia, but as president, Trump could visit families affected by the Committee for Hispanic Families and Children (CHFC), an organization that helps Latino children, youth and families get opportunities to succeed and realize their full potential. In doing so, he would be able to better understand the plight of living in the United States without legal status and being a minority. Trump has the power to make amends; let’s see if he does so.
The Republican Party at large also needs to work on outreach to marginalized communities. Ever since the GOP brought Trump on board, it has inadvertently aligned itself with everything that’s wrong with him. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the Republican Party’s ideology is American conservatism, which has nothing to do with Trump’s awry rhetoric. American conservatism is characterized by support of low taxes, free enterprise, a strong national defense and traditional, Judeo-Christian, Western values, not hatred towards women and minorities.
In the end, I’d like to say that we need not necessarily “make America great again” because it has always been great. Moreover, we don’t need one specific person to do that, especially someone who can’t control his Twitter account. The United States is strong and resilient nation. Its inclusivity, diversity and freedom may be threatened by a Trump administration, but will definitely not falter.