Unfortunately, Hate Has Won

The world was stunned yesterday as Donald Trump won the 2016 American presidential election. His fear tactics have worked, for the American people have agreed with him. They believed that America wasn’t already great, and they needed someone to make it great again.

While I don’t agree with most of Trump’s views and policies, maybe America has reasons to elect him to its highest office. Maybe he can truly bring more jobs into the country and get more money in; undoubtedly, he is a businessman. Financially, maybe he could bring some positive change. However, what I fear the most is his lack of knowledge on what it truly means to run a country: finances and the economy are just one part of a much larger, more complex whole. Will he know how to diplomatically negotiate with other countries? Does he represent the interests of America well? Will he protect and think of all Americans, including immigrants and migrant workers?

Of all the negative things one can point out about Trump, that’s what I fear the most. His election to office has proved that hating others because they are foreign to you is acceptable. It’s legitimate to blame the non-American for stealing your jobs, and to lay the responsibility of crime on the shoulders of illegal immigrants. Trump has given Americans a reason to hate and exclude people. There are a lot of ethnic minorities in America, and Trump’s election has undoubtedly instilled fear in their hearts. If their leader is now someone who hates minorities, how can they feel safe?

Americans have spoken, and they have chosen Trump as their leader. Cynicism aside, one can only hope that Trump can truly make America great again, especially after the divide this election has caused between the country’s citizens. Hopefully, all Americans will be treated equally, no matter what race, religion, gender, or skin colour. Hopefully, Trump can truly be the financial wizard everyone believes him to be. Hopefully, he won’t anger other nations and cause conflict to flourish. That’s all we can do for now—be hopeful.