heartbroken for america
thoughts and takeaways the day after the election
America chose Donald Trump, again.
Those are words I never thought I would type, because I was so confident in Kamala Harris. The dream was, she and Tim Walz would lead the team to defeat this orange-haired populist, his dark rhetoric, and his campaign’s fear-mongering experiment on democracy once and for all.
But when I woke up from an extremely uncomfortable five-hour sleep, head pounding from one too many pre-election anxiety drinks consumed the night before, the first thing I saw was red.
Everything was at stake in this election, and now that we know that the 47th President of the United States is a convicted felon, I struggle to prepare myself for an uneasy and momentous shift in American politics.
I’m writing to you from Edinburgh, Scotland, where I’m currently pursuing a degree in International Relations. For my whole life, I’ve looked at America as a US citizen from the outside ~ in, navigating conversations and hearing international perspectives on US politics. Safe to say, I’m going to put my educational training so far to use and share a few of my personal thoughts and observations:
Trump, again . It means something
We must reckon with the fact that the electoral mandate wanted Donald J. Trump again. In 2016, it could’ve been considered a brush-off along the lines of, “here’s a new guy in politics, he’s different from the rest…I might give this guy a shot.” In 2020, we saw a career politician throw his hat in the ring of a bucket-load of candidates and prevailed on the grounds that “he’s the best bet to beat Trump.” He spent his presidency trying to limit the reverberations of Trump’s first presidency, building back up and maintaining foreign relationships, including re-entering the Paris Agreement and rescuing the economy post pandemic, facilitating improved conditions for business investments.
But, when it came to passing the torch on like he promised, for lack of putting it in better words, Biden fumbled the bag. What do you mean he decided to run for president again, then suspended his campaign and endorsed Harris three months before the election? 108 days was not, is not, enough time to convince a voter in a swing state to reflect on their own priorities, get to know, and then maybe decide to vote for a new candidate. Yet, this was the only time frame possible to ‘change’ the Democratic nominee. But, then again, Biden’s administration and the Democratic party had not positioned her enough in the limelight to be his successor.
The tragedy here is that Trump winning again in 2024 with a popular vote and Republicans taking the Senate and House reflects the will of the American people. It’s obvious that his many transgressions have been overlooked, including his comment that if you vote for him “you don’t have to vote again.” In four years, will there be a peaceful transition or a repeat of what we saw on January 6th, 2021?
Keep your eyes on the Supreme Court
I had a conversation with a friend who, like me, is passionate about the American legal system. She shared some insightful thoughts on SCOTUS, including the fact that we must remember that Trump stacked the bench to solidify a conservative majority. Two things to think (maybe worry) about: one, they’re going to help him “chip away at his criminal cases,” ruling earlier this year he has “absolute immunity” as president and two, SCOTUS will spearhead the regression of rights all across the board (abortion, labor, equality, you name it, it’s at risk) while bolstering gun rights. This accumulation of unchecked legal distortion is just the start. There may be even more openings on the bench in the next few years, and if the balance tilts even further in favour of conservatives, I fear for our next generation’s America.
The new norm seems to be division and we need to accept it
I’m feeling too many raw emotions, which might be why I could not acknowledge boys in MAGA hats dancing to Chappell Roan’s HOT TO GO! at a bar without feeling uneasy about their co-optation of her music - her branding just seems to stand in contrast to Trump voters in the bar who enjoy it.
I also couldn’t process running into someone who, in the flesh, supports Trump during my 8am coffee shop trip the following morning. This stranger overheard me telling my friends that the markets are doing well, then proceeded exclaim out “yay!” and checked his phone. I felt incredible sadness and frustration at a stranger taking satisfaction in such a vulnerable moment.
I’m wondering, how can we interact with our neighbours while knowing the vote that triumphed was for someone who is the antagonist of values I hold and believe should be universal, such as the right to an abortion?
Undoubtedly, we still have to hold basic respect for people around us in society.
It’s going to be hard to navigate these conversations, especially interacting with loved ones who voted differently over the dinner table at Thanksgiving. I’m struggling myself, because while I’m upset, the guy at the coffee shop is elated.
My dad texted me this morning saying, “unfortunately, that’s politics in a democracy. There’s going to be winners and losers… we need to be optimistic and help shape the country to be more just.” His words reminded me that the dichotomy of views and emotions will continue as long as there’s a functioning democracy.
This ended up not really being a takeaway, but perhaps a cautious PSA that things will be tense for a while.
So, if you have any advice on how to process it, please let me know.
Other Short Takes
International institutions will feel the earthquake
There’s already been congratulations messages being sent in by world leaders, and that’s when we’re reminded everyone is watching. Though I don’t consider myself a Realist, I agree with Stephen Walt’s rationale in his Foreign Policy piece endorsing Harris/Walz. Take a read!
What are Democrats going to do about this loss?
Regroup and realize that a billion dollar campaign may not mean much if the strategy is not rock solid from the start. The Biden blunder? Best believe that with re-strategizing, this won’t happen again. I would also like to add here that Biden’s sudden departure from the race is not the only reason why Democrats lost. Swing state voters turned out in numbers to vote for Trump. The Democratic Party leadership will need to be asking, why?
I don’t have a definite answer for you but I’m thinking along the lines of economic policy and the ‘America-First’ ideology resonating with voters more than dems originally thought. Another friend pointed out to me that we can already see exit polls indicating several demographic shifts and divides. This may warrant further analysis such as more Latino men embracing Trump.
I forgot about JD Vance, did you? (yikes)
Because of Trump being a populist strongman and all, I kind of forgot he had a running mate. Yup, that one. The guy that said women who don’t have children “do not have a direct stake” in the country and are “childless cat ladies.” JD Vance will be our next VP. If you want to get insight into his flipped political views, listen to this interview he did with the NYT.
PROJECT 2025.
My biggest worry now is this sprawling 900+ page manifesto outlining what a new government under Trump will look like. He’s going to take a page out of this because he echoed the same views on how his team envisions his government to be structured, even if his campaign distanced himself away from the authors of the report, the Heritage Foundation. Also, I read the foreign policy section, and needless to say, China will be the forefront of a power struggle with US under Trump.
Thanks for reading.
Maybe things have to get worse before they get better? But what do I know, these are just my takeaways.
I do know that the world keeps spinning. Remember that not all hope is lost and it’s not all downhill from here.
Get involved, any way you can, for 2026, for 2028.
~ Renee
i really enjoyed reading this, i thought it was quite eloquently put