If you're like me, you woke up on November 8th screaming at the top of your lungs and clutching your proverbial pearls while clenching tighter then ever before at the fact that Donald Trump had become the President elect of the United States. Throughout his campaign, the Donald didn't really convince me that he could run a country. Disregarding all the controversy, I didn't hear a lot in the form of policy and actual politics. However, just because I couldn't see anything about him that screamed “Presidential”, that doesn't mean that it isn't there. And on that premise, I'd like to compile a few ways that a Presidency could be beneficial for the country.
1: Public Approval. If this election cycle taught us anything, it's that people have gotten sick and tired of politics and political figures. Most citizens probably feel like Washington D.C has completely alienated the rest of the country and that the people there couldn't relate to the average person even if they tried. Since Donald Trump ran his campaign as an outsider, he avoided this political stigma all together and made himself more appealing to a multitude of people. Whether this will continue in his Presidency has yet to be seen, but it was definitely an effective strategy. And with people feeling that things might change for the better, they could be more inspired to be a part of that change. Which leads me to the next point.
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2: More Political Activity From Citizens. One thing that a Trump Presidency could do is make citizens more active in their politics. With so many people expecting something bad to occur in the next four years, there is more reason than ever to pay attention to the congressional elections coming up in the next couple of years. People may begin to realize that there are other important elections other than the Presidential one. Who gets elected into congress does matter, perhaps more than who's in the white house. So even if the Trump presidency is as bad as people claim it will be, it should undoubtedly cause citizens to get out and make some change.
3: Better Effort From Politicians. This election let politicians know loud and clear that they are not wanted in their current state. Citizens all over the country were fed up with being considered backwards, bigots, racists, and misogynists simply because of where they lived or the values they held. They were also tired of being ignored and forgotten. So instead of electing someone who they thought was dishonest, elitist, and unconcerned with their issues, these citizens opted for the wild card that is Donald Trump. Even if his presidency doesn't turn out well, at least it would've been a change from the usual lies. If politicians are smart, they'll take this loss as a wake up call and will actually listen to the citizens in the future. Or they'll completely ignore the signs, thus handing Trump a second term.
4: Complete Media Overhaul. There's no denying that the media screwed up this election. For over a year, every major news channel treated Donald Trump as a joke rather than an actual candidate. Instead of asking him questions or calling him out on some of his claims, they just sat back and gave him free coverage. It wasn't until he became the Republican nominee that the media decided to take him seriously, but by then his message had become to big to squash. So for the next four years, the media will have to deal with a President that has the utmost disdain and disrespect for their business. In this time, each and every news outlet will have to redefine their definition of journalism. And hopefully the next time an over charismatic person rises to the surface with seemingly no substance, they'll douse the embers before they become a forest fire.
Whether Donald Trump will be an effective President or not is something we won't know for at least the first half of his presidency, but it doesn't hurt to actually be optimistic about this uncertain future. That being said, I'd still advise everyone to proceed with caution. Just because he deserves the benefit of the doubt doesn't mean we shouldn't keep a close eye on him.
Stay vigilant, and thanks for reading.
