Donald Trump's entire campaign was based on his slogan "Make America Great Again," but America, I have a newsflash for you. With Donald Trump sitting in the White House, America will not progress, and we will not be great. In fact, we will be far from it.
The next few years has the potential to reap mass change, and not necessarily the good kind. Donald Trump is going to be our president. The GOP holds a majority in both the House and the Senate. Trump will undoubtedly appoint incredibly right-winged Supreme Court Justices, who will most likely be approved with no problems through the right-wing Senate. From there, the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches will all be a majority for the same party, voting the same way. What happened to Checks and Balances?
Starting January 20, 2017, we will have Donald Trump sitting in office. We will have a President who was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl. We will have a President who thinks he can "grab her by the pu**y" because he is 'famous and knows she wants it.' We will have a President who thinks its okay to imitate a reporter with Cerebral Palsy on national television. We will have a President who thinks all Mexicans are racists and all Muslims are terrorists. We will have a President who speaks of women as if they are second class citizens. We will have a President who called a former POW a "dummy".
Starting January 20, 2017, we will have Mike Pence as our Vice President. We will have a VP who opposes comprehensive sex education. We will have a VP who believes global climate change is a myth. We will have a VP who voted against the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act which led to his state of Indiana having one of the worst smoking problems in the U.S. We will have a VP who signed a "religious objections" bill into law in Indiana that permit the discrimination of members of the LGBTQ+ community. We will have a VP who believes in conversion therapy. We will have a VP who opposes same-sex marriage and civil union because he believes that the "deterioration of marriage and family" will bring about societal collapse.
America was once great. We are a land built by people who would not stand for oppression by a tyrannical British government. We were a beacon of hope for immigrants seeking the opportunities we could offer them. We fought for the rights of those who had none. We fought for our morals. We made amazing technological advancements. My immediate thoughts when hearing the phrase "Make America Great Again" wander to the first episode of the HBO series "The Newsroom". When prompted as to why America was the greatest country in the world, fictional character Will McAvoy assured a room full of people that it is not. (watch this scene here) I want to echo his sentiments now, by saying that America is not the greatest country in the world. It was once great and has the potential to again be great, but with Donald Trump as POTUS, I don't see that happening in our near future.
America cannot be great with this man as our President. He is bigoted, misogynistic, racist, a bully, and he is going to set America back on years upon years of progression. We've made major strides in the recent past when it comes to rights of those who didn't have them, don't let that all go to waste. In the coming years, I beg you all to remember that Black Lives Matter, that LGBTQ+ people should be allowed to marry whoever they wish, that women have a right to do with their body what they want. Do not let a Trump presidency ruin any progress. Although Trump is not going to make America great again, we can hopefully stop him from overturning any progress we have made thus far.