We all know what has happened. We all know who is happy, who is devastated, and who isn't saying anything at all because they're not really sure what to say. We've heard the cries of people claiming Donald Trump will be the greatest president America has ever had, and we've heard much of the exact opposite. People are pleading for a re-vote, for the destruction of the Electoral College and its corrupt system, for something more to be done to change this. But as of right now, this is our reality. And I think this reality could turn out differently than everyone is expecting at this moment.
Right now, Donald Trump and his voters and supporters are being looked at by the majority of Americans -- and, rather, the world -- as the bad guys, the racists, the bigots, you get the idea. Yes, Trump has said and done extremely disrespectful things during his campaign, but now that he has been elected, I feel that those things were done solely to increase his exposure and national attention. The spectacle of Trump that we all know and either hate or love could truly be only that--a spectacle, and nothing more.
In an interview with Oprah in 1998, Trump was asked about his political views and whether or not he would run for president in the future. When he said yes, he said he'd run as a Republican because he felt those voters were dumb, and that he could lie and they would still believe him. Granted, this was an interview that occurred 16 years ago and his beliefs and values could easily have changed since then, but I'm doubtful of that based on his actions post-election.
According to The Washington Post, Trump just released his child-care policy that would lower child-care costs and guarantee six weeks of paid maternity leave, which is something many Americans have been wanting for a very long time. This plan partially contradicts the belief that women would not be protected under a Trump presidency, and it sounds like something that would not come from the side of conservative Republicans.
Another popular belief throughout his campaign was that Trump was against the LGBT community, though his appearance at a rally in Colorado claimed the opposite. Trump said he does support the LGBT community, and held up a rainbow flag that belonged to a member of the audience onstage after noticing it and asking to see it. In an interview with Chuck Todd, Trump also expressed that he felt that businesses should not discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation. He also supports same-sex marriage, and has been quoted supporting the amendment of The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which would grant the same protection for members of the LGBT community that every other American receives. In his Republican presidential candidate nominee acceptance speech, he also voiced his support for the LGBT community, and said he would do everything in his power to protect them from violence and oppression birthed from a hateful ideology.
I know none of this sounds like the Donald Trump the majority of America loves to hate, and I will admit I never supported him throughout his campaign, but I'm starting to think that maybe a Trump presidency won't be as awful as everyone thinks it will be. The media picks and chooses what to show and how to frame that content to possibly distort the actual reality, and I feel that this was a big part of his campaign. To me, it seems that he ran a ridiculously interesting campaign to reel in supporters and get more attention from the media, and now that he has won the election, he doesn't need to act like a crazy, backwards guy anymore. On the other hand, the fact that his hateful rhetoric has struck a chord with many Americans and has started racist, discriminatory behavior across the country, I am wondering how Trump will unify a nation that he heavily aided in dividing. But now, the only thing we really can do is wait and see what happens.
