Following the election of Donald Trump, the split between American political parties widened. Citizens from both sides have set their focuses on the future, whether that be in a negative or positive light. In truth, I think our election says more about America as it now than how it will soon be. I have been outspoken in my opinion of Donald Trump. I refuse to call him our President-elect, or President for that matter, because he is not my President. This is not a crybaby tactic. On nearly any other account with a Republican, I can find respect and mutual understanding. But Donald Trump will never represent America for me.

I can see the merits of political parties different from my own and I can listen to opinions that do not align with mine, so long as they are not opinions of hatred. For example, the opinion that biracial marriage is disgusting will never be seen respectfully from me. Some opinions are rooted in deep prejudice, not just fundamental beliefs. Donald Trump ran his entire campaign on hatred, bigotry, and prejudice. His proposed ban on Muslim immigration, calls for mass deportation, and possible Supreme Court picks are horrifying. Through he may only serve four years, his Supreme Court decisions will last America decades. His proposed list included candidates that have vowed to repeal Roe v. Wade and nation-wide LGBT+ marriage. I simply cannot and will not support these decisions. Every single human being is made equal, and equality means giving Americans equal opportunity to fulfill their best life. Repealing these rulings would set our progressive America back sixty years. This is absolutely unacceptable.

Trump has also proposed defunding Planned Parenthood, which is beyond frightening. Many people travel to PP to receive affordable care. Their services range from STD testing, sexual education, vaccinations, and breast exams, to name a few. There are many misunderstandings about Planned Parenthood, which leads to hatred, hatred Trump has funneled into his campaign. The ignorance many Americans carry has directly resulted in support of Donald Trump. His hypocrisy is a fundamental part of his nature. He wants to bring jobs back to America, yet his own merchandise is crafted in China. He wants American products back at the forefront of our market, but purchases Chinese steel to build his empire. This man is not an outsider. He is part of the 1% that is running the rest of 99% blue collar workers dry. His dirty business tactics will do nothing but send our country in a mass depression. He reluctance to compromise will hurt our diplomatic relations with foreign nations. He has no experience, no understanding, and no will to fix his deficiencies.

Though Hillary won the popular vote, the system has selected Donald Trump to lead us. I am not denying that he has resonated with many Americans who feel disenfranchised by the current political climate, but this is a result of ignorance. Trump supporters severely lack political understanding. I've genuinely asked many of these people to explain their draw to him, but it seems like most are just afraid of Hillary because of her email scandal and Benghazi. When I ask if these people understand what the content of her emails were, or what Benghazi was, they cannot explain either. This is disheartening. It is absolutely understandable for people to distrust Mrs. Clinton, but only when the opinion is formed off a basis of at least some knowledge. Polls have showed that Trump's main support is from uneducated voters, voters who either never received a high school diploma, or attended college. On the other end, Hillary won big with college-educated voters. This trend is not by mistake, the numbers are so severely different that they have been proven to play a factor in voter choice. This is not to say that all Trump supporters are idiots by any means, but a great majority of his support comes from a lack of understanding, whether that be on one topic like the second amendment, or on his entire campaign.

America has elected a bigot into the highest office. His completely racist characterization of Mexicans as "criminals" is a tell-tale sign of his xenophobia. He is afraid of anyone who isn't straight, white, male, and American. His gross sexual claims of assault are sexist and violent. His proposed Muslim ban is Islamophobic. I am devastated to see the progress our first black President made destroyed by a man who is officially endorsed by the KKK. Do any research on Trump, and you will find how truly offensive and illogical his claims are. America as a whole is very political misinformed, which has given us the most under-qualified President to ever enter office. The future of America looks frightening, but I am more frightened by America's ability to still elect a white nationalist in spite of all the progression made in the last fifty years. We cannot stand for someone so rooted in hate. I certainly will not. The next four years will see me through college, but I refuse to back down. I will never give up beliefs on equality, and you shouldn't either. We need to set a higher standard for our officials. We need to hold them accountable for their actions. And we need to promote equality across the nation. We will not survive on hatred alone; it will be love that pushes us forward. Love will always trump hate.