In my drawer sits a “Love Trumps Hate” button, a dust-covered relic from the 2016 election. Hillary Clinton, though certainly not the most popular or personable candidate, unsuccessfully fought against the hostility that Donald Trump championed in his campaign. Eight years later, Kamala Harris created a platform prioritizing “Unity Over Division.” She also lost. Two impeachments, an attempted insurrection, a sexual abuse civil judgment, 34 counts of fraud and an infinite amount of inflammatory and degrading comments were not enough to keep Donald Trump out of office.

Like many of my peers, I am terrified about the implications of another Trump presidency. Bolstered by an all-red Congress and conservative court, it seems there is no limit to what he can do. “The president is now a king above the law,” wrote Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor in her famous dissent regarding Trump being granted criminal immunity by his appointed court.

The top issue concerning voters in this election was the state of the economy, which apparently was more important to some voters than rejecting hatred and supporting democracy. Trump blamed immigrants for rising housing costs and declining job opportunities. He screamed that China will pay for a disastrous tariff policy (instead, Americans will face the burden). However, he never once mentioned how wages have all but stayed the same while the cost of living has skyrocketed, or how the ultra-wealthy, like Trump, are now able to hoard their wealth while the average American lives paycheck-to-paycheck. In fact, 23 Nobel Peace Prize-winning economists argued that Harris’ economic plan was far superior. Trickle-down economics has never and will never work.

Poor critical thinking skills and propaganda led people to vote in ways they thought would prioritize themselves at the expense of others.

Trump’s America is one that rewards entitlement and cruelty. Yet, America has always been a violent country. It was taken through the genocide of indigenous peoples. It was built by the brutalization of enslaved peoples, who still face discrimination to this day. And to ascend the mobility ladder, you must prioritize your own interests over anything and anyone. You must assimilate, fit in, and take whatever you can get. This cruelty has always existed, but Trump became the face that has made it an outwardly accepted social norm.

For Trump, you can mock and belittle whoever you want. You can place the blame on immigrants and other marginalized groups to detract from the problems within the system that you have created and upheld. I fear for the immigrants who will live under fear of deportation, people of color who will face harassment and violence from his rhetoric, queer people who will have their identities and rights threatened, disabled people who will lack protections in their healthcare, and women who will no longer have access to life-saving healthcare.

Less than a week after the AP declared Trump won, right-wing men took to X (another Trumpian entity) to declare, “Your body, my choice.” Forget any unifying messages – this is the new slogan of America.

As for our current state of poor media literacy, Trump will undoubtedly strip education of any critical discussion about topics such as race and gender. After all, he is only allowing “patriots” to teach in schools, whatever that means. Any regulation of educational standards will be forgotten as Trump promised to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. However, as College of DuPage students and community members, we have access to amazing resources where we can learn and improve our critical thinking skills.

As we begin to see what a second Trump term will look like in the coming months, I implore you to use the college’s vast and expansive resources. We have so much knowledge at our fingertips, from our professors to the books and lendable resources the library carries. We cannot solve all of America’s issues, but we can bolster the COD community. Take time to invest in your academic success and the well-being of your peers. I am scared, but the only way we get through this is together.