I want to start this piece off by saying that I know that my words now will not change what happened last night. Trump will now hold the title of being the 47th elected president of the United States whether women, in Trump’s own words,  “like it or not”.

This comes with a few other firsts for Trump. While there are quite many, the most notable being that he was the first former president to become a convicted felon, and he is now the first to be elected as president.

So Trump won, again. Not only does this mean he is now president, but he also just won over the very system that has been trying to hold him accountable for the 34 felony counts he was convicted over. I find it vital to remind you that the same man was also accused of raping, nonconsensually kissing, groping, walking in on teenage pageant contestants, etc. Among these was the E. Jean Carroll case where Donald Trump was found civilly liable for raping her in a dressing room. All of which he has, of course, denied. 

As a woman, I am disheartened and disappointed in our country’s decision to vote for someone with this serious of accusations and actual felony charges against him. Putting aside politics, this man has said horrible things about women, LGBTQ+ people, and people of color. He does not know the struggles of being a minority. So in a time where these people require the most attention from our government, I can’t fathom why we would elect someone into office who doesn’t understand what they actually require. 

And as a journalist, I am scared stiff for the road ahead. This is putting aside the fact that Trump said just a couple of days ago he wouldn’t mind if the press were shot at. The political climate that my peers and I will have to face and cover for the next four years is something that I hope won’t damage the hopes I hold for our country. 

So yes, I am disappointed. I’m disappointed in my peers, professors, and anyone who holds any position of power here at Rowan, or anyone at a university in the U.S. who cast their ballot in favor of Trump. 

Let’s not forget that at the end of the day, Trump will “protect women whether they like it or not”. Which in other words means, he doesn’t care about what you want. Let’s also not forget that this is our country, and if we want to make it right, we are going to have to fight long and hard again. 

On the bright side, I am hoping that those in power who do share my and millions of others’ beliefs have the guts to make a change. To protect women, abortion rights, our environment, our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, children, and people of color. 

I could go on and on about the millions of things I disagree with in regard to this guy, but as I said, nothing I say will change that. But I will say that I am ready for the next four years. I am ready to fight, to educate others, and to make the women who came before me proud. This is nowhere near the end.

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